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With some encouragement from @mbender17 here is a list of some of the legislative accomplishments of the Baltimore City Council this term.
I'm going to add a little bit each day. There's a lot that's been accomplished and I don't want to miss anything.
I'm going to add a little bit each day. There's a lot that's been accomplished and I don't want to miss anything.
Remember the BPD is a state agency, and cannot be legislated by the Council.
This list is by no means comprehensive, it also reflects my outlook so I'm highlighting what I like. I am noting the primary sponsor of the legislation. It's in somewhat chronological order.
This list is by no means comprehensive, it also reflects my outlook so I'm highlighting what I like. I am noting the primary sponsor of the legislation. It's in somewhat chronological order.
1) Labor and Employment - Displaced Service Workers Protection – Shannon Sneed- Many tall buildings, stadiums, hospitals & universities contract out their building maintenance, food service, security & janitorial workers. When contracts change these workers can be left in a lurch
1a) This law requires the firms give workers a heads up that the contract is changing (15 days) as well as their rights under the law. It also stipulates a grace period (90 days) that the new firm must keep the workers employed.
2. Citizens Advisory Commission for Public Safety - Brandon Scott - The Commission is tasked with making recommendations to agencies about how to address community concerns related to public safety. Note neither Mayor Pugh nor Mayor Young has appointed anyone to this commission
3) Food Service Facilities - Polystyrene Foam Products. John Bullock. This bans Styrofoam products. Styrofoam cannot be recycled and lasts forever and ends up in our water ways. This is currently in effect, and helped build momentum for Del Lierman's statewide ban.
4) Complete Streets - Ryan Dorsey- Haha multimodal transportation types go burrrrrrrrr (but quietly).
But in all seriousness it ensures that our streetscape design isn't just making cars go from A to B as fast as possible
But in all seriousness it ensures that our streetscape design isn't just making cars go from A to B as fast as possible
5. Lactation Accommodations in the Workplace - Shannon Sneed - Currently someone who is nursing can have great difficulty doing so, previously a limited set of workers had access to that accommodation. Mainly through Obamacare, but there are a lot of exemptions.
5a) This gives every worker this accommodation. Workers get a clean private space with a desk, a chair and an outlet, near their worksite, they also get time (several times a day) to do so.
5b) Baltimore becomes a leader in this respect. Till then only San Francisco had similar accommodations. While white collar firms might have these types of policies and spaces, but not everyone works for them!!
6) Charter Amendment - Inalienability of Sewer and Water-Supply Systems - Jack Young - Privatization of Baltimore’s water system, one of the best in the country, is prohibited.
7) Diaper-Changing Amenity - Yitzy Schleifer - Bathrooms need to have diaper changing stations regardless of gender. Dads need to change diapers as well!
8) Fair Election reform - Kris Burnett - Fair Election Fund- Creates a fund for publicly financed campaigns. This will incentivize low dollar donations over corporate and large donors
Fund Structure
i.Lays out how a candidate can access the fund
Fund Structure
i.Lays out how a candidate can access the fund
8a) Fair Election reform - Kris Burnett - Fair Election Fund- Fund Structure and Governance - Lays out how a candidate can access the fund
9) Office of the Inspector General - Ryan Dorsey - Creats the office by charter instead of by executive order. Making it independent and the laws regarding it generally. Baltimore City is the only jurisdiction in the state the has an OIG. I think this needs to be noted more.
10) Equity Assessment Program - Brandon Scott -Agencies need to conduct an equity assessment of their spending practices. This is especially true of the capital improvement program. Projects need to be equitably distributed throughout the city.
10a) Equity Assessment Program - Brandon Scott- Fund - A fund was created to reduce inequity based on race, gender, or economic status in Baltimore
11) Housing - Baltimore is a City of renters. The City Council can only legislate so much on the subject as there are significant state presumptions, and some of the Baltimore City specific laws are located in the Public Code of Local Laws, which can only be amended in Annapolis
11a) Housing reform - Rental Dwellings - Registration and Licensing – Bill Henry - Previously buildings with 3 or more rental units had to be inspected. Now all of them do. Also lays out penalties for failure of inspection.
11b) Residential Lease Requirements – Kris Burnett - Lays out when a Housing Department approved pamphlet on renters rights is to be given to tenants.
12) City Officials - Residency Requirements - Shannon Sneed - Director's agencies mentioned in the charter must live in the City. Annapolis in the 90's forbade local residency requirements because of Mayor Schmoke trying to require new BPD officers to live here
12a) Residency Requirements - Shannon Sneed - Working with Annapolis enabling legislation was passed to allow Baltimore to pass (which it did) to require supervisory employees who report to the Mayor and agency directors to live in the City.
13) Short-Term Residential Rentals - Eric Costello - Airbnb owners have to pay taxes and register with the City. Also caps the amount of properties one owner can have. This ensures that people don't operate 15 Airbnb's.
14) Transparency and Oversight in Claims and Litigation - activists and Shannon Sneed - Prevents the Board of Estimates from adding a "gag order" to settlements involving employment discrimination and sexual harassment as well as police misconduct.
15) Jordan McNair Youth Athletic Protection Act - Brandon Scott - Youth sports run on city property need to meet certain standards, coaches need to have certain qualifications. This is put in place to make sure youth sports are safe.
16) Health Code - Clean Air Act - Ed Reisinger - incinerators must have strict monitoring of emissions of certain types of pollutants, and their emissions of said pollutants must fall under a certain threshold. Note: Maryland law recognizes incinerators as "green energy"
17) Redefining “Employer”- Shannon Sneed - State and federal law allows for reporting discrimination in the workplace @ 15 or more people at a worksite. This brings it down to 1 or more persons at a work site. This brings us in line with most other big Counties in Md.
18) Community Relations - Housing Discrimination -Ryan Dorsey - Landlords can’t discriminate based on a prospective tenant’s way of paying rent ie salary, social security, section 8, veterans vouchers. Led to a cascade of passage at the County level throughout the state
19) Comprehensive Bag Reduction- Bill Henry- Ends use of single use plastic bags, also allows for a fee to be charged for businesses and city to split to make stuff green
20) Water Accountability and Equity Act- Activists & Council President Young- City water shifts to income based billing similar to other utilities. DPW office created that can interface with public to help solve billing disputes, as well as ability to contest water bill
21) Baltimore City Trauma-Responsive Care Act - Zeke Cohen - begins the re-orientation of certain city services to focus on trauma-informed care
22) Healthy Holly - while the genesis of the saga began while she was a State Senator, it became public while she was mayor. The Council, under Councilman Dorsey's leadership fixed loopholes and generally overhauled the City's ethics code to make sure this wouldn't happen again
22a) Whistleblower Rights and Responsibilities - Ryan Dorsey – Gives protections to whistleblowers, clarifies whistleblower’s ability to blow the whistle (based on solid research showing when people know how they are more likely to do so)
22b)Elected Officials - Financial Disclosure - Ryan Dorsey – requires Baltimore City electeds to disclose certain receipts made to businesses controlled by the them, altering the due date (before the primary) for elected officials to file
22c) Financial Disclosures - Fixing Filers, Filing, and Filings - Ryan Dorsey – overhauls the City's financial disclosure procedures from start to finish. Makes it more thorough, comprehensive and gives the Ethics Board the ability to sanction those that don't file
22d) Elected Officials - Financial Disclosure - Ryan Dorsey - closes the loop hole so that contributions to entities controlled by the individual are reported and changes the date when they are due.
23) 20-0562 - Shannon Sneed- Baltimore City Police Officials - Extending her original bill that covered high level supervisory administrators to city police
24) 19-0441 -Brandon Scott- Charter Revision Commission - a commission will be established decennially to review the charter. This will take the place of the voluntary ad-hoc nature of the present system.
25) 19-0379 -Bill Henry- Ordinance of Estimates - gives the Council the power to increase and decrease spending in the budget, so long as the overall spending remains the same.
26) 19-0380 -Bill Henry- Vetoes- reduces the votes to override from 3/4ths to 2/3rds, or from 12 votes to 10 votes.
27) 19-0467 -Ryan Dorsey- Veto Timing- modifying and clarifying the time within which the Council may consider to override a mayoral veto. Overall making it easier to understand when the Council can override a veto.
28) 19-0381 -Kris Burnett- Removal of Elected Officials- providing an avenue where there wasnt one, for the removal from office by the City Council of certain City elected officials under certain circumstances, as well as allows for voters to initiate the process through petition
29) 20-0491 -Bill Henry- City Auditor- authorizes the City Auditor to issue subpoenas, in order to carry out their duties as auditor.
30) 19-0382 -Brandon Scott- City Administrator- establishes the position of City Administrator as the Chief Administrative Officer. Brings Baltimore in line with most other large cities nationally as well as in line with the other large counties in Maryland.
31) 20-0557 -Shannon Sneed & Ryan Dorsey -Baltimore City Administrative Procedure Act- modernizes the way that the City promulgates regulations into a transparent and uniform manner. Brings Baltimore into the 21st Century alongside other major Md jurisdictions, Md and the Feds.
32) 20-0625 -Brandon M. Scott- Landlord-Tenant: Right to Counsel in Eviction Cases- Baltimore has one of the largest rent court case loads in the country. Landlords almost always have lawyers, but don't always follow the law, and use Court as a cudgel. This evens the field.
