Matthew Bieniek Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — Local legislators are filing proposed laws either as sponsors or co-sponsors in the opening weeks of the General Assembly.
A bill to control panhandling in Allegany County is one of the bills filed by Delegate Kevin Kelly.
Kelly introduced the legislation at the behest of Allegany County Sheriff Craig Robertson, who has been concerned about a spike in panhandling in the area. Robertson was responding to complaints from the public. The existing law makes it tough for the sheriff and his deputies to do anything about the problem of people asking for money.
Kelly said he filed the panhandling legislation Friday.
The main concentration of the panhandlers has been in the LaVale area between Country Club Mall and Braddock Square. The panhandlers also seem to be active on nearby National Highway. The sheriff and his deputies have heard concerns from a large number of citizens, he said.
“It’s a safety issue when it comes to the roadway,” the sheriff said.
Kelly’s bill would amend a state law already on the books, to apply to Allegany County. That law bans solicitation along public roadways.
Delegate Leroy Myers said Washington County has faced a similar problem in the past.
Sen. George Edwards has filed a bill that applies to correctional officers in Garrett County entitled the “Correctional Officers Bill of Rights.” The text of the bill, Senate Bill 205, isn’t yet available.
Edwards is also co-sponsoring a “Caylee’s Law” bill in the Senate. Senate Bill 139 would make it a crime for failure to report the disappearance of a minor. Kelly is sponsoring a similar, independent bill in the House.
The proposed laws developed after Casey Anthony’s acquittal in Florida earlier this year, regarding charges that she murdered her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
Anthony did not report her daughter missing to police, who were finally alerted to the missing child by Casey Anthony’s mother 30 days after the child was last seen.
The laws are designed to allow prosecutors to bring felony charges against parents who do not quickly report missing children, with most of the proposals requiring law enforcement notification by 24 or 48 hours after a child goes missing, or a shorter time frame to report the death of a child.
Among other bills Edwards is co-sponsoring is one allowing veteran’s organizations a license for no more than five instant ticket lottery machines under specified circumstances.
Myers is co-sponsoring House Bill 82, which would make it the policy of the state to “restrict and deter the use of unauthorized alien workers in the performance of public contracts and grants in the State; specifying criteria for mandatory registration in a federal E-verify program for specified contractors and grantees; prohibiting noncompliant persons or entities from performing specified contracts,” a summary of the law indicates.
Myers is also co-sponsoring HB 113, which would require specific proof of identification by voters. If they did not have proof of identification, they would be required to submit a provisional ballot.
Delegate Wendell Beitzel is also co-sponsoring HB 82 on the E-verify program. He’s also supporting HB 91, a right-to-work law and HB 102 to proclaim a German-American Heritage month. Beitzel has also filed a bill for a Constitutional Amendment that will be the subject of an upcoming Times-News story.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com
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