There could also be discussion on police reform
Annapolis, Md (KB) Next month, the 2021 Maryland General Assembly will convene for its 90-day session in Annapolis to discuss legislative issues in the state. One of them involves pandemic relief.
Delegate Jesse Pippy for Frederick County said he is against raising taxes to pay for a relief bill.
“As business taxes and revenues and economic activity is down, the tax revenue is also down, which could leave a deficit,” said Pippy. “I am not for raising taxes.”
Pippy said the funds for the relief bill should come from money the state has already saved.
“If there’s any discussion on a relief package, I’m hoping it’s from money they either have or already saved,” explained Pippy.
Last week, Comptroller Peter Franchot said the state has enough in emergency reserves to cover the cost of a relief program.
Pippy also said there could be discussion this year surrounding police reform. The delegate wants to make sure legislators do not take away the tools necessary to keep the public safe.
“There are legislators in Annapolis that want to look at policing in the state to make sure that the public has strong trust for our law enforcement, which I also think is important as well,” Pippy said, “But what I want to make sure is that we are not taking tools away from law enforcement to do their job and keep the community safe.”
Pippy believes that many instances of police brutality are isolated.
“We’ve seen some pretty high-profile situations throughout the country where there was what looked like police brutality,” he said. “I personally believe the vast majority of those are isolated cases.”
Pippy said he wants to ensure the best and brightest candidates are recruited for law enforcement, and that there is no place in society for rogue police officers.
The 2021 Maryland General Assembly will meet on January 13th.