JUFJ met with many of Montgomery County’s State Senators and Delegates at our Legislator Lag Ba’Omer picnic last month. Thanks to all of the elected officials who joined us, including Delegates Al Carr, Marc Korman, Sara Love, Lily Qi, and Vaughn Stewart, and Senators Cheryl Kagan, Susan Lee, and Jeff Waldstreicher!
Despite an enormous storm that afternoon, we all had a great time celebrating some wins from this year’s Annapolis legislative session:
- Becoming the sixth state to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour
- Banning tax sale of Baltimoreans’ water debt for homes and houses of worship
- Preventing landlords from redefining rent to include anything they wanted to collect
- Passing the nation’s first limit on putting pregnant and postpartum prisoners in solitary confinement
- Limiting the use of solitary confinement for children and adolescents
- Blocking Gov. Hogan’s mandatory minimum sentencing bill
We’re especially grateful to Senator Lee for her Facebook shout out: “Thank you to the JUFJ leadership team for your outstanding leadership, advocacy, and work, particularly in helping pass laws to protect our civil liberties and environment and to end solitary confinement of pregnant inmates and detainees, children, and some of the most vulnerable individuals.”
Thank you right back, Senator, and we can’t wait for next session!