Listen in as MML Legislative Committee Vice Chair and Greenbelt Councilmember Judith Davis shares the 2023 priority recommendation and strategic initiatives with the membership:
MML’s Legislative Committee met twice in September to review and discuss the 18 Legislative Action Requests submitted in advance of the 2023 Legislative Session. The Committee successfully narrowed down the potential legislative priorities to one issue: municipal involvement in Police Accountability Boards.
Part of the police reform suite of legislation that passed in 2021 requires each County to have a police accountability board and establish an administrative charging committee. The law does not, however, offer municipalities the option to establish their own Accountability Board and Charging Committees, despite their municipal police departments having autonomy from their county counterparts. This year’s proposal would revise the state law relating to Police Accountability Boards and Administrative Charging Committees to give municipalities the option of creating their own Board and Committee.
Recommended Strategic Initiatives are: 1. Expanding sources of municipal revenue; and 2. Municipal transparency and constituent communications.
This year’s Legislative Committee is led by Chair Gregg Dotson, Councilmember, Town of North Beach; Vice Chair Michael O’Connor, Mayor, City of Frederick; and Judith "J" Davis, Councilmember, City of Greenbelt. The MML Board of Directors will vote on whether to adopt these recommendations later this month.
For more information, please contact MML Legislative Team Members Angelica Bailey Thupari (angelicab@mdmunicipal.org) or Justin Fiore (justinf@mdmunicipal.org).