JOTF Policy Update-March 9th, 2018

JOTF WEEKLY POLICY UPDATE
(See JOTF’s 2018 Policy Agenda here)

Today marks the end of the nineth week of the Maryland General Assembly’s 2018 Legislative Session. JOTF’s policy team is hard at work in Annapolis managing our legislative agenda and ensuring that our signature priorities are progressing through the legislative process. As we continue to aggressively advocate on behalf of low-wage workers and job seekers across our state, we want you to be aware of some key highlights from this past week.

If you would like to support our 2018 policy agenda, please contact our Policy Team for further information: Nikki Thompson, Senior Policy Advocate or Lee Domeika, Policy Advocate.

JOTF TOP PRIORITIES
SCHEDULED FOR BILL HEARINGS
The Maryland REDEEM (Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment)
Act of 2018 (SB 1212/HB 1383) 
Criminal records continue to be a harsh obstacle to overcome for low-wage workers across the state. This bill seeks to allow for the automatic expungement of non-convictions and clarifies the definition and expungement eligibility for dated, invalidated arrest warrants after a certain period of time. Additionally, it seeks to provide expungement eligibility for all nonviolent misdemeanor convictions after three (3) years, and certain nonviolent felonies after five (5) years.
Click here for fact sheet
Senate Hearing – TBD, referred to the Judicial Proceedings Committee
House Hearing – March 13 at 1 p.m. in the House Judiciary Committee 

If you are interested in submitting written testimony in support of any of our policy priorities, please contact Nikki Thompson.  Click here for tips of how to draft written testimony.

GET ON THE BUS
On Tuesday, March 27th, 2018, the Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF), Out for Justice, Inc. (OFJ) and partners will descend on Annapolis for our annual lobby day!  We will march to and rally in front of the Maryland State House to urge support for policies that seek to eliminate educational and employment barriers and increase access to JOBS and JUSTICE for all Marylanders. Attendees can expect to meet with legislators to engage in conversations around the following topics: Women’s Rights, Access to Education, Juvenile Justice, Expungement, Pretrial Services, Ban the Box, Child Support, and the Governor’s Crime Bill. Additionally, attendees will be encouraged to attend afternoon #JusticeDialogues and committee bill hearings related to our topic areas. Specific information regarding the bill hearings will be released soon.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided!

Transportation is available to and from Annapolis. Buses will leave from various locations in Baltimore City, as well as Baltimore County, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. If you are interested in leading a bus or need a seat on a bus, please contact Lee Domeika(JOTF) or Nicole Hanson (OFJ) for more information.

EYE ON ANNAPOLIS
*Bills that the JOTF Policy Team testified on this week*

HB779/HB1421/HB1417/HB 1364/HB1314/HB1262 – Delay/Amend Bills of the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act
JOTF opposed all six bills that seek to delay or amend the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act (HB 1 of 2017). These bills would have restricted, delayed, or even removed access to earned sick and safe leave for workers across the state.

SB 842/HB 781 – Educational Excellence Award Eligibility
JOTF supported this legislation, which seeks to restructure the eligibility requirements of the Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access Grant (GAG) to allow non-traditional students, specifically those who secured their high school diploma via the GED test, to access GAG’s tuition assistance.
Click here to read JOTF’s fact sheet.

(Picture below from left to right are: Tonika Garibaldi – GED Instructor, Del. Nick Mosby, Caryn York – JOTF, Holly Mirabella – Maryland CASH Campaign)

HB1554 – The Payment Incentive Program Expansion Act of 2018
JOTF supported this bill, which seeks to seeks to restructure the Child Support Enforcement Administration’s Payment Incentive Program (PIP) to provide more external outreach in counties that under utilize the program, grants participants a “grace period” due to unemployment or seasonal work schedules, and allows for the “grandfathering in” of payments made immediately before acceptance into the program.
Click here for fact sheet

(Picture below from left to right are: Vernon Wallace – Center for Urban Families, Chamar Glenn – Adam’s House, Nikki Thompson – JOTF, Del. Jazz Lewis)

SB 543/HB 664 – Labor & Employment – Payment of Minimum Wage Required (Fight for Fifteen)
JOTF supported this legislation, which seeks to increase and index the state minimum wage to fifteen $15 per hour by fiscal year 2024.

ON THE HORIZON
*Legislation to watch next week in Annapolis*

The Maryland REDEEM (Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment)
Act of 2018 (SB 1212/HB 1383) 
JOTF SIGNATURE PRIORITY – JOTF will be supporting this bill as it seeks to allow for the automatic expungement of non-convictions and clarifies the definition and expungement eligibility for dated, invalidated arrest warrants after a certain period of time. Additionally, it seeks to provide expungement eligibility for all nonviolent misdemeanor convictions after three (3) years, and certain nonviolent felonies after five (5) years.
Click here for fact sheet
Senate Hearing – TBD, referred to Judicial Proceedings Committee
House Hearing – March 13 at 1 p.m. in the Judiciary Committee

SB1146/HB447 – Pretrial Services Program Grant Fund – Establishment
SUPPORT – JOTF will be supporting this bill, which establishes a statewide fund for pre-trial services.
House Hearing – March 13 at 1 p.m. in the Judiciary Committee

SB853/HB1539 – Labor and Employment – General Contractor Liability for Unpaid Wages (Contractors Payment Protection Act)
SUPPORT – JOTF will be supporting this bill, which will allow for low-wage workers to collect unpaid wages from subcontractors.
House Hearing – March 13 at 1 p.m. in the Economic Matters Committee

SB1164/HB1729 – Family Investment Program – Temporary Cash Assistance – Funding 
SUPPORT – JOTF will be supporting this bill, which will provide increased funding for vital public assistance programs and increase the amounts provided to participants.
Senate Hearing – March 14 at 1 p.m. in the Budget & Tax Committee
House Hearing – March 13 at 1 p.m. in the Appropriations Committee

SB1034 – Human Services – State Public Assistance Eligibility – Arrest Warrant
OPPOSE – JOTF will oppose this bill, which will prohibit an individual with any form of an arrest warrant from receiving public benefits.
Senate Hearing – March 15 at 1 p.m. in the Finance Committee

THE CRIMINALIZATION OF POVERTY

During the first week of February, JOTF released its new report, a 104-page document that details how Maryland policies perpetuate the criminalization of its most vulnerable residents. The Criminalization of Poverty: How to break the cycle through policy reform in Maryland, found that Maryland is criminalizing poverty in numerous ways:
Debtors’ Prisons
Law Enforcement Policies
The Cash Bail System
Limited Expungement
JOTF examines how these policies, and more, disparately impact the poor and people of color, creating a vicious cycle of poverty that has been criminalized through Maryland’s current laws. Save the date for a deep dive into the report followed by an informative discussion.

For more information on the report, please contact JOTF’s Executive Director, Caryn York .