Delegation

The Maryland Senate voted Wednesday to make Maryland the 18th state to abolish the death penalty, putting Gov. Martin O'Malley one step closer to a significant legislative victory. The 27-20 vote sent the bill to the House of Delegates, where repeal supporters believe they have enough backing to send the legislation to the governor. Two Republicans - Sens. Edward R. Reilly of Anne Arundel County and Allan H. Kittleman of Howard County - joined 25 Democrats in supporting repeal.

The state's House of Delegates recently passed by a 134-to-0 vote a bill that would make it easier for homeowners to refinance mortgages at today's low rates. The bill, modeled after a law Virginia adopted more than a decade ago, would allow homeowners to proceed with refinancing a first mortgage without permission from a second mortgagor. The process of seeking such approval can be costly, confusing and time-consuming, according to the bill's sponsors. “Too many homeowners struggle to make payments on more than one mortgage,” said Del. Sam Arora, a Montgomery County Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, HB 88. “We have a real opportunity to help them by removing an unnecessary barrier to locking in lower interest rates and stay in their homes.” For the law to apply, the principal of the second mortgage would have to be $150,000 or less.

Nina R. Harper was sworn in Wednesday as a delegate from East Baltimore's 45th Legislative District, succeeding Del. Hattie N. Harrison, a Democrat who died Jan. 28 at 84 after nearly 40 years in office. The 60-year-old Harper was chosen as Harrison's replacement by Baltimore's Democratic State Central Committee and was automatically appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley under the state Constitution. Harper has served since 2004 as executive director of the Oliver Economic Development Corp., a job in which she serves as a liaison between community residents and government agencies and businesses.

On Feb. 15, the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee-45th District convened at the Oliver Community Center to select a candidate to assume the seat once held by Del. Hattie Harrison, a longtime political stalwart in East Baltimore who died last month. Ten candidates interviewed for the position, three of whom were also members of the committee conducting the interviews, before Nina Harper, director of the Oliver Community Association, was chosen for the position. At no time did the chair or committee members appear to think it was inappropriate for them to participate as final arbiters of the decision as to who should succeed Delegate Harrison.

State lawmakers are asking the Baltimore County Council to postpone a vote on a measure that would change the way public employees may challenge decisions on retirement benefits, saying it could violate state law. All but two members of the county delegation to Annapolis signed a letter circulated last week by labor leaders. They are asking the council not to vote on the bill until the General Assembly is briefed on its legal implications. Lawmakers said they also want to hear from the state attorney general on the measure.

Maryland Del. Jon Cardin , who along with Del. Dana Stein introduced a bill Friday that would mandate protective headgear for girls youth lacrosse programs, said the purpose of the bill is to start a conversation about player safety in girls lacrosse. "The idea is to start a serious conversation about the safety and protection of student and youth athletes," Cardin said. "This will be high up on the agenda of discussion of how to make sure we're doing everything we can to keep student athletes safe.

US Lacrosse President and CEO Steve Stenersen today issued comments on proposed Maryland House of Delegates Bill 1123, which if passed by the Maryland General Assembly would legislate that girls lacrosse players in the state wear protective headgear as per specifications set forth by a state task force. The bill, which was introduced by Dels. Dana Stein and Jon Cardin on Feb. 8, would mandate protective headgear for girls lacrosse programs. Specifically, the bill would target programs organized for the recreational athletic competition or instruction of girls who are under age 19. A spokesperson for Cardin clarified, noting that this would apply to youth recreational programs and public schools, including high schools.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's Super Bowl tickets went to a pair of top aides and a city delegate, the administration said this week.  As governor, O'Malley has a state skybox at Ravens stadium, which allows him to purchase up to eight Super Bowl tickets, ranging in price from $950 to $1,250 apiece. O'Malley and his wife, Baltimore District Judge Catherine "Katie" Curran O'Malley, used two of those tickets and paid for them with personal funds. Three other pairs of tickets were purchased at face-value by the governor's public affairs director, Stephen Neuman; state budget director T. Eloise Foster; and State Del. Shawn Z. Tarrant, a Baltimore Democrat.   O'Malley spokeswoman Raquel Guillory has said no taxpayer funds were used for the trip.

Family, friends and a host of elected officials celebrated the life of East Baltimore Del. Hattie N. Harrison at the West Baltimore United House of Prayer for All People, in a ceremony borne on the spirited rasps of trombones and rhythmic clattering of tambourines. "Today there's a lot of powerful emotion in this place," said Gov. Martin O'Malley. "There's also a lot of powerful music. " The funeral service struck a joyful tone as politicians from Baltimore and elsewhere in Maryland remembered the delegate who had represented her community since August 1973, making her the longest-serving African-American female legislator in the United States.

As Senate Intelligence Committee members file into room 216 of the Hart office building in Washington for a CIA confirmation hearing this afternoon, they will be under a spotlight much brighter than they anticipated last week. That was before a Monday NBC report unveiled leaked documentation from the Obama administration strongly implying that extrajudicial drone killings of American citizens abroad are made casually, with little meaningful oversight or geographic restriction.