This new session of conversations is with the members of the Frederick County Delegation. We extended an invitation to each of our representatives for a focused conversation on their passions and priorities with the hopes of providing valuable information and insight to the Frederick County community. The work of our Legislative Delegation during the annual 90-day Maryland General Assembly session impacts all of us, our lives, our families and our businesses. Hear firsthand from our legislators as they share their priorities and plans to deal with Maryland’s most pressing issues.
In this interview Senator Ron Young discusses:
[1:33] Criminal Justice Reform
[8:04] Support for Veterans
[14:57] The Hotel
[16:54] Overview of Four Prioritized Bills
[22:15] Fiscal Conditions
Transcription edited for readability:
Rick Weldon: Welcome Chamber Members to the fourth in our series of Chamber Conversations. We used to really look forward to our legislative breakfast at the Delaplaine however because we can’t do that this year we are focusing one on one with our legislative delegation to Annapolis.
Today I am really excited to talk to Senator Ron Young. Senator Young serves on the Judicial Proceedings Committee and is also Chair of the Senate Executive Nominations Committee which is a really important post in the General Assembly and constitutional process in Maryland. He is the joint chair of the subcommittee on Program Open Space and Ag Preservation- something from his past that he is very passionate about. He served on the Frederick City Board of Aldermen from 1970-1974 and for all of you who have walked on the beautiful Carroll Creek Linear Park or have enjoyed a beautifully preserved historic Downtown Frederick – you have to credit our guest today. Senator Young served as the mayor of the City of Frederick from 1974 to 1990, a really critical time in setting the long term plan and vision for what is arguably Maryland’s most precious historic downtown. So Senator Ron Young I am thrilled to talk to you today.
Senator Young: It is great to be here.
Rick Weldon: So this year has certainly been unprecedented, we’ve had to adjust our lives and work to the pandemic. We are a little stressed with a national political election underway and we have seen nationwide protests surrounding minority communities and law enforcement. Would you please talk about the issue of police reform and criminal justice legislation?
Senator Young: I will try to summarize a bit because it is really extensive. We had a three day hearing about a month ago where 12 bills were presented all on law enforcement reform. We had three entire days with state attorneys, police chiefs, the ACLU and I think this is really going to be the dominant issue for our committee for a long time.
I have a bill I didn’t think was quite on there which I plan to add to the list- I’m sure I’ll get an argument about it but in some ways, I think it’s more important than all the rest of them. We are looking to establish police standards- cameras for issues like choking, etc. What I really feel what we need to do more than anything is screen the police applicants and keep people with aggressive tendencies as well as people who have joined fringe groups- whether it be the KKK or organizations on the opposite end of the spectrum.
We need to get people who aren’t coming onto the force with an agenda- kids that weren’t bullied in the seventh grade and seeking a way to get even. So I would like to see a psychological assessment given to every officer before they come on. If they are not suited we need to reject them and if they want to then seek psychological help and try again in the future then maybe we can pass them then.
We can pass a law saying you can’t choke- but if someone has the tendency to choke whether it’s a law or not- we continue to see it happening after laws are already passed. So I actually think screening and getting rid of people who aren’t coming onto the police force for the right reasons is a much better solution.
If we do that a lot of the other things we are seeking to address kind of take care of themselves. Not that you won’t always have some kind of incidents but I just really think screening and getting the right people on the force is needed.
I had a police force under me for sixteen years as mayor and I did a DNR, we had two police forces while I was there. I don’t know what the exact percent is but 95-98% of police officers are good people there to do the job. We need to screen out the others and see that we don’t have that trouble.
A lot of the bills we are looking at revolve around the concept of wearing body cameras- if a police officer sees another police officer doing something of misconduct they have to report it. We are discussing ending the police force bill of rights because everyone has a bill of rights, why do they need a special one.
We are looking at eliminating no-knock warrants unless someone is in immediate danger. We had the incident occur where the young woman (Breonna Taylor, Louisville, KY.) was shot when the police broke into her home in the middle of the night while they were in bed. The man she was with who had a permit for his gun, was scared, grabbed the gun and fired a shot and she got killed. I believe there are ways to prevent things like this from happening.
There is police reform needed. The subject of defunding the police comes up- which I think was a horrible title to use- there are some people who genuinely mean that but most people don’t. We need police officers. If someone breaks into your house and tries to murder you- you want the police to show up. But the idea is if there is a marital dispute it might be good if someone like a psychologist who is trained in marital relations goes to de-escalate the situation rather than a police officer. The real issue is taking a look at having the right people there- not punishing police.
There is a whole list of issues that I know we will spend hour upon hour on each one trying to strike a balance where the public is protected and has their rights but the police are protected and have their rights as well. We need them but we need to make sure that the good ones are doing what they are doing and we protect against the ones who step outside the bounds.
Rick Weldon: And you’ll deal with all these issues in JPR because that’s the committee of jurisdiction
Senator Young: Yeah and that’s probably going to be the major thing we are doing this year- trying to come out with something that is a real balance for everybody.
Rick Weldon: So I also want to talk to you about another issue I know you are really passionate about. I get to thank you on video for all the Members of the Chamber when I talk about how directly you got involved in the issue of the Veterans Services Center out of Monocacy Boulevard and Riverside Corporate Park. That would not be moving forward if it weren’t for your active advocacy and stepping in early on in the process to be a voice for that. I know you are working on a bill to deal with veterans’ homelessness. Would you talk about those veteran issues that matter so much to you?
Senator Young: I was really glad they contacted me and I was able to help get a pledge of half a million dollars for the facility right away. I brought the secretary up here and I think he was a little reluctant at first but when he got here and saw what we were doing he was 100% committed.
What we are looking for is a one-stop-shop for veterans to help them with any physiological problems they have, job training- whatever. The bill I have had 40 cosponsors out of the 47 of us but the President (of the Senate) killed it anyhow. The veteran’s clubs- they don’t call them slot machines but that’s what they are- would have five machines. The fraternal clubs have asked for the same things. A lot of those clubs like the Elks do a lot of community events and services and they’ve been struggling so I agreed to try to get them five machines but as part of that, I want the top ten percent of the intake to go to support homeless veterans.
If it could be worked out- the kind of thing I’d like to see is to take the veterans center we have and build a 750-unit veterans housing center right next to it. This way not only would they have access to the training and services they need but they would also be provided a home. This also eliminates concerns about transportation issues.
The bill, if all the clubs get in on it would end up producing a couple of million dollars a year. So my preference is a good portion of that money would go to doing a shelter right here at this facility. The idea of this facility was to be a regional model for all over the state and possibly all over the country. So we could move from veterans center to veterans center as they are built and really do a comprehensive service to the veterans in Maryland.
The president of the Senate has a problem with the bill- especially in relation to the expansion of gambling. Frankly- we are expanding gambling anyhow. The sports bill is the next thing coming. With these clubs they don’t have people outside coming in to play, it is the members. This wouldn’t take anything away from Casinos or anyone else- it would help the clubs and more importantly help the veterans.
Rick Weldon: So I talked to the CEO of the Central and Eastern Arizona Goodwill that took over our local Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley and he specifically mentioned your advocacy as the reason why Goodwill is nationally attached to this project and so supportive. They really do see it as a model that can be replicated all across the county- but he specifically cited the importance of having a local legislator advocate who was pushing for this.
Senator Young: Well you know aside from all the legislation I will tell you being a mayor is a much better job than being a senator. As a mayor, if you want to do something in your community you can have an immediate effect and see it happen. We pass a bill and hope that three to five years from now it does some good. There are two things that are really important to me. First is constituent service- how you can help people back home. We have recently had a horrible time with unemployment and trying to get people the help they need. Constituent service altogether is very important. The other thing is bringing money back home to help with projects- like the veterans center.
Unfortunately for me, because of all the fighting, the money for the Hotel died. Hopefully, the City and the County can work something out but it’s hard to go back again for money after what’s happened. Last year five million that had been committed was released. Senator Hough and I sat down with Senator Brinkley and the chairmen of our committee and they let us keep the five million dollars for Frederick County. That was able to fund a lot of local projects and it was a one-time gift- money we will never get again. We got half a million dollars for the homeless shelter up at the old board of education building and we got money to expand the fire center training area, Lake Linganore, several arts groups, and hopefully we will be getting money for the Rollings Funeral Home.
So being able to do things like that for your community and help your citizens for me though the legislation is important- we can do more good back home if we get involved like that.
Rick Weldon: I agree. I’ve told people for twenty years, being a mayor or a town manager is the most powerful motivator for getting the wheels of government to turn to fix people’s problems. When you’re standing at that service counter in Town Hall or City Hall they don’t want to hear you blame it on the county or the state or the feds- they want you to fix the problem. I think that’s a part of our shared history that has well informed us in all the things we have done since then.
Ron Young: I often wish that everyone had to serve in local office before running for the legislature because it provides a much better understanding of dealing with people and what their needs are.
Rick Weldon: I agree with you 100%. So speaking of that, I know that health care providers and advocates from across the State come to you with issues because they know you pursue those issues both with your history on the Environment Health and Educational Affairs committee as well as your influence in the Senate. So I’d like you to speak about a couple of bills, why they matter and what you think the prospects are:
- your speech pathology and audiology compact bill
- your pharmacy bill
- the living donor bill
Senator Young: Well I think the Living Donor bill probably would have passed last year if we didn’t run into the conditions we did. So we are bringing it back and it’s just a small tax credit for people that have to take off work to donate an organ to someone. When people step forward and do something like that they lose time, they lose revenue and they sometimes even have to bring help in. So that’s just to give them a break.
The pharmaceutical bill just grants the pharmacist a little more leeway in giving injections. I just got my flu shot and the first of the two new shots for shingles and I did them at the pharmacy. I walked in and they did it immediately. The flu shot was free and the shingles shot was $40.00 but for what it’ll do it’s worth it to me. This bill is a convenience thing and particularly for a lot of people who may have drug problems that require shots to help them. Psychologists and psychiatrists don’t really want to have to do that- administer those treatments. This makes them available in people’s neighborhoods and allows access quickly. Some of the doctors have a problem with this, but we are trying to keep it so that people still have the option to go to the doctor and of course it still has to be cleared by the doctor. It is a matter of convenience and cost and I think we will get that through this year, I’m hoping.
With the audiology bill- I have gotten a couple of compact bills through- we are a small state that borders other states. There are people that if they live out in Cumberland or right next to West Virginia and they practice in both places- it allows people that meet a uniformed standard of the compact to treat people that might be from out of their state and it is a mutual thing. The compacts we have had have all worked out well so this is one more area for that to occur.
I also have a seizure bill which I think came through to me because I got a similar bill through for diabetes. This would be mandating one class in the first five years of school and one in the last seven for children to recognize seizures and to know what it is and how to react when they happen. It would also mandate two people within the school- one the school nurse and one a volunteer- to know what to do when someone has a seizure.
At one of the conventions I went to a man had a seizure right in front of me and I had no idea what to do- the more we can do to have awareness and training to help people like that is really important. So we just keep looking at issues like that to help raise awareness and to make help more readily available when needed.
Rick Weldon: A lot of the discussion and national debate on healthcare deals with high concepts like insurance- the bills you just talked about- each one of them in their own right increases access to health services. So it shows that the work doesn’t necessarily have to be big insurance reform- it can be targeted to making sure people can get into their local pharmacy for a flu shot- THAT is increasing access to health care.
So this is going to be a really tough session- and I could talk to you for hours- but I did really want to discuss fiscal conditions. I know through your work and your colleagues’ work that we are in pretty good shape for revenue for the current year, and we are not in as bad of shape for the 21 years that we thought before because of Covid but that 22 years and outlook very bleak. Could you talk about what that looks like and what may be done about it?
Senator Young: The out years do look bad and we are really going to need a combination of things. I think most of us do not want to raise taxes but we do have to look into some other revenue resources that don’t have a strong impact in hurting businesses- there are several out there and we are going to have to look at them one by one. For example, I don’t think that there is any doubt that, and people may or may not like this, that marijuana is going to be legal- as medical marijuana is now. So that is a source of revenue, it is a big profit business and it shouldn’t just all go towards the companies it should come back and be of some use to the community. Sports betting is another alternative. Another alternative I’ve Suggested is combined reporting on restaurants and retail.
We see 90 million dollars a year go out of state and their companies that do business here- I’ll use Walmart as an example. They transfer their profits back to Arkansas and pay the taxes there. What we are looking at and suggesting is that the taxes they are going to pay should be paid here rather than in Arkansas- this does not increase (product) prices. People are already paying that cost, it’s just not staying here. When we put combined reporting onto companies like biotech, they might leave because they can go to a state where combined reporting isn’t required. About 27 states currently have combined reporting- both red states and blue states. This would affect chain restaurants and chain stores, not local businesses, and we would just be keeping the taxes on the profits they make here – here. It’s 90 million dollars a year that’s going out that could stay here and it would not cost anyone anything.
So whether that happens or any of the other alternatives, we really have to examine programs to see where we can gain efficiency and contain cost, it can’t just be increased revenue. I actually- if Mike Miller left I was supposed to go onto the budget committee- I wanted to have a bigger play in that both from frankly enjoying it and secondly to help get money back here too. I don’t know if that will happen this year, Mike looks like he’s doing well so I hope he stays healthy. He has been a great asset to the State of Maryland for decades. So I may or may not serve on the budget committee or continue serving on the judicial.
Rick Weldon: Where wherever you are, the people of District 3 and Frederick County and Maryland at large are benefited by the background that you bring with you, the relationships that you’ve developed over decades, your knowledge of these programs and COMAR and how they impact people.
So my hope is during the upcoming session you’ll be able to carve out another twenty minutes with me so we can update on all these moving pieces and then after the session- hopefully someday a live event. I really appreciate your carving out this time for us to talk to our members and wish you the best as you gear up for the session.
Senator Young: One quick thing if I can throw this in- you mentioned one thing that I think a lot of people in the office don’t realize. Relationships- if you don’t build relationships with people you are not successful. You cannot get things through because this is not something you can achieve alone, however you do it you have to build those relationships.
Rick Weldon: Thank you, we look forward to speaking with you again soon.
RONALD N. YOUNG
Democrat, District 3, Frederick County
James Senate Office Building, Room 301
11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3575, (301) 858-3575
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3575 (toll free)
e-mail: ronald.young@senate.state.md.us
fax: (410) 841-3193, (301) 858-3193
253 East Church St., Suite 100, Frederick, MD 21701 (301) 662-8520
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