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Action and Advocacy are important roles for the league. We keep on top of what is going on at the local level in order to identify problems or issues that merit League or community attention, and then act as necessary to enable that community attention. Our League programs regularly include:
- Adopting major issues for study and preparing detailed fact sheets on the findings. In scope, these studies could be on national, state, or local issues.
- Bringing research findings to the attention of League members for debate and discussion with the objective of reaching consensus positions which the League then adopts.
- If action or advocacy is needed on an issue where the League has a position, we move to the forefront equipped with solid facts and study materials that help present the organization's views. We do that by writing letters, calling legislators, testifying at hearings, writing to the media or other interested groups and organizations to bring about a desired policy or legislative result.
We're Part of the Whole
The issues that LWV studies and works to resolve span the gamut of Social, Environmental, governmental and international problems. We will use these pages to keep you apprised of some of our top level concerns and what we are trying to do about them.
The League of Women Voters of Harford County is a small part of a large national organization with a program of investigating issues, forming positions and acting once we come to consensus. We at the local level participate in this effort. We will highlight below issues of interest to the League of Women Voters at the national, state or local levels. Let us introduce you to the way League of Women Voters gets involved with issues.
Affordable Housing
Affordable Housing is a concern of the League, one which our Harford local began to investigate. Both the National and Maryland League of Women Voters have policies on Affordable Housing.The LWV of Maryland during the most recent legislative session was advocating for Affordable Housing, bills..... Several ACTION ALERTS were issued during the session. ..... The bills died in committee.
We have completed a study of Workforce Housing Availability in Harford County which identifies a serious lack of affordable housing for service workers in the county. Following the study, we created an educational brochure, “Will You Be Affected Because These Workers Cannot Live Here?” and distributed several hundred copies throughout the county. Continuing advocacy, we have members represented at the Harford Housing Strategic Planning Group monthly meetings. We have written letters to our local papers and to elected officials in support of affordable housing initiatives.
Water Resources
The National LWV has an extensive Water Resource policy discussion in its publication, Impact on Issues 2006-2008. The LWV of Harford County is concerned about growing uncertainty over local water availability as our population grows. We completed a study on Harford County Water Resources in the spring of 2008. League members approved several position statements dealing with water policy, safety, sustainability, and conservation. In the coming year we will continue the water study, focusing on determining the viability of placing the county’s public water system under a water authority or commission. The report on this study will be given in March 2009.
Zoning Code Update: Citizens' Rights
The LWV has long worked to promote an open governmental system that is representative, accountable and responsive. We believe that democratic government depends on governmental bodies protecting their citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding public meetings and making public records accessible. Therefore, the League of Women Voters of Harford County found the changes from the existing to the proposed Harford County Zoning Code, Section 267-7 and Section 267-9 particularly troublesome. We opposed these changes in letter and testimony to the Harford County Council in their session on September 16, 2008. Read the letter here.
Global Warming
The big story now under Action and Advocacy is the fight in the THE US Senate on a Global Climate Change bill. The issue involves Senate Bill S2191, America’s Climate Security Act. How would you know? Generally our membership learns from an ACTION ALERT. Want to learn more? LIEBERMAN-WARNER are sponsors and CARDIN one of 11 co-sponsors. MIKULSKI and CARDIN are also co-sponsors of a stronger bill, but it is not viable. S2191 is viable and seems to contain all the ingredients necessary to tackle global climate change, including helping developing countries affected by global climate change, who are less able to help themselves. The bill needs some strengthening, and in the ACTION ALERT above, we asked you to contact your Senator.
At the state level, SB 309/HB 712 Global Warming Solutions, never made it out of the Environmental Matters Committee. The Senate subverted it with amendments, which would make it more difficult to regulate greenhouse gases in the state in the future. Several specific energy bills passed; SB 209/HB 375 which accelerates the percentage of power generated by renewable sources; SB 207/HB 377 which mandates energy conservation education and incentives to reduce demand; and SB 268/HB 368, heavily amended to increase rebates to customers instead of conservation measures, outlines the uses of funds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s requirement that industries that do not make cap and trade goals pay into a fund. SB 207/HB 377 was enacted. It increases incentives for the use of solar and geothermal energy, both residential and non-residential. HB 1337/SB 977 establishes the Maryland Clean Energy Center and the Maryland Clean Energy Technology Incubator Program, an economic development effort, charged with assisting and promoting the clean energy industry in the state. You could have tracked these bills in our Report from State Circle. This link was the final after session report.
Study Resources
We invite you to examine the current sampling of Positions, Actions and Alerts at the state and national levels:
- LWV of Maryland Studies and Actions 2007-2009
- LWV of Maryland Action Alerts
- Final Report from State Circle for 2008 A summary by LWV of Maryland of the 2008 Legislative Session in Maryland
- Impact on Issues 2006-2008, the National LWV positions.
- LWV "Take Action" Action Alerts and Legislative Updates
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