Miller Announces Senate Committee Assignments

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) on Friday announced the full committee lineup for his chamber, and other key assignments, for the upcoming General Assembly session.

Miller picked committee chairmen and vice chairmen earlier this year.

Miller has yet to announce who will be Senate president pro tem or majority leader in the coming term. The 47-member chamber will have 18 new senators in January.

“Committee compositions are determined with an intent to balance a variety of issues including geography, race, gender, knowledge areas, and other considerations,” Miller wrote in a letter to his colleagues Friday. “I am proud that our Senate leadership reflects the diversity of our state, with women composing half of our standing committee chairs, and with people of color representing one-third of our Senate committee leadership.”

What follows is a look at the four standing committees. An asterisk denotes a new member of the committee.

Senate Budget &Taxation Committee

Sen. Nancy J. King (D-Montgomery), Chair

Sen. William C. Ferguson IV (D-Baltimore City), Vice Chair

Sen. Addie Eckardt (R-Middle Shore)

Senator George C. Edwards (R-Garrett)

Sen.-elect Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel)*

Sen.-elect Melony G. Griffith (D-Prince George’s)*

Sen. Guy J. Guzzone (D-Howard)

Sen.-elect Cory V. McCray (D-Baltimore City)*

Sen. Douglas J. J. Peters (D-Prince George’s)

Sen. James C. Rosapepe (D-Prince George’s)*

Sen. Johnny Ray Salling (R-Baltimore County)*

Sen. Andrew Serafini (R-Washington)

Sen. Craig Zucker (D-Montgomery)*

Senate Education, Health, & Environmental Affairs Committee

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s), Chair

Senator Shirley Nathan-Pulliam (D-Baltimore County), Vice-Chair

Sen.-elect Jack Bailey (R-St. Mary’s)*

Sen.-elect Mary Beth Carozza (R-Lower Shore)*

Sen.-elect Arthur Ellis (D-Charles)*

Sen.-elect Jason C. Gallion (R-Harford)*

Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Montgomery)

Sen.-elect Clarence K. Lam (D-Howard)*

Sen.-elect Obie Patterson (D-Prince George’s)*

Sen. Bryan Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel)

Sen. Ronald N. Young (D-Frederick)

Senate Finance Committee

Sen. Delores G. Kelley (D-Baltimore County), Chair*

Sen. Brian J. Feldman (D-Montgomery), Vice-Chair

Sen.-elect Malcolm Augustine (D-Prince George’s)*

Sen.-elect Pamela G. Beidle (D-Anne Arundel)*

Sen. Joanne C. Benson (D-Prince George’s)

Sen.-elect Antonio L. Hayes (D-Baltimore City)*

Sen. Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore)

Sen. J.B. Jennings (R-Baltimore County)

Sen. Katherine A. Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County)

Sen.-elect Benjamin F. Kramer (D-Montgomery)*

Sen. Edward R. Reilly (R-Anne Arundel)

Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee

Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County), Chair

Sen. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery), Vice-Chair

Sen. Jill P. Carter (D-Baltimore City)*

Sen. Robert G. Cassilly (R-Harford)

Sen.-elect Katie Fry Hester (D-Howard)*

Sen. Michael J. Hough (R-Frederick)

Sen. Susan C. Lee (D-Montgomery)

Sen. Justin D. Ready (R-Carroll)

Sen.-elect Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Montgomery)*

Sen.-elect Mary L. Washington (D-Baltimore City)*

Sen.-elect Christopher West (R-Baltimore County)*

Here are announced assignments to other committees:

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https://www.marylandmatters.org/2018/11/30/miller-announces-senate-committee-assignments/?fbclid=IwAR35Wt6AmS2aDlF1_ssJm22ONSEyW-9r9AO9wwhMgnDWwELoqrHozjYkgCs

Sen. Brian Frosh turns OFF audio so public cannot hear discussion of Raskin bill

Right now, the Maryland Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee is meeting.  Up until a few minutes ago the Committee hearing was being live streamed over the Internet.

The audio feed was turned off when the meeting moved on to the voting session portion of the Agenda.  We have been told that on the Agenda for discussion and a vote is Senator Jamie Raskin's bill regarding teacher/coach sexual contact with teens.

Members of the Parents' Coalition have called the Senate's Judicial Proceedings committee to request that the live feed be turned on for today's voting session.  We have been told that the decision to live stream voting sessions is made by the Chair of the committee.  For this committee, Senator Brian Frosh is the chair.  When asked why the audio was being turned off one of our callers was told "that's the way it's done."

If you would like to call and request that the audio for this Senate voting session be turned ON, call 410-841-3623 or send a Tweet to the Chair of this committee .@BrianFrosh 

Senator Frosh "forgot" to live stream Senate hearing

A voting session on the bill establishing liability in cases of death and injury related to dog bites (subscriber access) was not live-streamed over the internet despite a rule change that would have allowed online access.
The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee met Feb. 20, 2014 to vote on a bill sponsored by Sen. Brian E. Frosh, D-Montgomery and chairman of the committee...
...Frosh, when asked about the lack of an live-stream of the debate (which creates an archived record the public can listen to on demand) he responded:
“I forgot,” Frosh said, referring to turning on the microphones when the bill came up for debate...
http://thedailyrecord.com/2014/02/24/no-one-asked/