Maryland Law

I felt as if I had gotten to know two of Maryland's political celebrities, Thurgood Marshall and Lena K. Lee, after spending a few hours this week at the University of Maryland's law library, which is named in the former Supreme Court justice's honor. I'll begin with Lena K. Lee, among the first black women elected to the Maryland General Assembly in the 1960s. Lee, who died at age 100 in 2006, donated her extensive papers to the library, which is making an overview of her life available on the Internet through its African Americans in the Law collection.

The General Assembly's ethics committee told Sen. Norman R. Stone Jr. once again yesterday that he should refrain from voting on a bill that would benefit his employer, Peter G. Angelos.The Baltimore County Democrat said afterward that he still intends to vote on the legislation, which would let some plaintiffs with asbestos-related cancer collect higher damage awards.That decision appeared to put the senator and the ethics committee on a collision course. But Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller hinted that Stone might never get a chance to vote -- because the chairman of the committee scheduled to consider the bill could simply keep it in his desk drawer.

As homeowners find lenders balking at requests to change the way property taxes are paid -- and to refund excess escrow funds -- state officials and Realtors yesterday said consumers have the law on their side.The General Assembly passed legislation that changes the method of paying property taxes from annually to semiannually, beginning July 1, 2000. In addition to lowering closing costs, the legislation has the side benefit of giving those with escrow accounts a one-time refund that would average $700 per homeowner, according to the Maryland Department of Taxation and Assessment.

Sixteen homeowners who were defrauded when Manor Builders Inc. suddenly ceased operation last year will be issued refunds by the Consumer Protection Division of the state's attorney general's office.Palmer C. Williams Jr., the owner of Manor Builders, Inc. and Phoenix Land Inc., fled Maryland after reneging on contracts to build homes in Baltimore and Harford counties. Williams left behind a $20,000 escrow account, which the division seized and is distributing to the homeowners."Buyers should know that Maryland law protects them in the event the builder goes out of business," Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. said.

SAMUEL Sheinbein did not get away with the crime. His 1997 murder and dismemberment of a friend, Alfredo Enrique Tello Jr., in Montgomery County is not going unpunished.It is regrettable and wrong that Sheinbein is not to be judged, sentenced and incarcerated under Maryland law. Nonetheless, the plea bargain to be heard in an Israeli court next Thursday represents good-faith efforts by Israeli prosecutors to make the best of a bad Israeli law and worse Israeli Supreme Court decision that prevented extradition to Maryland.

THE FINE levied on President Clinton by federal District Judge Susan Webber Wright in Little Rock, Ark., and the indictment of Linda Tripp by the Howard Country grand jury, treat those two as ordinary Americans subject to the same laws as everyone else.There was a lot of sound and fury to get there, but it is the proper destination.Judge Wright's assessment of $89,484.05 on President Clinton was tying up a loose end.Her basic finding was a civil contempt order last April, holding that Mr. Clinton had given "false, misleading and evasive answers that were designed to obstruct the judicial process."

10 local students participate in Law Links programFifty-two Maryland high school students -- 10 of them from Howard County -- are working with Maryland law firms as interns this summer through Law Links, a program sponsored by the Maryland State Bar Association and the Columbia Foundation.The law firms will pay the interns for eight weeks of work, plus time devoted to education. Law Links' educational component, the Law Leadership Institute, teaches professional, communication and interpersonal skills.

After her son died last August in an accidental shooting in a White Marsh-area town home, Carole Price and her family moved to Carroll County, retreating from the daily reminders of tragedy.Yesterday, with television cameras and reporters following her every move, Price brought that summer day back into focus for legislators in Annapolis. With a photograph of 13-year-old John pinned to her lapel, a nervous, soft-spoken Price urged a Senate committee to pass a bill targeting adults whose negligence leads to the death of a child.

Proposed state law to toughen takeovers is business-friendlyI am writing to disagree with the impression given in your article "Bid to fight takeovers criticized" (Jan. 17).The description of the intent and origin of this proposal was misleading.I was accurately quoted about the benefit we believe the changes to the state's business corporation law might provide to Maryland-based, publicly traded companies. However, we did not just endorse the idea, we initiated it after discussions with several businesses.

Recycling benefits Baltimore County budget, environmentContrary to the impression some may have after reading Dennis O'Brien's recent article "Recycling lull a blow to counties" (March 14), recycling remains a resounding success both economically and environmentally in Baltimore County.We are paid for nearly every type of recyclable we collect, and all types get recycled. Recycling revenues continue to help offset the costs of operating the county's solid waste management facilities. Since recyclables are commodities whose prices change, the amount of revenue we earn varies from year to year.

To address the seemingly intractable problem of fatalities related to drunken or impaired driving in Maryland, the General Assembly convened a task force to review what some advocates had long complained were inadequate laws. Their 18-month review resulted in more than 40 recommendations addressing public education, law enforcement, treatment initiatives and the law. The legislative proposals were incorporated into Gov. Martin O'Malley's agenda this year, and many were enacted. But advocates such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program say more must be done, and they complain that some key bills this year were watered down.

Former governor now supports gay marriage Tom Schaller is commended for his thoughtful commentary in the Baltimore Sun regarding marriage equality for same-gender couples ("Md. should be a leader on gay marriage," Aug. 25). While serving as Prince George's County executive and governor of Maryland, I was a forceful advocate for enacting laws that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Despite our successes, however, in addressing employment, housing and public accommodations discrimination against gays and lesbians, I was firm in my statements that I believed "marriage should be between a man and a woman."

Constellation-EDF review essential The Sun's editorial on the proposed Constellation Energy Group-Electricit? de France deal reflects a misunderstanding of the law and the facts ("Separate politics, power," June 14). The Sun chooses to view this legal dispute as a dispute between Gov. Martin O'Malley and Constellation and ignores the fact that other parties are in this case, and they independently came to the same conclusion - that the proposed transaction is subject to regulatory scrutiny under Maryland law. The Office of the People's Counsel, the state of Maryland and the Public Service Commission's technical staff all reviewed the evidence, consulted independent experts and concluded that the proposed Constellation-EDF transaction would result in EDF acquiring the ability to exercise "substantial influence" over Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. If the deal goes through, EDF will have a larger investment in Constellation than all of Constellation's other shareholders put together.

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has joined other states in opposing the closing of Chrysler dealerships because the move does not compensate franchise owners as required by state law. Last month, the automaker, which is under bankruptcy-protection restructuring, gave 789 dealers fewer than three weeks to liquidate their inventory before their franchise agreements are terminated Tuesday. Fifteen of those dealerships are in Maryland. "While Chrysler should be allowed to restructure in bankruptcy, it must do so consistent with state laws," Gansler said in a statement this week.

With hours to go before a crucial first deadline for activists seeking to overturn Maryland's new speed-camera law, volunteers are mounting a last-minute drive for signatures at supermarkets, Metro stations and community parades. On Saturday morning, Albert Nalley and five others fanned out through Arbutus and found what they said is an "undercurrent" of anger among residents who view the new law as a "money grab" by a state government with a "spending problem." "They fully understand the meaning of this legislation," said Nalley, a 58-year-old Catonsville resident.

Gov. Martin O'Malley signed several of the state's most contentious new laws Thursday, including legislation that will eventually deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and limit the application of the death penalty. A measure affecting all drivers also became law - beginning in October, it will be illegal to write or send text messages while on the road. In addition, the governor signed a raft of labor and environmental legislation, such as a commitment to reduce greenhouse gases 25 percent by 2020, and a bill to make Maryland the first state to extend hate-crimes protection to homeless people.

A former Republican congressional candidate from Montgomery County is leading an effort to overturn by referendum Maryland's new speed-camera legislation. Daniel F. Zubairi, a Bethesda businessman, has formed Maryland for Responsible Enforcement and notified the state elections board that the group will try to collect the more than 53,000 signatures required to put the question to voters in a coming election. Zubairi said he intends to build a nonpartisan coalition that focuses on the largest counties but reaches across the state, noting that some Democrats crossed the aisle to oppose the Gov. Martin O'Malley-backed speed camera bill in the General Assembly.

Attorneys for Maryland are asking a federal judge to affirm the state's claim to the Preakness Stakes amid concern in Annapolis that current bankruptcy proceedings could invalidate a law designed to keep the historic horse race in Baltimore. In filings Friday, lawyers for the state asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware to order the bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corp. - which is trying to sell its Maryland horse racing assets, including the Preakness - to comply with a Maryland law giving the state the right to match any accepted bid to buy the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller expressed willingness yesterday to holding a special session of the General Assembly if legislation is needed to ensure the Preakness Stakes stays in Maryland. Miller, a staunch supporter of horse racing, has been talking in recent days about the possibility of the state taking over the race in case owner Magna Entertainment Corp., which filed for bankruptcy protection this month, seeks to sell the rights to an out-of-state buyer. "It's not only a matter of pride, it's a matter of economic development," Miller said.

After reading the editorial "Paper ballot cuts" (March 9), I wonder why it is that half the country can vote on optical-scan machines but Maryland seems unable to make the transition on time. The rest of the country also has disabled voters. Maryland is not unique in that way. But 31 states have now passed laws requiring a voter-verified paper ballot, and the most common voting equipment used to meet this requirement is an optical-scan machine. All of these states have certified that they have found voting machines that satisfy federal requirements for voting access for the disabled.