JOTF Weekly Policy update-March 23rd, 2018

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

Today marks the end of the eleventh 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.
GET ON THE BUS

This 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 learn more about and meet with legislators around the following topics: Access to Higher Education, Juvenile Justice, Rights for Incarcerated and Formerly Women, Expungement, Pretrial Services, Child Support Reform, and the Hogan-Zirkin Crime Bill. Additionally, attendees will be encouraged to attend afternoon #JusticeDialogues and committee bill hearings on these issues.

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, and Prince George’s Counties. If you are interested in leading a bus or need a seat on a bus, please contact Nicole Hanson (OFJ) or Lee Domeika(JOTF) for more information.

CALL TO ACTION

Call the House Judiciary Committee TODAY!

VOTE YES ON HB 1383 –  Maryland Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment (REDEEM) Act

HB 1383/SB1212 – The Maryland Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment (REDEEM) Act

One of JOTF’s priority bills needs your support. This piece of legislation works to expand expungement eligibility to ensure that individuals with certain criminal records have employment opportunities. This bill would automatically expunge non-convictions, provide clarification on the expungement eligibility of arrest warrants, and expand expungement for nonviolent misdemeanors and felonies.

The House Judiciary Committee is expected the vote on this bill soon. Committee members need to hear OUR voices in support of this important bill. PLEASE CONTACT COMMITTEE MEMBERS as many times as possible to urge a favorable report of HOUSE BILL 1383. Please see committee member contact information below:

Example phone/email script:
Hi Delegate ________. My name is _______ and I am calling to urge your support for HB 1383, which would expand expungement eligibility for nonconvictions, nonviolent misdemeanors and felonies, and arrest warrants. This bill would ensure that individuals who have served time, or in some cases were never even convicted of a crime, have equal access to stable employment. Please support HB 1383 for the future success and stability of all Marylanders.
Name
Phone #
Email Address

Joseph Vallario
(410) 841-3488
[email protected]

Kathleen Dumais
(410) 841-3052
[email protected]

Curt Anderson
(410) 841-3291
[email protected]

Vanessa Atterbeary
(410) 841-3471
[email protected]

John Cluster
(410) 841-3526
[email protected]

Frank Conaway Jr.
(410) 841-3189
[email protected]

Paul Corderman
(410) 841-3125
[email protected]

Angela Gibson
(410) 841-3283
[email protected]

Glen Glass
(410) 841-3280
[email protected]

Trent Kittleman
(410) 841-3556
[email protected]

Jazz Lewis
(410) 841-3691
[email protected]

Michael Malone
(410) 841-3510
[email protected]

Susan McComas
(410) 841-3272
[email protected]

David Moon
(410) 841-3474
[email protected]

Dan Morhaim
(410) 841-3054
[email protected]

Neil Parrott
(410) 841-3636
[email protected]

Susie Proctor
(410) 841-3083
[email protected]

Pam Queen
(410) 841-3380
[email protected]

Deborah Rey
(410) 841-3227
[email protected]

Carlo Sanchez
(410) 841-3239
[email protected]

Charles Sydnor
(410) 841-3802
[email protected]

For more information on this legislation, please contact Caryn York, JOTF’s Executive Director, [email protected].

JOTF TOP PRIORITY UPDATES

Child Support -The Payment Incentive Program Act of 2018 (HB1554) 
JOTF supports which 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
Senate Hearing – March 28 at 1 p.m. in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee 

EYE ON ANNAPOLIS

The Maryland REDEEM (Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act) Act of 2018(SB 1212/HB 1383) 
JOTF supported this legislation as 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.
Awaiting vote from the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and the House Judiciary Committee
Click here for fact sheet

Child Support – Payment Incentive Program Expansion Act of 2018 (HB 1554) 
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.
HB 1554 passed in the House and will be heard on March 28 in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee
Click here for fact sheet

Higher Education – Educational Excellence Award Eligibility – High School Diploma by Examination(SB 842/HB 781)
JOTF supported this legislation, which restructures 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.
SB 842/HB 781 passed in the House and Senate. 
Click here for a fact sheet

Higher Education – Student Loan Notification Letter – Modifications (SB 69/HB 17) 
JOTF supported this legislation as it would require higher education institutions to administer an annual report to students that details the total amount of their outstanding loans, income-based repayment plans, information about deferment, and loan forgiveness. Access to this information will provide the financial education and support that Maryland’s working students need to properly understand, choose, and modify their financial aid package as needed.
SB 69/HB 17 passed in the House and the Senate unanimously

Pretrial Services Program Grant Fund (HB 447/SB 1156)
JOTF supported this legislation as it would provide skills to Marylanders through the funding of pretrial services, and ultimately provides low-wage workers with the ability to secure employment post-incarceration.
Passed in the House 89-43, awaiting a vote in Senate Rules

Motor Vehicle Insurance – Discrimination in Underwriting and Rating – Use of Marital Status or Gender (HB 657) 
JOTF supported this bill as it would prohibit insurers from rating an applicant’s, or current insured individual’s, level of risk on the basis of nondriving factors such as educational level, employment, or occupation.
Awaiting vote from the House Economic Matters Committee

Motor Vehicle Insurance – Discrimination in Underwriting and Rating – Use of Occupation or Educational Level (HB 656) 
JOTF supported this bill as it would prohibit insurers from rating an applicant’s, or current insured individual’s, level of risk on the basis of nondriving factors such as marital status or gender.
Awaiting vote from the House Economic Matters Committee

Higher Education Degree and Job Certification Without Debt Act of 2018 (SB 317/HB 951)
JOTF supported this legislation as it would phase in tuition assistance for individuals enrolled in community college vocational certificate, apprenticeship or associate’s degree programs. Additionally, it would create a web-based match program for near-completers to help facilitate a smoother transition to degree completion.
Passed in the Senate, awaiting a vote from the House Ways & Means Committee

Adult Correctional Institutions – Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship Pilot Program  (SB 237)
JOTF supported this bill as it would require the Correctional Education Council to develop and implement a financial literacy and entrepreneurship curriculum to be offered as part of transition training for individuals about to exit the prison system.
Passed in the Senate, awaiting a hearing in the House Rules and Executive Nominations

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

Career Youth and Public Sector Apprenticeship Act (SB 618/HB 1234) 
Hearing for SB 618 on Thursday, March 29 at 1 p.m. in the House Ways & Means Committee
SUPPORT –  JOTF supports this legislation as it would allow for individuals to receive high school or higher education credit in exchange for successful completion of a work-based training or apprenticeship program.