This past week the House was once again, not in session, while House committees finished work on a tidal wave of bills, which will hit the House floor for votes beginning Wednesday, March 8.  Still, even without the House in full session, there were some interesting developments, including some good news! March 9^th is the last day for the House to act on house bills not referred to a second committee. March 16^th is the last day to act on all bills going to a second committee except budget bills. In addition, the last day for budget bills to be acted upon is April 6^th.

The Public Funding for Public Schools Coalition held a press conference Tuesday February 28, 2017 to call on the Maryland General Assembly to defund Governor Hogan’s BOOST funding in his budget. The coalition brought together a wide range of educational advocates who all want to see public dollars be used on public schools.

A Baltimore Teachers Union member and an AFT-Maryland staff member testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, February 28 in support of House Bill 978, loosely referred to as the Protect Our Schools Act of 2017. The bill is a follow up of the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

CFT/CFOP and CFT-Retirees are concerned about decisions facing the STRS Ohio Board and the impact their decisions will have on the stability of our retirement fund.

It has come to our attention that the STRS Board members will soon make decisions that may impact:

AFT-Maryland and Baltimore Teachers Union members testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, February 28, 2017, in opposition to HB 878, a proposed expansion in current state charter school laws. Maryland already has some of the best, strongest charter laws in the nation, and our members want to keep it that way.

Here are the proposals that were brought forward today by Unit 47 as well as the Hospital. Please take the time to review the proposals as well as the previous proposals.

http://unit47.ct.aft.org/files/nurses_3rd_set_of__proposals.2_2017.pdf

http://unit47.ct.aft.org/files/floating_policy.pdf

http://unit47.ct.aft.org/files/hospital_proposals_3-1.pdf

Colleagues,

Seton Hall Informational Meeting - Seton Hall University will be holding an Open House/Information Session for their next Executive M.A. & Ed.S Degree Program in Education Leadership, Management, and Policy on Monday, March 6, 2017 at 4:30pm at the NTU Offices at 1019 Broad Street, Newark.

For more information, see the attached flyer.

In Solidarity,  

Mike Maillaro

MPEC and AFT Healthcare-Maryland gathered in Annapolis to once again call on the General Assembly and remind Governor Hogan to #InvestinMD. Members, staff, and leadership met with delegates and senators of the General Assembly to ensure they remember all of the indispensable services state employees provide for Marylanders.

MPEC and AFT Healthcare-Maryland gathered in Annapolis to once again call on the General Assembly and remind Governor Hogan to #InvestinMD. Members, staff, and leadership met with delegates and senators of the General Assembly to ensure they remember all of the indispensable services state employees provide for Marylanders.

No one should have to choose between seeking medical care and paying the rent — and no family should face financial ruin because of an illness or injury.

In my years as a nurse, I have seen what happens to patients who wait too long to see their doctor. Without timely care, their condition worsens and becomes more difficult and more expensive to treat.

In their rush to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement, Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threaten to cut-and-run on Americans, reducing health care access for millions and driving up costs for the rest of us.