Senator Pipkin Calls for Reform of Process for Large Hearings

[david2260]

"Next time, they might not come back"

Senator Pipkin stated: "Next time, they might not come back..." when talking about the Senate not having a system able to handle the number of those willing to testify in opposition.

My take is that not only will we come back, but we will come back stronger and louder!!!

 

[capman98]

You are way ahead of where we should be. There is still the ballot box and the jury box.

Agreed. I think if everyone shows up and votes these a-holes out come election time things will change. Defeating this bill is a start. The more that our legilators see the people rising up the more likley they are to support what we are rising up for. In the past, we have been a silent minority. With what happened in annapolis 2 days ago, we are not so silent and we may no longer me a minority. time will tell that part.

 

[occbrian]

You are way ahead of where we should be. There is still the ballot box and the jury box.

agreed.

 

[Robert]

Like many of you, I was there from 10AM til 9PM. No food and one bottle of water, waiting my turn with no understanding of how futile it would be to get the opportunity testify.

I was in the hearing room at 9PM when Frosh made the cattle call for people to come to the mic and state their name and if they were "for or against" the bill.
Being just a few feet way from the mic, I could have been one of the first to do it but it just felt insulting and wrong.

I stood there for a couple of minutes watching people doing it. Anyone who added any words like a statement was given the gavel by Frosh. I told my kids that we were leaving and I wouldn't do it.

So after driving 3 hours, one way, an overnight hotel stay, 11 hours in the building, rather than allow Frosh to think he satisfied the requirement to "hear form me", we left speechless.

I was there in that room with you. I knew it was going to happen, he had already set the "ground rules" that he was NOT going to let the people be heard much past 4 hours. I wasn't even planing to testifying and I was furious how they handled it.

Did any of the Senators speak up against Frosh "ground rules"?

 

[Robert]

You are way ahead of where we should be. There is still the ballot box and the jury box.

I would also agree, with the exception of the ballot box, that ship sailed when the redistricting was allowed to stand.

 

[teratos]

I would also agree, with the exception of the ballot box, that ship sailed when the redistricting was allowed to stand.

They can gerrymander. We can change party affiliation, vote in primaries and go door-to-door in favor of their opponents. We can talk to local tea party groups and have them do the same thing. Manipulation of the system works both ways.

 

[Jaybeez]

I have a question.

with the gigantic turnout, were all 3 bills actually heard?

is there a procedure for officially conducting a hearing?

does each bill need to be heard seperatly and gaveled in, or were all 3 combined into one hearing?

unfortunatly, due to the crowd size I missed the open of the hearing while waiting in line to get in a second time.

in past hearings all bills were heard seperatly in my experience. the question I want answered, is if the other two bills were actally heard in accordance with official procedure? if not, could that be used to our advantage?

 

[Mr H]

You are way ahead of where we should be. There is still the ballot box and the jury box.

Correct... We're just now stepping from Box 1 to Box 2.

 

[MJD438]

I have a question.

with the gigantic turnout, were all 3 bills actually heard?

is there a procedure for officially conducting a hearing?

does each bill need to be heard seperatly and gaveled in, or were all 3 combined into one hearing?

unfortunatly, due to the crowd size I missed the open of the hearing while waiting in line to get in a second time.

in past hearings all bills were heard seperatly in my experience. the question I want answered, is if the other two bills were actally heard in accordance with official procedure? if not, could that be used to our advantage?

There were four bills and four sets of sign-up sheets. The first three got a little bit of coverage during the first proponent hour, but very limited coverage after that.

 

[Patrick]

Frosh, Raskin & their cronies can ignore us ... but the middle line undecided Senators & Delegates cannot

BE ASSURED, THOSE LEGISLATORS DID TAKE NOTICE

Public outcry stopped the gas tax increase last year ... we can stop the unreasonable gun laws this year

This.

We are not trying to convert Frosh. Raskin might be willing to modify some elements simply because they are blatantly unconstitutional - but he will never cave on an AWB.

There are some folks in the middle who can be swayed. We are swaying them. If not, they would have passed this thing without pause.

 

[Mr H]

I would also agree, with the exception of the ballot box, that ship sailed when the redistricting was allowed to stand.

Many of us who have been forever "Unaffiliated" (and I'm recommending it everywhere I can) are registering D to upset the apple cart from within.

"D for Destructocrat"

 

[david2260]

Senator Mike Miller

robocall didn't reach me. i find it insulting that they don't care to recognize that we are able to determine that this ban is an assault on our rights and we want to be heard. over 10 hours, most in a line and I'll do it again. i think we should ban them for their failure to uphold the Constitution.

I, too, am insulted and frankly I expected more from Senator Miller. I did not receive a robocall, but received e-mails and read MSI Website. We can determine for ourselves what bad Bills and legislatures are. Bottom line, it isn't a matter of what got us to come to Annapolis, it's WHY we came to Annapolis; infringements on the 2A!!!

 

[annihilation-time]

There's one major problem with reform. It won't work to our benefit.

 

[Jaybeez]

There were four bills and four sets of sign-up sheets. The first three got a little bit of coverage during the first proponent hour, but very limited coverage after that.

I know people tend to speak about several bills at once. but if the chairman did not actually bang a gavel and say something to the effect of " the hearing for bill xxx will come to order", did it actually happen? or did he say "the hearings for bills xxx, xxx, xxx will come to order", and is that allowed?

 

[MJD438]

I know people tend to speak about several bills at once. but if the chairman did not actually bang a gavel and say something to the effect of " the hearing for bill xxx will come to order", did it actually happen? or did he say "the hearings for bills xxx, xxx, xxx will come to order", and is that allowed?

Sorry - those of us in the first overflow room could not hear very well. Frosh speaks so lightly that his mic does not pick him up well unless he leans forward. All I recall of the opening was "blah...we are limiting to four hours, one hour for each side in an alternating fashion...blah...here is the governor..."

 

[occbrian]

When I arrived early in the AM, there was one sign up sheet. Later I spoke to Dwyer and he said there were 2, but it didn't matter if you only signed one.

Lots of confusion.

 

[david2260]

Election Time

I think if everyone shows up and votes these a-holes out come election time things will change.

Unfortunately, when election time comes, everyone thinks things have to change and all politicians need to be thrown out....except their own...

My prime example is Frosh, he lives in Montgomery County and I live in Calvert. I cannot vote against him and his constituents maybe very much anti-2A.

 

[Vic]

I'm a registered Democrat. I stand against this bill along with many others. I thought about changing to Independent a long time ago but decided then and there that I was not going to give ground. I personally think eveyone on this site should be Democrat, if you want any change at all in this state. I also think we should start a new movement within the party. I call it:

Democrats For Change!

Let's take the party back and our state with it!

Vic

 

[mrozowjj]

What's on March 1st? I thought the next hearing was March 5th?

 

[MJD438]

What's on March 1st? I thought the next hearing was March 5th?

House Bills - 01MAR2013
Senate Bills - 05MAR2013