Questionnaire for 2022 State Legislative Candidates
Prepared by Maryland Clean Water Action, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, and the Maryland Sierra Club.
Candidate Information
Candidate Name: __Renaud Brown______________________ District Number: _____43A_____
Office Sought: _________Delegate__________ Party Affiliation: __Green_____ Incumbent: Yes___ No__x_
Home Address: ______________________________________________________________
Home Phone: ________________ Email:_________friendsofrenaudbrown@gmail.com______________________________
Campaign Address: _____________________SAME______________________________________
Campaign Phone: ________________ Email: ______________________________________
Campaign Website: _____Renaud Brown for Annapolis Delegate 2022 – Running on the Real New Deal (renaudbrownfor43rddistrict2022.com)_____________________________________________
Campaign Facebook:__Friends for Renaud Brown Md D-43 | Facebook____________________________________________________
Campaign Twitter____________________________________________________________
Campaign Manager: ___________________________Email:__________________________
Candidate’s Signature: ___________RDB_______________Date: ____3/22__________
General
- What would be your main environmental goals as a member of the General Assembly?
Gashouse reduction, electrification, maintaining the grid. I am active with the Sierra Club and Jews United for Justice and support HB 880 SB Climate Equity, HB88, SB525 RPS Clean Up, HB 729, and SB 471 FUTURE Act.
Climate Change
Climate change poses an existential threat to our environment, public health, and the economy and disproportionately impacts many Black and Brown communities. With more than 3,000 miles of shoreline, and approximately 265,000 acres of land that is less than 5 feet above sea level, Maryland’s coastal communities are among the most vulnerable in the country. In Maryland, greenhouse emissions come from several sources, including (but not limited to) use of electricity generated from fossil fuels, use of gas in buildings, and use of fossil fuels in the transportation sector. Maryland has taken several actions to combat climate change, climate justice and promote adaptation, however further significant action is needed.
- What specific actions should the General Assembly take to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state and support climate change adaptation? We need 100% reduction of gas by 2030.
Do you agree that climate change is an existential threat? Absolutely.
Do you agree that communities of color are particularly at risk from climate change?
Absolutely. Among the actions the General Assembly should take, what actions require immediate adoption by the General Assembly as being vital and urgent? Reducing gashouse emissions, electrifying all vehicles, transiting from fossil fuels to solar, wind, etc.
- In particular and to the extent you are able, please indicate your views on the following (including any guidelines or considerations that you feel are necessary in developing these policies):
- Should Maryland establish a date certain by which the state will achieve net zero Greenhouse Gas emissions? If so, what date or date range do you favor and why? We are out of habitable time if we go beyond 2030 to save future existence. We owe it to the children who will be responsible after we pass on. Under the Maryland Climate Solutions Act, 40% would remain until 2045. Clearly not acceptable.
- Which of these programs should Maryland expand or amend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings:
- Mandating net-zero emissions for all new buildings -Expand
- Mandating all new buildings be solar-ready – Expand
- Mandating all new state-funded buildings (including schools) include solar roofs – Expand
- Incentives to convert the fuel source for existing buildings from fracked-gas to electric – Expand
- Incentivizing community solar and other programs to improve access to clean energy for low-and-moderate income Marylanders – Expand
- Mandating all state-funded buildings include energy-efficient, ‘bird safe’ elements – Expand
- Should combustion-based polluting energy sources, including waste incineration (e.g. burning trash) and biomass (e.g. burning chicken litter or wood), be removed from the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard? Yes, recyclables should be reusable not burned. More composting is needed to produce less “trash”. No more toxins polluting our environment.
- Should a price be placed on carbon (fossil fuels used in energy production and/or transportation)? We should be profiting off renewable energy and lives that we save rather than corporatize dirty energy.
- Should the state establish standards or guidelines for locating utility-scale solar fields? Yes.
- What measures should Maryland take to increase support for vulnerable communities, including communities of color, affected by climate change? Make the quality of life in those communities equal to affluent ones.
Chesapeake Bay, Inland Water Resources, and Agriculture
The multi-state, bipartisan partnership to restore the Bay is improving the health of the Bay, benefiting our environment and our economy. For example, adult crabs have tripled since 2014, oyster harvests have reached a 30-year high, and underwater grasses have been observed at record numbers. Still, we will not meet our 2025 clean-up goals. The agricultural sector is the largest source of pollution to the Bay and local waterways, and urban and suburban stormwater sources and rural septic systems also are growing pollution sources and impact local water quality.
Pollution from septic systems drains into our ground and surface water, leading to environmental degradation and dirty drinking water from excess nitrogen and bacteria. Conventional septic systems do not prevent nitrogen from entering groundwater. Currently, septic systems and wells are only inspected at the point of a home sale, allowing systems to fail and/or pollute drinking water for years.
Agriculture is a major economic driver in Maryland, but also has significant environmental impacts. Large chicken houses are expanding on the Eastern Shore when Maryland is trying to manage the amount of manure spread on farm fields to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff (that harms the Bay). Increasing sustainable farming practices (organic farming, cover crops, crop rotation, etc.) could significantly improve the health of communities and the Bay.
- What changes should the General Assembly make in the state’s current policies and programs to clean up the Bay, protect our inland water sources, and improve agricultural practices? Test for PFAS and other substances, protect it from litter.
- In particular and to the extent you are able, please indicate your views on the following:
- In order to reduce agricultural pollution in the Bay and protect air quality, should the state limit the expansion of industrial-size poultry farms and/or regulate air pollution from these farms? Yes.
- Should the state take further actions relating to failing or inadequate septic systems in order to protect our drinking water sources, freshwater streams and rivers, and the Bay from septic-system pollution? Yes.
- How should the state manage private wells to protect public health? Require the EPA to help regulate them.
- Should the state mitigate pollution from new development, and act to further improve stormwater management? Absolutely.
- Should the state support a transition to sustainable farming practices, like helping small farmers access markets, through cost-sharing, or decentralized processing? Yes
- Should the state act to improve working conditions in seafood and poultry processing plants and on large farms, including:
- Improving worker conditions such as overcrowded and under-ventilated worker housing and transportation, access to clean water, washing, and bathing facilities? Yes
- Mandating improved workplace protections such as assuring adequate PPE, protection from exposure to food-borne contamination, pesticides and other toxins? Yes.
- Requiring language-translation and education on worker rights, and published access to data and workplace/industry cases of infections, hospitalization, and death in case of health emergency? Yes.
Environmental Justice
Environmental pollution is one of several factors resulting in health disparities across Maryland, particularly pollution from gas infrastructure, coal-fired power plants, and concentrated animal feed operations, which often are centered or clustered in and around specific communities. Current permitting practices only take into consideration the pollution coming from each source independent of the total amount of pollution emitted in and around an affected community, thereby missing the cumulative effects of environmental pollution from all sources.
- What actions should the General Assembly take to increase the extent to which environmental justice concerns play an important role in state environmental policies and programs? Equal access.
- In particular and to the extent you are able, please indicate your views on the following:
- Should the Maryland Department of the Environment be required to consider cumulative sources of pollution when issuing permits? Yes
- Should a minimum percentage of climate mitigation funds be designated to communities disproportionately impacted by climate change and climate mitigation measures? Yes
- What programs would you support to enhance current efforts to increase access to fresh food for lower income communities? Grocery stores decrease food desserts.
Transportation
The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas pollution in Maryland. The transportation sector is a key part of our state’s economy, and access to affordable transportation is critical to promote economic and social equity.
- What should the General Assembly do to increase support for public transportation? Fund it and make sure the system is maintained. Should MTA and Metro funding (including bike/pedestrian infrastructure, and public transit repair, maintenance, and expansion) be prioritized over road and highway expansion? Absolutely.
- Should Maryland increase use of electric vehicles (passenger cars, trucks, and buses, and infrastructure), and decrease reliance on gasoline-powered and diesel-powered vehicles? Yes
Are there programs that you support to achieve these goals? Baltimore has excellent transit groups such as CMTA and the Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition, that is petition for the Red Line Light rail from West Baltimore County to East that Hogan demolished, sending $900 million back as the project was to move forward.
- In particular and to the extent you are able, please indicate your views on the following:
- Are there particular rail, light rail, road, and bridge projects (new, expansions, and/or replacements) you favor or oppose? The Red and Green Lines proposed in the Baltimore region, the light rail project in Southern Md.
- Do you have a position on any of the following: How should equity and accessibility be included in future project decisions?
- Expansion of Capital Beltway, I-270, the American Legion Bridge – No
- 3rd Crossing on the Chesapeake Bay – Yes
- Baltimore-Washington Superconducting Maglev Project – Absolutely not
- Creation of an East to West Baltimore (Red Line) Light Rail and a Baltimore Regional Transit Authority – Absolutely, as stated.
- Prioritizing the expansion of public transit, including bike/pedestrian infrastructure – Yes
- How should equity and accessibility be included in future project decisions? Every project should be equitable and accessible.
- Housing prices are outpacing income growth in Maryland while low-density, sprawl development contributes to deforestation, water degradation, and an unsustainable transportation system. What should Maryland do to create affordable housing that does not exacerbate the climate crisis? Every development should be mixed. Should there be incentives for locating housing or businesses close to public transportation hubs? Yes.
- What other measures should be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve public transportation and land use? Tree planting, trash cans, parks.
Reducing Trash and Waste and Waste-Generated Pollution
The world is facing a plastic pollution crisis. In addition, more than two-thirds of municipal solid waste is compostable or recyclable, and the amount could be reduced through better policy. Trash incineration at the Dickerson incinerator in Montgomery County and BRESCO in Baltimore City emits greenhouse gasses and toxic pollutants, and is a source of environmental injustice
- Please indicate your views on the following:
- Limiting the use of plastic products (such as limiting or prohibiting use of plastic shopping bags, plasticware and plastic straws in restaurants, and/or sample-size bottles in hotels and motels) Yes
- Establishing producer-responsibility waste-management programs – Yes
- Establishing a bottle-return program – Yes
- Expanding composting programs or resources – Yes
- Regulating the disposal of artificial turf and artificial play surfaces – Yes
- Ending trash incineration Absolutely
- Are there other strategies or policies you would support to address the challenges of waste reduction? No
Forests and Land Use
Forests play a critical role in providing wildlife habitat, holding soil, filtering pollution out of water, flood mitigation, and improved quality of life associated with green spaces. Their health and quantity is critical for healthy, clean streams and rivers in Maryland. Despite state goals for “no net loss,” Maryland’s forest acreage is declining. The state Forest Conservation Act requires planting only a quarter acre of new trees for every acre of trees cleared for development.
- Should the General Assembly amend the Forest Conservation Act to strengthen protections for Maryland’s forests? Yes
Alternatively, do you believe that current law appropriately takes into account forest protection and development interests? Needs amending. The current law was enacted in 1991.
- In particular and to the extent you are able, please indicate your views on the following:
- Should the General Assembly increase the replacement ratio for trees cut down as part of development projects? Yes
- Should forest conservation thresholds be increased? Yes
- Should specific measures be taken to protect animal habitats? Yes
- Should higher protection be given to priority forests? Yes
Open Space
Program Open Space uses funding from the real estate transfer tax to protect the best of Maryland’s open spaces. Despite broad public support, the program funds have often been raided to support other budget priorities. Thanks to legislation passed in 2016, FY2019 was the first time these programs were returned to full cash funding in over a decade; however, the funding for the program will remain vulnerable as long as it is not placed in a designated lock-box.
- Would you continue to support full funding of this program and oppose “borrowing” from the fund to support other, unrelated programs? Absolutely
Toxics
Conventional pesticides pose significant risk to agricultural workers, our food, and waterways. Historically, the state regulator – the Maryland Department of Agriculture – has not supported close monitoring and regulation of pesticides, and there are no statewide programs to encourage a transition to organic practices for pest and land care management.
PFAS chemicals are a class of more than 9,000 chemicals used in consumer products, food packaging, and industrial processes. Exposure to PFAS chemicals has been linked to harmful health effects including cancer, hormone disruption, immune suppression, reproductive problems, and developmental issues. A pesticide used in Maryland’s 2020 mosquito control program was found to contain PFAS and was replaced with two untested, similar products in 2021.
- Do you support moving pesticide oversight from the Maryland Department of Agriculture to the Department of Environment or Department of Health and Mental Hygiene who have greater expertise on public health and environmental impact? Yes
- Do you support reducing conventional pesticide use and exposures in our state and improving monitoring of pesticide use?
- Do you have specific policy ideas to advance this goal? Working closely with the FDA and EPA.
- In particular and to the extent you are able, please indicate your views on the following:
- Stopping the use of “non-essential” PFAS, such as in food packaging, consumer products, and fire fighting foam. Yes
- Ending the mass disposal of PFAS chemicals by incineration, landfilling, or shipping out of state. Yes
- Establishing testing for PFAS contamination in our drinking water and waterways Yes
- Holding polluters accountable for the environmental and public health impacts of PFAS. Yes
- Ensuring that pesticides registered in the state are PFAS-free. Yes
Environmental Enforcement and Accountability
The budgets for environmental agencies in Maryland have consistently been reduced , severely undermining the ability of these agencies to enforce the state’s environmental laws. Restrictive “standing” rules (more restrictive than in federal court) can bar individuals and organizations from gaining access to state courts to remedy violations.
- What actions should the General Assembly take to support more vigorous and consistent enforcement of state environmental laws?
- In particular and to the extent you are able, please indicate your views on the following:
- Increasing agency enforcement budgets Yes
- Expanding state court “standing” rules to be similar to federal court rules Yes
- Amending the state Constitution to provide Marylanders the right to a clean and healthful environment? Yes
- It is common for state agencies to fail to collect data or oppose data collection, which hampers decision making. How would you handle decision making in the face of Maryland-specific data uncertainty? Require data collection.
- Given that we have seen sharp declines in the enforcement of some laws in Maryland, as a legislator, what role do you feel the legislature should play in ensuring that the laws you help pass are faithfully implemented and enforced? Not allow for weak passage of bills but firmly stand behind legislation and its opposition to make Maryland more like California or other progressive states.
Elections and Good Government
Strong environmental legislation relies on the ability of all citizens to participate in open and fair elections, including the opportunity to elect officials who reflect Maryland’s diversity and represent the state’s most vulnerable populations.
- What additional reforms, if any, should the General Assembly enact in the systems used to elect state and local officials in Maryland, and to ensure that all citizens have a full and equal opportunity to participate in elections? Overturn Citizens United with Get Money Out’s passage of the Democracy Amendment (which has been delayed two years due to Covid and would also make voting a constitutional amendment), enacted RCV, and broaden disclosure laws, publicly finance elections.
- In particular and to the extent you are able, please indicate your views on the following:
- Expanding the state’s public financing system for gubernatorial elections to cover elections for other statewide offices, and/or General Assembly elections Yes
- Other ways in which Maryland should continue to expand voting opportunities Yes
– – –
- Please provide any other information you would like us to consider.
Since 2014 I have looked at employment and the lack of due process. Montana state is the only place that has no at-will rule in place 66% of employment classify as at-rule. My change.org petition has over 2,000 signatures, over 30, 000 views and 325 shares. Also the Green party’s Green New Deal would create massive climate sustainability; AOC and Bernie’s plans don’t cut it! Criminal justice is longstanding as I, a Black man, have to see equity through as we are a human race, unum. Greenbelt and its council (Mayor) has taken a year to put into law its Fair and Justice Policing Act and Annapolis policies such as Anton’s law has taken effect into law.
Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action are committed to creating a movement and culture that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable, and being intentional about the intersectional nature of our work. To that end, candidates who apply for the Gun Sense Candidate distinction should not only be ready to commit to governing with gun safety in mind, but must also commit to ensuring that their words and actions promote equity across all communities.
I commit to governing with gun safety in mind and promoting equity across all communities. (REQUIRED)
Addressing Gun Violence in America
Every day, more than 110 people in the United States are killed with guns and 200 more are shot and wounded. The gun homicide rate in the U.S. is 25 times higher than that of other high-income countries. Data and research show that common-sense public safety measures can reduce gun violence and save lives.
1) Do you believe that state elected officials have a role to play in addressing gun violence in the United States?
Please select… Yes No
Background Checks
Federal law requires that a person pass a background check before buying a gun from a licensed firearm dealer. Since 1994, more than 4 million illegal gun sales have been blocked, including to convicted felons, domestic abusers, and people prohibited due to mental illness. But the federal background check law does not apply if a person buys a gun from an unlicensed seller. This unlicensed market has flourished online, where each year more than a million ads offer firearms for sale that would not legally require a background check. This loophole means that criminals can easily buy guns from strangers they meet online or at gun shows, with no background check and no questions asked.
2) Do you support expanding the federal background checks requirement, which currently enables prohibited people to buy a gun from an unlicensed seller with no questions asked?
Please select… Yes No
Extreme Risk Protection Order
When a person is in crisis, loved ones and law enforcement are often the first to see when a person is showing warning signs of being a danger to themselves or others. Extreme Risk laws, often called Red Flag laws, allow them to ask a judge to temporarily remove guns from dangerous situations. If a court finds that a person poses a significant threat to themselves or others, that person is temporarily prohibited from purchasing and possessing guns. Nineteen states and DC have passed these laws, including fourteen since 2018.
3) Do you support empowering family members and law enforcement to petition a judge for an Extreme Risk Protection Order (a.k.a “Red Flag law”)?
Please select… Yes No
Secure Storage
Secure firearm storage can reduce the risks of suicide, unintentional shootings, and school shootings. It is estimated that 5.4 million American children live in households with at least one firearm that is loaded and unlocked. Between March and December of 2020, there was a 31 percent increase in unintentional shooting deaths by children of themselves and others compared to the same time period in 2019. Youth firearm suicide has increased significantly, and in the vast majority of suicides by children, the gun used belonged to a family member. Similarly, up to 80% of school shooters obtain their gun from their home or the home of relatives or friends. Storing guns locked and unloaded is associated with a 78 percent lower risk of self-inflicted firearm injuries and an 85 percent lower risk of unintentional firearm injuries among children and teens.
4) Do you support policies requiring gun owners to store their firearms securely — locked and inaccessible to unauthorized users, including children and prohibited people?
Please select… Yes No
Suicide by Gun
Six out of 10 of all gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides. Gun suicides claim the lives of nearly 24,000 people in America every year–that’s an average of 65 deaths a day. But many of these deaths could be prevented if guns were taken out of the equation: while 90% of gun suicide attempts prove fatal, 4% of attempts by other methods result in death. In addition to enacting legislative solutions like the Extreme Risk Protection Order and secure firearm storage requirements, building public awareness about the suicide risked posed by firearm access is crucial to saving lives.
5) Do you commit to educating the public about the unique role firearms play in America’s suicide epidemic?
Please select… Yes No
Ghost Guns
New products designed to evade gun laws–including widely available kits that easily convert unfinished parts into fully functional firearms and new capability in 3D printing technology–make it easy for prohibited people to make their own guns at home. These untraceable “ghost guns” can be assembled in less than an hour and let criminals evade the background check system. Ghost gun recoveries across the U.S. are on the rise, and have recently been connected with criminal enterprises, gun trafficking rings, and far-right extremists.
6) Do you support prohibitions on building “ghost guns” at home outside of the background check system?
Please select… Yes No
Protecting Victims of Domestic Abuse
Women in the U.S. are 21 times more likely to be killed by gun homicide than women in other high-income countries. And when a gun is present in a domestic violence situation, a woman is five times more likely to be killed. Federal law prohibits many domestic abusers from possessing firearms, but states play a primary role in enforcement — and can pass and enforce their own domestic violence laws. Evidence shows these state laws are especially effective at preventing gun violence if they require abusers turn in their guns once they become prohibited.
7) Do you support state legislation that prohibits gun possession by domestic abusers convicted of domestic violence and/or subject to final protection orders, and ensures domestic abusers to turn in their guns promptly after becoming prohibited purchasers?
Please select… Yes No
Funding Community Violence Intervention
Community-based violence intervention programs apply a localized approach to address gun violence in neighborhoods with particularly high rates of gun violence. Numerous studies demonstrate that evidence-based intervention and prevention–for example, through street or hospital-based outreach — can reduce gunshot victimizations among people at the highest risk of being shot.
8) Do you support robust public funding in your state for localized violence intervention programs that support people at the highest risk of being shot and killed?
Please select… Yes No
Public Carry of Firearms
Over the last several years, the gun lobby has gone from statehouse to statehouse seeking to enact “permitless carry,” which would pose a public safety risk by removing the requirement that a person get a permit before carrying a hidden, loaded handgun in public. These laws often remove important safety standards, such as requirements for safety training and no recent history of violent acts. States that have passed permitless carry have seen a substantial increase in violent crime.
9) Do you support state permitting requirements, including firearm safety training, in order to carry concealed handguns in public?
Please select… Yes No
Increasingly in recent years, political extremists have taken advantage of gaps in state law to carry guns openly in public as a means of intimidation. In 2020 anti-government extremists, including the ascendant boogaloo movement and white supremacists, used guns, in particular assault weapons, as tools of intimidation and violence in increasingly open ways. Taking advantage of weak state gun laws, they have brandished weapons at anti-government protests, intimidated peaceful protests for racial justice, and even killed people.
10) Do you support a law prohibiting the open carry of firearms in public?
Please select… Yes No
Police Use of Force and Accountability
Police violence is gun violence – 95% of deaths of civilians caused by police are with a firearm, and Black people are victims at a disproportionate rate. Police shootings have a corrosive impact on our communities as they foster distrust which makes it harder for law enforcement to keep communities safe. Local leaders must commit to supporting targeted reforms that will help prevent shootings and build trust. These reforms should include: a strong legal standard barring the unnecessary use of force and a standard requiring officers to intervene to stop abuse, a commitment to de-escalation, deploying formal tools to identify misconduct, a thorough and independent review system for use of force incidents, and transparency about use of force and other policies and procedures.
11) Do you support police accountability measures that promote de-escalation, promote transparency, and that aim to eliminate unnecessary use of force?
Please select… Yes No
“Stand Your Ground”
So-called “Stand Your Ground” laws allow people to shoot and kill others even if they could safely and easily avoid using deadly force. These laws embolden vigilante violence, encourage people to seek out confrontation, make it harder to hold unjustified shooters accountable, and are associated with increases in firearm homicides.
12) Do you oppose Stand Your Ground laws, which allow people to shoot and kill others even if they could safely and easily avoid using deadly violence?
Please select… Yes No
Guns in Schools and Colleges
In recent years, the gun lobby has campaigned in statehouses to allow guns in K-12 schools, to arm teachers, and even to force colleges and universities to allow guns on their campuses. There is no evidence that arming teachers can help deter, mitigate, or intervene to stop active shooters—and on the contrary, armed civilians are more likely to cause confusion when law enforcement respond to a shooting, and guns in schools may be accessed by children when not under the teacher’s control. College life is also full of risk factors that make the presence of guns dangerous: college can be a stressful time for students, with research showing that rates of suicidal ideation doubled between the 2006-2007 and 2016-2017 school years.. Arming teachers and forcing guns on college campuses are broadly opposed by law enforcement, students, and educators.
13) Do you oppose allowing guns in K-12 schools and colleges, outside of trained law enforcement and security staff?
Please select… Yes No
Preemption of Local Gun Safety Laws
After a decades-long effort by the gun lobby, most states now have some form of firearms preemption law, blocking towns and cities from adopting their own gun laws suited to local needs. These preemption laws often bar mayors and police chiefs from taking steps to address gun violence, and in some cases even have punitive provisions that leave taxpayers on the hook for court costs and fees.
14) Do you oppose broad firearms preemption laws, which block local officials from passing and enforcing laws that keep communities safe from gun violence?
Please select… Yes No
Have you ever volunteered with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America or Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America?
Please select… Yes No
Have you been personally affected by gun violence?
Been held at gunpoint a few times. My grandmother’s brother was shot.
Would you like to provide any additional background for any of your responses?
A lady named Cham has done a great job of using the Baltimore Sun’s homicides and archiving it. I have a spreadsheet that tracks homicides so far in Baltimore City (more so Black on Black than police unarmed) from 1970 to the present and plan to add neighboring Baltimore Co., DC, and Prince George’s.
AFL-CIO
Maryland State and D.C.
AFL-CIO
2022 CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
OUR UNIONS
Airline Pilots (ALPA) I Air Traffic Controllers (NATCA) I Auto Workers (UAW) I Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco & Grain Millers (BCTGM) I Boilermakers (IBB) I Bricklayers (BAC) I Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET-CWA) I Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) I Communication’ Workers (C WA) I Electrical Workers (IBEW) I Electronic Workers (IUE-WA) I Elevator Constructors (IUEC) I Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) I Fire Fighters (IAFF) I Flight Attendants
(AFA-CVA) Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) I Glass, Molders & Pottery Workers (GMP-USW) I Government Employees (AFGE) I Hotel & Restaurant Employees (UNITE HERE) I UFIU) I International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) I Ironworkers (BSOIW) I Laborers (LIUNA) I Letter Carriers (NALC) I Machinists (IAM) I Marine Engineers (MEBA) Masters, Mates & Pilots I Mine Workers (UMWA) I Musicians (AFM) I National Nurses (NNU) NFL Players (NFLFA) I Novelty and Production Workers I Office and Professional Employees (OPU) I Operating Engineers (IUOE) I Operative Plasterers’ and Cemetery
Masons’ (OPCMIA) I Painters and Allied Trades WPAT) I Plate Printers and Die Stampers I Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) I Postal
Workers (APWU) Printing, and Media Workers (PPMW-CWA) I Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) I
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS)’ I Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Workers (RWDSU-UFCW) I Roofers and Waterproofers I School Administrators (AFSA) Screen Actors and Radio and Television Workers (SAG-AFTRA) I Seafarers (SIU)
Service Employees (SEIU) I Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Workers (SMART) I Stage and Movie Workers (IATSE) I State,
County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) I Steelworkers (USW) I Teachers (AFT) I The News Guild (TNG-CWA) I Transit Workers
(ATU) I Transport Workers (TWU) I Transportation and Communications Workers (TCU/IAM) I Utility Workers (UWUA) I
Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO I Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO Western Maryland AFL-CIO
Central Maryland AFL-CIO DelMarVa AFL-CIO
DONNA S. EDWARDS GERALD W. JACKSON
President Secretary-Treasurer
Chuck Cook
Legislative and Political Director
There are certain basic workplace rights that the unions and members of the Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO believe are fundamental and absolutely essential. Collective bargaining elections and representation are permitted for private sector employees, whereas for public sector employees in Maryland, legislation is required in order to have those same rights. Over the past decade, ,these rights have been given to many state, higher education and g K-12 public school education employees and some county employees. However, thousands of public sector Employees are still denied these rights.
Please indicate if you support or oppose comprehensive collective bargaining legislation that would provide collective bargaining rights (including exclusivity, binding arbitration, and an independent labor board) for all public employees-local, county, school boards md state. Explain how these issues are essential to workers’ rights.
Do you support or oppose the right of all private and public workers to organize and have union representation? Explain.Do you support or oppose the right of all workers to freely exercise workplace rights free from harassment, intimidation and/or delays? Explain.
Support
Do you support or oppose the right to bargain collectively with a legal obligation on both sides to negotiate in good faith? Explain.
Support
Do you support or oppose the right to resolve differences in a fair, impartial and timely manner, including binding arbitration for public and private employees through a neutral arbitrator process? Please explain your position.
Nurses have some of the highest rates of work-related, musculoskeletal injuries of any occupation. Do you support or oppose legislation that would require that hospitals institute and utilize lift teams and lift equipment, and that also protects the rights of nurses to speak out regarding unsafe patient care practices? Explain your position.
California is the only state to have passed comprehensive workplace violence prevention legislation to protect healthcare workers. In order to be effective, such a standard must mandate that every hospital, nursing home, and health care facility develops a workplace violence prevention in conjunction with health care workers that is unique to the needs of each unit and is in effect at Il times in every unit. It must include hazard identification and correction procedures, annual program evaluation, in person training for all employees and sufficient staffing to respond to workplace violence incidents. Do you support the creation of a comprehensive workplace violence prevention standard for healthcare workers in Maryland?
As health care costs continue to escalate, many Marylanders do not have access to affordable quality health care services. Please describe some legislative remedies that you would pursue.
Transportation
After years of planning, the proposed Red Line light rail project was cancelled in 2015. Would you commit to supporting efforts to revive the Red Line, including any necessary funding for its completion?
Absolutely.
Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO
2022 Candidate Questionnaire
Do you support or oppose a requirement to include prevailing wages, project labor agreements, labor peace agreements and buy Maryland/buy America first provisions, in all State procurements and tax incentive policies?
Support
Should •the government divert funds from public schools by giving vouchers (either a tax credit, or even a tax rebate) to parents who want to send their children to private or religious schools, including through the BOOST voucher program? Please explain your answer.One element that was unfortunately left unresolved by the Kirwan Commission recommendations was the area of pay for Paraprofessionals and School Related Personnel (PSRPs). For too many PSRPs in Baltimore arid throughout the state, compensation levels are not enough to be considered a living wage. Will PSRP compensation be a high priority for you if you are elected to office?
Yes
With the 21st Century Schools Program passed in 2013, the state allowed City Schools and the Maryland Stadium Authority to leverage bonds arid completely renovate roughly 25 public schools in Baltimore City. While this certainly is a good start, with the largest portfolio of aging and obsolete school buildings in the state, this program needs t be expanded. If elected, what will you do to assure
What is your definition of “The Right to Work”? Do you support or oppose “The Right to Work in Maryland? Explain your position?
Oppose
The AFL-CI and our affiliated unions are actively engage to establishing workers’ rights and representation and bargaining for workers in the platform economy like Uber and Lyft. Do you support laws that clarify the labor rights of rideshare and other platform workers? Why or why not?
Support
Economic Recovery
Maryland has myriad tax credits, tax abatements, grants, and various other programs for businesses that ostensibly exist to “create jobs”. However, very little demand is made of these businesses to ensure that the tax money given to them is used to create family-sustaining careers. In recent legislative sessions, unions have had success in adding stronger job standards to a handful of business tax credits in order for businesses to receive taxpayer money for economic development purposes. Would you support legislation that universally applies to all Maryland economic development tax credits and programs — including clean energy — requiring labor standards for each job created or maintained that included, at a minimum: 150% of State minimum wage or Prevailing Wage if in the building and construction industry, the right to collectively bargain, paid leave, covered by Unemployment Insurance and Workers’ Compensation, employer-provided health insurance, retirement benefits, career advancement training, and fair scheduling?
One of the loopholes in construction on State and Local projects that require contractors to pay prevailing wages is their ability to sub out the manufacture or fabrication of the materials needed to off-site entities. This work is done in shops located within and out of State often at substandard Wages. Would you support legislation that requires prevailing wages be paid to all employees engaged in the manufacture or fabrication of materials used In projects that are required to be paid prevailing wages, whether done on or off site?
The pandemic had a massive impact on public transit ridership and experts are predicting large budget deficits for transit systems across the country in 2023. Are you willing to commit additional funding to Maryland’s public transit systems to help close this deficit and avert service cuts and layoffs?
Yes
Do you commit to opposing partnerships between rideshare companies and public transit services?
Support
Contracting out public services is sometimes seen as a way to save money and/or make government more efficient. Do you see outsourcing as appropriate in any circumstance? If so, when? It’s never appropriate to outsource.In recent years legislation has been introduced that would move public employees’ retirement from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan (401K). Do you support such a plan? I support the pension system.
Privatization of public transit I o s private to the riding public and by decreasing the wages and benefits of public transit workers. Do you commit to helping end the practice of the privatization of Public transit systems in Maryland by helping transition privatized public services into the public sector?
Yes
Voting Rights
Participation in the democratic process should be available to all that are eligible and willing to participate. With the recent attack on voting rights and the weakening of the Voting Rights Act, working families see their ability to participate in democracy through voting-under attack. As the United States Postal Service is still one of the most trusted means of communication and the American Postal Workers Union and National Association of Letter Carriers are stalwart advocates for voting rights; what is your position on the need for universal vote-by-mail legislation on the state level? Support
Would this be legislation that you support? Yes
Lastly, briefly describe legislation that you draft to support this.
Signature
Renaud Brown for Annapolis Delegate 2022 