Here's the latest:
The state legislature in Annapolis is now in session. We will try as best we can to post here information about bills that may be of interest to the equestrian community. Please let us know if you hear of anything pending there that we have not listed - it is a very busy session (over 2000 bills are typically introduced) and we must rely on our volunteer staff to search the web for items of interest.
Note that you, too, can search the legislature's website. You can enter topics of interest, and any relevant proposed legislation will be highlighted. On that page, you can also find links to the various Committees' hearing schedules, as well as to the schedule for final floor votes on legislation that has been passed out of committee. Note that, in Maryland, every bill that is introduced gets a hearing, and every interested person is entitled to testify. On the page detailing the Committee schedules, you can find information about what you need to do to testify.
A functioning democracy requires that "We, the people" get involved!
Here are some new bills of interest:
HB 272
Delegate Jacobs, et al
KENT COUNTY – DEER HUNTING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt deer on private property in Kent County using specified hunting equipment on specified Sundays during specified hunting seasons.
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2013
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Environmental Matters
HB 273
KENT COUNTY – TURKEY HUNTING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt turkey on private property on Sundays during the spring turkey hunting season in Kent County; and making the Act an emergency measure.
EMERGENCY BILL
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Environmental Matters
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
MD legislative session is underway!
The state legislature in Annapolis is now in session. We will try as best we can to post here information about bills that may be of interest to the equestrian community. Please let us know if you hear of anything pending there that we have not listed - it is a very busy session (over 2000 bills are typically introduced) and we must rely on our volunteer staff to search the web for items of interest.
Note that you, too, can search the legislature's website. You can enter topics of interest, and any relevant proposed legislation will be highlighted. On that page, you can also find links to the various Committees' hearing schedules, as well as to the schedule for final floor votes on legislation that has been passed out of committee. Note that, in Maryland, every bill that is introduced gets a hearing, and every interested person is entitled to testify. On the page detailing the Committee schedules, you can find information about what you need to do to testify.
A functioning democracy requires that "We, the people" get involved!
Here are some bills of interest that have been introduced so far:
SB 2
Senator Colburn
DORCHESTER COUNTY – TURKEY HUNTING ON PUBLIC LAND – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt turkey on public land on any Sunday during the spring turkey hunting season in Dorchester County; and making the Act an emergency measure.
EMERGENCY BILL
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
SB 24
Senator Pipkin
QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY – DEER HUNTING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt deer on private property in Queen Anne’s County using specified hunting equipment on specified Sundays during specified hunting seasons.
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2013
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
SB 37
Senator Zirkin
CRIMINAL LAW – ANIMAL CRUELTY – PAYMENT OF COSTS
Authorizing a court to order a defendant convicted of a specified charge of animal cruelty, as a condition of sentencing, to pay, in addition to any other fines and costs, all reasonable costs incurred in removing, housing, treating, or euthanizing an animal confiscated from the defendant.
EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2013
CR, §§ 10-604, 10-606, 10-607, and 10-608 - amended
Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
SB 41
Senator Pipkin
KENT COUNTY – DEER HUNTING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt deer on private property in Kent County using specified hunting equipment on specified Sundays during specified hunting seasons.
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2013
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
SB 89
Senator Pipkin
KENT COUNTY – TURKEY HUNTING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt turkey on private property on Sundays during the spring turkey hunting season in Kent County; and making the Act an emergency measure.
EMERGENCY BILL
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
Note that you, too, can search the legislature's website. You can enter topics of interest, and any relevant proposed legislation will be highlighted. On that page, you can also find links to the various Committees' hearing schedules, as well as to the schedule for final floor votes on legislation that has been passed out of committee. Note that, in Maryland, every bill that is introduced gets a hearing, and every interested person is entitled to testify. On the page detailing the Committee schedules, you can find information about what you need to do to testify.
A functioning democracy requires that "We, the people" get involved!
Here are some bills of interest that have been introduced so far:
SB 2
Senator Colburn
DORCHESTER COUNTY – TURKEY HUNTING ON PUBLIC LAND – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt turkey on public land on any Sunday during the spring turkey hunting season in Dorchester County; and making the Act an emergency measure.
EMERGENCY BILL
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
SB 24
Senator Pipkin
QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY – DEER HUNTING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt deer on private property in Queen Anne’s County using specified hunting equipment on specified Sundays during specified hunting seasons.
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2013
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
SB 37
Senator Zirkin
CRIMINAL LAW – ANIMAL CRUELTY – PAYMENT OF COSTS
Authorizing a court to order a defendant convicted of a specified charge of animal cruelty, as a condition of sentencing, to pay, in addition to any other fines and costs, all reasonable costs incurred in removing, housing, treating, or euthanizing an animal confiscated from the defendant.
EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2013
CR, §§ 10-604, 10-606, 10-607, and 10-608 - amended
Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
SB 41
Senator Pipkin
KENT COUNTY – DEER HUNTING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt deer on private property in Kent County using specified hunting equipment on specified Sundays during specified hunting seasons.
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2013
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
SB 89
Senator Pipkin
KENT COUNTY – TURKEY HUNTING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY – SUNDAYS
Authorizing a person to hunt turkey on private property on Sundays during the spring turkey hunting season in Kent County; and making the Act an emergency measure.
EMERGENCY BILL
NR, § 10-410(a) - amended
Assigned to: Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs
Friday, January 18, 2013
Proposed new regulations for WSSC watershed trails contain a poison pill
Per Ron MacNab, WSSC's proposed new regulations governing use of its trails around the Rocky Gorge and Triadelphia reservoirs by horseback riders and others contain some good things and some bad things, but one really significant game changer.
Here's a link to the text of the regulations:
The Good:
· Horseback riding is permitted on designated trails with purchase of a permit.
· Hiking, Bird watching, and leashed pets are permitted with purchase of a permit.
· Some trails in Triadelphia may be opened in the future.
The Bad:
· All animal waste must be collected before leaving and deposited in trash receptacles or taken away for disposal.
· Horseback riding not permitted December 1 through March 15
Seniors, over the age of 65, no longer receive a free pass.
· Commercial stables with entrance onto the watershed must enter into a legal agreement with WSSC that requires:
o purchase an entrance permit for the stable, cost $250
o hold the stable responsible for boarders to purchase permits before entering the watershed. cost $70 per person.
· Adjacent landowners with horses must enter into a legal agreement with WSSC that requires:
o purchase an Adjacent Landowners Entrance Permit, cost $80
o purchase a Use Permit, cost $70 per person.
· Seasonal Watershed Use Permit fee increased from $60 to $70.
Please plan to attend and speak at the following meeting:
A community meeting to hear comments/concerns about the proposed regulations is scheduled for January 24, 2013 in the Commission Auditorium, 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Md., 20707 from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
You may sign up to speak at the meeting or in advance by emailing your name and contact information to communications@wsscwater.com or call 301-206-8100.
Those wishing to provide written comments on the regulations can email them to communications@wsscwater.com or send them to:
Watershed Comments
WSSC
Office of Communications & Community Relations
14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, MD 20707
Here's a link to the text of the regulations:
The Good:
· Horseback riding is permitted on designated trails with purchase of a permit.
· Hiking, Bird watching, and leashed pets are permitted with purchase of a permit.
· Some trails in Triadelphia may be opened in the future.
The Bad:
· All animal waste must be collected before leaving and deposited in trash receptacles or taken away for disposal.
· Horseback riding not permitted December 1 through March 15
Seniors, over the age of 65, no longer receive a free pass.
· Commercial stables with entrance onto the watershed must enter into a legal agreement with WSSC that requires:
o purchase an entrance permit for the stable, cost $250
o hold the stable responsible for boarders to purchase permits before entering the watershed. cost $70 per person.
· Adjacent landowners with horses must enter into a legal agreement with WSSC that requires:
o purchase an Adjacent Landowners Entrance Permit, cost $80
o purchase a Use Permit, cost $70 per person.
· Seasonal Watershed Use Permit fee increased from $60 to $70.
Please plan to attend and speak at the following meeting:
A community meeting to hear comments/concerns about the proposed regulations is scheduled for January 24, 2013 in the Commission Auditorium, 14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, Md., 20707 from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
You may sign up to speak at the meeting or in advance by emailing your name and contact information to communications@wsscwater.com or call 301-206-8100.
Those wishing to provide written comments on the regulations can email them to communications@wsscwater.com or send them to:
Watershed Comments
WSSC
Office of Communications & Community Relations
14501 Sweitzer Lane, Laurel, MD 20707
Friday, January 11, 2013
Public meeting to discuss changes to WSSC riding trails
Subject: Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) will hold a Community Meeting to Receive Proposed Changes to Watershed Use Regulations
Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2013 14:24:35 -0500
From: communications@wsscwater.com
Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2013 14:24:35 -0500
From: communications@wsscwater.com
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) will hold a community meeting at its headquarters to receive public input on proposed changes to its Watershed Use Regulations. The regulations were recently revised following a study by EA Engineering and meetings with various stakeholder groups.
The proposed regulations will be available for review online at www.wsscwater.com on or before January 17, 2013.
The public meeting is scheduled for:
January 24, 2013, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
WSSC Auditorium
14501 Sweitzer Lane
Laurel, MD 20707
Each person wishing to speak will be allotted three minutes. You may sign up to speak at the meeting or in advance by emailing your name and contact information tocommunications@wsscwater.com or call 301-206-8100.
We also will accept written comments through midnight January 24, 2013. Written comments may be emailed to communications@wsscwater.com or mailed to:
Watershed Comments
WSSC
Office of Communications & Community Relations
14501 Sweitzer Lane
Laurel, MD 20707
The deadline for comments is midnight January 24, 2013. WSSC is trying to expedite this process to have new regulations in place as quickly as possible.
This new input, along with the findings and recommendations of the EA study, will be used to finalize the regulations. Once signed by the General Manager/CEO, the regulations will become effective 30 days after being published.
Communications & Community Relations Office
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
14501 Sweitzer Lane
Laurel, MD 20707
P: 301-206-8100
F: 301-206-8186
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