|
|
In This Issue Legislative Update Bills of Interest
|
A Message from Secretary Sanchez On March 4, I had the pleasure of witnessing Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett sign an executive order calling upon all branches of county government to remove any language barriers to public services for people with limited English proficiency. It was a big step forward in our statewide effort to make government more responsive and accessible to every Marylander – which is the mission of the Maryland Council for New Americans. Governor O'Malley signed an Executive Order creating the Council in January 2009 to assist the Governor and State agencies to maximize immigrant integration in Maryland. The council brought together representatives of government, business, labor, social service organizations, faith-based organizations and education to formulate policy recommendations for the Governor. Now, its activities are poised to accelerate with the naming of a staff director, an announcement we will make very soon. In short, the objective of the Maryland Council for New Americans is to help Marylanders be as American as can be – learning English, becoming a citizen, and getting a better job. A majority of Maryland's workforce growth since 2000 has been from immigrants. Although Maryland's immigrant population provides vital contributions to our economy, indicators show that segments of this workforce are not reaching their full potential. For example, 40 percent of recent immigrants from Africa and Latin America with college degrees work in unskilled occupations. Leading causes are: limited English proficiency, lack of job training and obstacles transferring credentials. Studies show that our immigrant demographic is unique among American states: it is more highly educated than the native population, it has a higher income than in most states, and it is highly diverse (almost equal parts Latino, African, Asian and European). This can be a great strength in our economy if the State continues to follow the inspired leadership of the O'Malley-Brown Administration. Beyond my own role as co-chair of the Maryland Council, DLLR has numerous roles to play in ensuring
that immigrants have every opportunity to be fully integrated into the workforce and civic life of the state
of Maryland. The Division of Unemployment Insurance is adding more bilingual claims takers in College Park, where our bilingual claims operations are centralized. I recently spent a day there, and could see and hear the dedication of the dozen or so people we have in that unit and the challenges they face very patiently in helping people with limited English proficiency to file an initial claim or resolve issues with their benefits. Without these bilingual claims takers' skills, sensitivity to cultural differences and ability to instantly translate bureaucrat-speak, people in need would face great difficulty in accessing the benefits they need to get through a most difficult time. The Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation, in partnership with the Department of Housing and Community Development and other stakeholders, combats mortgage fraud that often targets immigrant communities and assists homeowners in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. I, as well as other DLLR employees, have participated in foreclosure prevention outreach events for Hispanic audiences in order to reach those immigrant communities directly. As the highest ranking Hispanic official in Maryland State government, I take very seriously Governor
O'Malley's credo that "there is no such thing as a spare Marylander." The work of the Council for
New Americans is vitally important, and I welcome your suggestions on ways we can provide truly equal
opportunity for all Marylanders. |
DLLR recently welcomed two important additions to its leadership team:
Prior to joining DWDAL, Jeff served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, where he was responsible for the development of workforce strategies to enhance the employment opportunities for ex-offenders returning to the community. In 2006, as Executive Director of the Maryland Correctional Enterprises (MCE) Management Council, he developed the MCE CARES (Continuing Allocation of Reentry Services), a successful inmate employment integration model for formerly incarcerated individuals reentering to the workforce. Prior to joining the State of Maryland, Jeff worked for Senator Barbara Mikulski, serving in a number of
positions on her executive staff, including communications and constituent services. He received his
Bachelor's in Political Science from Towson University and will complete his Master's this fall.
Jeff lives in the Loch Raven community with his wife and two sons. Irby Cole brings 25 years of accounting experience in the private and public sectors to his new role as Director of Budget and Fiscal Services. He received his B.A. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a double major in economics and accounting and is an active C.P.A. He is a member in good standing of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants. Before coming to DLLR, Irby served in budget and finance leadership positions at the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He completed his 20-year career in the private sector as Vice President of Finance and Corporate Treasurer for one of Branch Bank and Trust's (BB&T's) most profitable subsidiaries. Married for 25 years, he has two sons. The elder is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and the youngest is currently completing his college education. Irby succeeded David McGlone, who remained with DLLR as a deputy assistant secretary in the
Division of Unemployment Insurance. |
|
Legislative Session Report On April 12th, the Maryland General Assembly completed its work for the 2010 legislative session. Lawmakers considered more than 2,700 bills and passed 810 bills and 4 resolutions. DLLR had an extremely successful session, and saw the passage of all bills that were priorities for Governor O'Malley. Among those were the Unemployment Insurance Modernization and Tax Relief Act, which modifies the UI law to make Maryland eligible for federal funds, and the Job Creation and Recovery Tax Credit bill that creates a tax credit for employers who hire qualified individuals. This report is a synopsis of those and other legislative issues of importance to the Department. Operating Budget Budget Highlights
SB 107 – Unemployment Insurance - Tax Deferment, Trust Fund Solvency, and Cost-Neutral
Modernization Act SB 106 - Labor and Employment - Job Creation and Recovery Tax Credit HB 472 - Real Property - Residential Property Foreclosure Procedures - Foreclosure Mediation SB 275 - Education - Maryland Longitudinal Data System Financial Regulation HB 402 – Collection Agencies - Application and Renewal Fees HB 1152 - Commissioner of Financial Regulation - Applicant and Staff Criminal Background Checks HB 1136 - Financial Institutions - Supervision and Reorganization Labor and Industry HB 85 - Commissioner of Labor and Industry - Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety Act Occupational and Professional Licensing HB 82 - State Board of Pilots - Limited Licenses HB 83 - Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation - State Real Estate Commission - Continuing
Education HB 84 - State Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration Contractors -
Membership HB 403 - Office of Cemetery Oversight - Preneed Trust Account - Underfunding HB 406 - Real Estate Licensees - Services Provided Through Teams HB 407 - State Board of Public Accountancy - Disciplinary Authority HB 408 - State Commission of Real Estate Appraisers and Home Inspectors - Administrative Sanctions -
Civil Penalty HB 409 - Home Improvement Commission - Guaranty Fund Jurisdiction Financial Regulation The bill further requires the two agencies to share information regarding complaints received involving real estate closings and work collaboratively to track any patterns of problem transactions or licensees. By December 31, 2010, MIA and DLLR must report to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Economic Matters Committee on the status of the Consumer's Bill of Rights, regulations, and collaboration between the agencies. Effective July 1, 2010. HB 1206 - Commercial Law - Consumer Protection - Refund Anticipation Loans and Checks Occupational and Professional Licensing HB 956 – This bill Electricians, Gas Fitters, HVAC Contractors, and Plumbers - Display of
Licenses and License Numbers Labor and Industry HB 214/SB694 - Labor and Employment - Wage Payment and Collection Law - Definition of Wage SB789 - Labor and Employment - The Healthy Retail Employee Act I want to give a special thanks to DLLR's legislative director, Jackie Lichter, and policy director, Elisabeth Sachs, for their tremendous work that made these results possible. |
|
|
|
|
Jeff Beeson joined the Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning as a Deputy Assistant
Secretary responsible for the integration and alignment of adult and correctional education programs with
Maryland's workforce system.
