Dear Friend, There’s an African Proverb that says: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. That sentiment and wise offering is on our minds as we look back on significant election wins and big policy gains in 2022 and look ahead to the potential that 2023 holds. Together this year we’ve been able to go far thanks to our members, volunteers, and leaders! Working with all of you, our allies and affiliates, we’ve built more grassroots capacity and increased our impact in the Maryland General Assembly and at the ballot box.
Now we need to go further! Maryland can make some bold moves to tackle the economic and environmental problems everyday folks are facing. The legislature and the Governor can push for the investments our state needs to strengthen state agencies, public schools, mass transit, healthcare services, and green jobs. But some corporate lobbyists and entrenched interests are already urging them to delay or scale back things like budget spending, action on climate, criminal justice reform, and investments in healthcare and childcare. And as we know, the needs of our communities can’t wait.
We can defeat the corporate lobbyists and their messaging by building more power! We need to organize a large base of supporters who believe in putting people and working families first. This is the perfect time to get involved and help us organize! Save the date for our Annual Membership meeting on Saturday, January 28th and we’ll be sharing the location soon. If you are not already a member, please join our growing grassroots movement and help us influence what comes next in Maryland.
After this week, our offices will be closed for the holiday season and will reopen on January 2nd. Wishing you happiness and joy this holiday season!
Until next year, The Progressive Maryland Team |
Legislative Updates:
The 2023 Legislative Session of the Maryland General Assembly will be coming up fast in the new year, beginning on January 11th! Some of the legislation we plan on supporting includes the following:
➟ Abolishing the tipped minimum wage ➟ Terminating the use of waste-to-energy facilities as part of our state’s renewable portfolio
➟ Minimizing the presence of law enforcement when interacting with individuals in response to a behavioral health crisis ➟ Funding for entrepreneurship development programs for formerly incarcerated people ➟ Eliminating the use of cash bail and reducing pretrial detention ➟ Decriminalizing all drugs and drug paraphernalia ➟ Creating overdose prevention sites ➟ Removing police from schools
➟ Expanding the installation of energy-efficient appliances to limited-income households and electrifying buildings and transportation ➟ Increasing funding for reproductive care and coverage for mental health services ➟ Expanding healthcare and other rights to undocumented Marylanders |
Updates: PM Task Forces & Issue Campaigns |
Healthcare For All:
Thank you for all that you did to help us reach and engage so many Marylanders about our campaigns to end medical debt, gain support for Medicare For All, and bring down the exorbitant cost of prescription drugs this year. We plan to build on this great work in 2023! As we get ready, we’d like to know your thoughts so please take our issue survey.
Your answers will stay confidential and only the PM team will see the results. We’ll follow up with folks as the responses come in. The survey results and our conversations with supporters will help guide our issue focus in 2023.For more information or to get involved contact Patty. |
Drug Policy Task Force:
Our Task Force is working with our national affiliate, People’s Action, to win better federal drug policies and programs that support harm reduction. Help us tell Congress to pass the MAT Act (Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment) before the end of the year. The MAT Act will remove stigma-based barriers to treatment for people with opioid use disorder. Lives are at stake!
We made it easy for you–just click the link below to send the pre-drafted email to let them know you are awaiting their support. Tell your elected officials to pass the MAT Act now.
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Returning Citizens Task Force (RCTF): RCTF will hold its final meeting of 2022 Tomorrow, December 13 from 6:30–7:30 pm. We kicked off a conversation about next year's priorities and discussed a plan to invite Prince George's County Council Members to meetings for periodic updates on our initiatives. The Task Force intends to explore building closer relations with allied community organizations in the community.
At tomorrow’s meeting on Dec. 13, we’ll share highlights and accomplishments from this year so it’s a good time to attend for those who want to get to know us and our work!
To learn more, contact Kurt. |
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Progressive Harford County
Our chapter is gearing up for the legislative session and organizing for progressive power in Harford. Please join us! Click here to join our chapter! For questions or more information contact Zack.
Progressive Prince George's
The new Members of the County Council have officially taken their seats and elected Tom Dernoga from District 1 as Chair of the Council, and Wala Belgay of district 6 as Vice Chair. They have presented their people-centered agenda; for more information click here. Keep your eye out for a chapter meeting in February and, in the meantime, fill out the become a member of PPG form. Someone from the chapter will be in touch! Progressive Montgomery
Progressive Montgomery is excited to work with the new County Council next year! To get familiar with the members and their Committee assignments click here. Be on the lookout for chapter and legislative updates! Reply to this email to get involved.
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EVENTS FROM OUR ALLIES:
Monday, December 19, 7:00 pm || Reel and Meal at the New Deal Café presents the film The Shadow of Gold, showing gold extraction by the mining companies that dig deep and lop off mountaintops, exploiting some twenty million miners in the world's poorest nations.
Discussion after screening will be led by local labor activist and Progressive Maryland staffer, Kurt Stand. We present the film hybrid-style with seating at the café, 113 Centerway, Roosevelt Center in Greenbelt. Prior registration is required for virtual attendees, click here. Sign in any time after 6:45 pm.
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State and National News:
As the year draws to a close, the Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo will go on hiatus till January but the News You Can Use blog may pop up now and then in the interim— if Maryland produces real news beyond awards ceremonies. Let's all resolve not to be ambushed when the General Assembly fires up its engines in early January (January 11, actually), while we are recovering from the holidays. What they do affects our lives. We have some prep tools in News You Can Use.
Today, some stories are coalescing around health care, energy concerns and the economics of living in Maryland. Plus there's what happens in D.C. It's all connected, and so must we be to survive. Read on, and take action when you can. That's why we are here and what we do, and we'll still be at it in the New Year. Join us. And more progressive News You Can Use for Monday, December 12, 2022. Read on. |
Don't forget to follow us on social media! |
Progressive Maryland
P.O. Box 6988
Largo, MD 20792
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