House Bill 363-Ride to Annapolis in support.
Hi Everyone -
As many of you know, the punishment handed to the reckless driver who took Larry's life was a $500 fine and 3 points on her drivers license. That was the only penalty allowed by law due to a major gap in the criminal code in Maryland. HB 363 is a bill that would close that gap by introducing an intermediate charge between traffic charges and a 10 year jail sentence. I have tons of details on the current law and the proposed bill if you want to read them. Bottom line is that its painfully obvious that this middle level charge is necessary in cases like Larry's and sadly, so many others.
This bill has been introduced in the House for the last 6 sessions yet never was allowed to come to a vote. This year it passed the House unanimously with a 137-0 vote. The bill is now in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. It nees to be voted out of committee then voted on by the entire Senate. The chair of the Committee, Senator Brian Frosh, has made it known that he does not support the bill and won't let it come to a committee vote. Strange how one guy can have so much power, right?? I'm hoping we can change his mind in a short amount of time.
I would love to light up Senator Frosh's phones with overwhelming support for this bill. He can't ignore hundreds of callers. Please...please take a minute to call his office at 1-800-492-7122 x 3124 to voice your support of HB363. Everyone should call. People who live in his district in Montgomery County should also give your name and/or address to let Sen Frosh know you are a constiuent. If you have friends or family in Montgomery County, please ask them to call, too! You do not need to discuss the bill...just simply say you want Senator Frosh to know you support House Bill 363. Email can also be sent to brian.frosh@senate.md.us but since its late in the session, a phone call may be more effective.
On April 6 there will be a Senate hearing on HB363. Coincidentally, Larry's collision was on this same day one year ago. The hearing is open to the public but only written testimony will be taken. If you are willing to submit written testimony in support of this bill, please message me and I'll let you know how to do so.
Session ends soon...there is very little time to act. Your help in passing this important legislation is very much appreciated. Thank you.
Tami Bensky
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Wednesday, April 6, 2011 8:00 AM
Balt. War Memorial Plaza
@ Fayette and Holliday streets Baltimore , MD
<a href="http://www.meetup.com/Biking-in-Bmore/events/17179883/">http://www.meetup.com/Biking-in-Bmore/events/17179883/</a>;
(We need numbers! So please register via the link above so we have an idea what to expect.)