Annapolis Handbook: Baltimore City's Legislative Office

1. Annapolis Handbook Series Baltimore City’s Legislative Office Working with the Mayor’s Office of Government Relations (MOGR)

2. Baltimore City’s Legislative Office in Annapolis • Baltimore City maintains a legislative office at 88 State Circle in Annapolis. • It is a city-owned property, and we rent space to residential (3rd floor & basement) and other county tenants (basement). We provide space to BCPSS (2nd floor). • MOGR staff work almost exclusively out of 88 State Circle during the 90 days of session (1st floor). • We hire two additional support staff to assist us during session. • Parking is extremely limited in the driveway. Don’t count on the ability to park here. Plan on other options. • Phone: 410-269-0207

3. Legislative Task Force Basic Responsibilities • Selected to represent their agency as a liaison between MOGR and Agency during MGA session (and duties as assigned). • Respond to delegation member’s constituent issues relating to your agency • Provide updates to delegation and MOGR on major initiatives involving your agency • Examine and respond to bills that have been assigned to you by MOGR for agency policy position • Examine and respond to bills that have been assigned to you by MOGR for fiscal note information requests • Understand and use Legislative Tracking System • Every Friday of session from 3:30 – 5:30 – Legislative Task Force Conference Call – this time should be reserved to get on the conference call to discuss any legislative issues you have, but the main goal is to go through the following two weeks of hearings. If you do NOT have any bills up in those two weeks, you do not have to participate in the call.

4. LEGISLATION REVIEW PROCESS • Task Force members will receive an email from the legislation tracking system referencing a bill number that should be reviewed by your agency. A position should be developed as follows: • Monitor • No position • Oppose • Support • Support with amendment • If you choose to support or oppose, you MUST check the box if you plan to submit testimony. Select the format of the testimony from the drop-down menu (Both, In Concept, None, Verbal, or Written). If someone from your agency will be testifying live –enter the person’s name. Comment: brief comments about your position (do not enter your testimony here!) • Typing a brief note in the “Notes” section will greatly help during the conference calls. However, remember this shows up on the hearing report and is visible to everyone. Keep it short and for public eyes. • Hint: always check to see if there are prior introductions of the bill and see if your agency previously took a position on it.

5. LEGISLATION REVIEW PROCESS (continued) • Sometimes we request information about proposed legislation from more than one City agency.  In these situations, we will need separate responses from each agency.  We will use the weekly Task Force calls to discuss dually assigned bills and any differences on positions. • If you believe that another agency should provide input on a bill and the legislative liaison for the agency has not been assigned a bill – PLEASE make the assignment on the tracking system. • If you catch one you haven’t been assigned you can assign it to yourself. • Also, you can enter positions even if you have not been assigned the bill. Simply the select the bill you would like to take a position on and enter the position information.

6. Legislation Review Process (continued) • Testimony: Use the attached template to prepare your testimony (an electronic copy will be sent to you). • Please use our formatting. • IMPORTANT: The deadline for responses to these bills will always be 48HOURS BEFORE the bill’s hearing. It is your responsibility to follow the bill and find out when it is scheduled for a hearing. • We will NOT submit testimony on behalf of any department that fails to follow this deadline this year.

7. Tips on Preparing Legislative Positions • “What the Bill Does” - Please do not copy the purpose clause. Either (a) summarize the bill yourself (e.g., “HB 161 establishes a procedure that, in general, makes the program more accessible to the poor”) or (b) focus on a particular part of the bill that you want to refer to in your subsequent discussion of the bill (e.g., “HB 161 provides, in part that all applicants for assistance under the program must have a photo ID”) or (c) use the synopsis from the internet. • Point of View - Think of yourself as directly addressing the legislative committee. Keep the position short, simple and direct as possible. Legislators cannot be counted on to stop and absorb a long, complex, tightly-reasoned argument. If you need to present this kind of argument, you probably should testify in person. Finally, no one needs to be told that rambling, imprecise, ungrammatical, confused memos make us look bad. The process is easier for you and there is less chance for error if you remember to keep it simple.

8. Tips on Preparing Legislative Positions(continued) • Substance – following are some good reasons for taking a position on a bill: • The bill furthers [or undermines] a significant policy objective of the agency; • The bill provides additional funds for agency activities [or imposes costs on or reduces funds for the agency]; • The bill will beneficially [or adversely] affect the operation of an agency program; • The bill will disproportionately benefit [or injure] the City. Another version of this reason is that the bill will put the City at a disadvantage vis-a-vis other jurisdictions. • NCPs (No City Position)– Following are two things you might say when recommending that the City take no position on a bill: • No significant agency interests are affected by this bill; • This bill is a good idea [will make many people in Baltimore happy, etc.], but the City government need not take a position on it.

9. Tips on Preparing Legislative Positions (continued) • Fiscal Note– Since fiscal impact is one of the most important concerns of local government, it is important that the Mayor’s Office of Government Relations (MOGR) know whether a bill will have a positive or negative fiscal impact on the City. Therefore, unless the reasons for your position on a bill are fiscal and discussed in the substance of your position paper, you should include a separate line to show that you have considered this issue. This is separate from the Fiscal Note Information Request you may receive from our office. • Respectful Request – Please end your memos with final paragraph containing an appropriate version of the following statement: “We respectfully request your assistance in securing a favorable [or unfavorable] report on House Bill 161.”