Black Caucus

Kopp re-elected in lopsided vote The General Assembly voted overwhelmingly yesterday to re-elect Nancy K. Kopp as treasurer, keeping her in a post charged with managing state finances and helping decide whether to approve government contracts. Kopp, a Democrat from Montgomery County, has held the job for five years and was heavily favored to win another four-year term. She was endorsed yesterday by 165 of the 183 legislators who voted. In a short speech before a joint session of the legislature, Kopp outlined accomplishments of her time in the office, including reconciling the state's books and revamping its investment portfolio.

There's a reunion going on in heaven right about now that not too many people know about. When I think about it, all I can do is smile. Memorial Day marked the passing of one of our great icons, former Rep. Parren J. Mitchell of Baltimore, a true giant of a man and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Mr. Mitchell (no relation to me) touched countless thousands of lives in his decades of service, and this story from a little over 20 years ago is just one case that demonstrates what kind of person he was. In 1986, there was this 21-year-old kid from Chicago who moved to Baltimore.

A Prince George's County Democrat assumed the chairmanship of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus last night, succeeding former Sen. Larry Young of Baltimore.Del. Carolyn J. B. Howard, who had been vice chairman, was selected to serve the remainder of Young's term, which expires June 30.Young was expelled from the Senate on Jan. 16 for apparent violations of state ethics laws.Howard has been in the House of Delegates since 1988.Sen. Nathaniel J. McFadden, a Baltimore Democrat, will serve as vice chairman, Howard said.

ALTHOUGH the HIV/AIDS crisis in the black community has become titanic, too many African-American leaders continue to ignore the warning signs.But denial has its consequences. The refusal to address the growing HIV/AIDS crisis in the black community has resulted in an escalating health disaster.AIDS -- not cancer or homicide or car accidents -- is the leading killer of African Americans between the ages of 25 and 44, according to recent figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WASHINGTON -- Even as many Democrats on Capitol Hill distance themselves from President Clinton in the wake of the independent counsel's report, members of the Congressional Black Caucus have emerged as Clinton's most ardent defenders.Nearly half of the 63 Democrats who voted against releasing the report by Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr were caucus members angry that Republicans rejected the White House's request to review the report before it was made public. Twenty-nine of the 35 caucus members who voted Friday opposed the measure.

Responding to an outcry from black leaders that AIDS is the No. 1 killer of young African-American adults, federal health officials yesterday announced they will set aside an extra $4.9 million to address AIDS among minorities.Yesterday, a group of more than 2,000 state lawmakers attending the 28th annual Congressional Black Caucus conference in Washington applauded the announcement -- but sought guarantees the funds would not be cut next year and renewed the organization's efforts to have the minority AIDS crisis declared a state of emergency.

In his first year on the job, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume has worked to vanquish a $3.2 million debt, modernize a creaky but proud institution, restore a good name tarnished by mismanagement and scandal, and squeeze in a little civil rights work.The 48-year-old former congressman from Baltimore has won high marks -- amid some grumbling -- from NAACP activists. But some analysts outside the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People say the 88-year-old organization is missing in action on major battles.

WASHINGTON -- There was a revealing juxtaposition of events here the other day. The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund held a dinner honoring the nine people who integrated Central High School in Little Rock 40 years ago. The same day President Clinton met with the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss steps that might be taken to deal with race problems facing the nation today.The NAACP event was a reminder of an extraordinary time when young black people showed stunning courage in their quest for equal opportunity.

Members of Maryland's Legislative Black Caucus said yesterday that they are considering a boycott against The Baltimore Sun, charging that it and other news media have targeted African-American public officials for harassment.Sen. Larry Young, chairman of the caucus, also said the caucus would appoint a media review committee to monitor state media for "abusive" or "racist" coverage of black officials.Young, a Baltimore Democrat, cited an article in The Sun on Friday about Major F. Riddick Jr., chief of staff to Gov. Parris N. Glendening.

MR. GOLDEN, Mrs. Tilly, Mrs. Holmes, Mr. Scott -- if you are still living in Baltimore and are still alive and about to read this column, please don't. You're probably all retired now and don't need the annoyance.Bob Draine, I hear you're the acting principal at Patterson High School. You don't need to read this either. Just toss this section of the paper into the nearest wastebasket.I was one of your many students at Harlem Park Junior High School from 1963 to 1966. You may remember me as the one with the largest forehead.

A top aide to Gov. Martin O'Malley lashed out yesterday at the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland for what he called "irresponsible" and "intentionally inflammatory" comments about a new program for collecting DNA samples from crime suspects. Chief legislative officer Joseph C. Bryce appeared before a legislative committee to address criticism raised last month by the ACLU of Maryland, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Legislative Black Caucus over proposed regulations governing the state's expanded DNA-collection system, which goes into effect in January.

There's a reunion going on in heaven right about now that not too many people know about. When I think about it, all I can do is smile. Memorial Day marked the passing of one of our great icons, former Rep. Parren J. Mitchell of Baltimore, a true giant of a man and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Mr. Mitchell (no relation to me) touched countless thousands of lives in his decades of service, and this story from a little over 20 years ago is just one case that demonstrates what kind of person he was. In 1986, there was this 21-year-old kid from Chicago who moved to Baltimore.

Kopp re-elected in lopsided vote The General Assembly voted overwhelmingly yesterday to re-elect Nancy K. Kopp as treasurer, keeping her in a post charged with managing state finances and helping decide whether to approve government contracts. Kopp, a Democrat from Montgomery County, has held the job for five years and was heavily favored to win another four-year term. She was endorsed yesterday by 165 of the 183 legislators who voted. In a short speech before a joint session of the legislature, Kopp outlined accomplishments of her time in the office, including reconciling the state's books and revamping its investment portfolio.

Maryland's Legislative Black Caucus unveiled yesterday a six-point plan to deal with rising electricity rates and demanded that Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. call a special session of the General Assembly to enact the reforms by June 15. If the governor declines, caucus members said they will seek a special session by circulating a petition that would need the signatures of a majority of the Assembly's 188 members. Their plan calls for instituting rate caps to allow an increase of about 12 percent in electric bills; holding up the pending merger between BGE's parent company, Constellation Energy Group, and a Florida utility; forcing Constellation to sell energy to Maryland customers at a discount; firing the members of the Public Service Commission; and other measures.

In a campaign in which race has been a not-so-subtle undercurrent, some of the most potentially influential voices in the Maryland congressional delegation are taking a cautious approach toward embracing a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the state's open U.S. Senate seat. Reps. Elijah E. Cummings of Baltimore and Albert R. Wynn of Prince George's County, two of the most prominent black elected Democrats in the state, have said they want to get closer to the Sept. 12 primary before throwing their support to a candidate.

BATON ROUGE, LA. -- In a committee room deep inside Louisiana's Capitol this week, something unusual happened: A House panel rejected a funding proposal from the state Department of Education, complaining that it was overly generous to New Orleans' public schools. Rep. Charlie DeWitt, a conservative Democrat from the rural community of Lecompte, was downright gleeful afterward. Sending that budget back, he said, was "so much fun." Things are looking up for DeWitt, a former House speaker who before Hurricane Katrina felt so out of favor politically that he joined a group of legislators known as "the Outhouse Gang."

WHEN INCREASED numbers of black Americans cast their votes for President Bush last fall, some political watchers began immediately questioning the relevance of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and speculating that the all-Democratic group of lawmakers was losing influence with black voters and on Capitol Hill. In the months since however, the CBC has quietly worked behind the scenes, meeting with key Bush administration cabinet officials, forging relationships with Republican lawmakers, strengthening ties with the Hispanic and Asian-American caucuses - all with the aim of meeting policy goals the group set at the start of the year.

IN HIS State of the Union speech, President Bush talked about "bringing hope to harsh places," and giving "young men in our cities better options than apathy, or gangs, or jail," calling to mind certain rough neighborhoods populated by people of color. "We need to make sure Americans of all races and backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice," he said, addressing a longstanding concern of black Americans about the disproportionate rates of black men in U.S. prisons and on death row. And in a nod to black ministers who have enthusiastically signed on to his faith-based initiatives, the president said he had a three-year plan to develop "a broader outreach to at-risk youth which involves parents and pastors."

WASHINGTON - Members of the Congressional Black Caucus had a little suggestion for President Bush at a White House meeting recently: Why not put a few words about their top issue - America's racial divide - into his State of the Union address? Bush was noncommittal. But it's the sort of request that he and his advisers have gotten often over the past few months. When the president delivers the first State of the Union of his second term at 9 tonight, scores of Cabinet officials, lawmakers and activists will be listening to hear if their pet lines made it into the speech.

WASHINGTON - Race became a significant factor in the debate over Social Security yesterday when President Bush told black leaders that the government retirement program shortchanged blacks, whose relatively shorter lifespan meant they paid more in payroll taxes than they eventually received in benefits. Bush's comments came during a private White House meeting with 22 black religious and business leaders who backed his re-election last year - marking a new line of argument in the president's attempts to win support for adding worker-owned investment accounts to Social Security.