[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6347519,"mediaKeyId","2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce","parentId",2245441,"title","Howard Community College faculty and staff urge delegation to back HOCO 1-25 for transparency, board training and restored anonymous staff survey","audioSeconds",1620,"startMs",3012000,"endMs",4632000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce&start=3012&end=4632","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce/thumbnail_3012000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6347519/Maryland/Howard-Community-College-faculty-and-staff-urge-delegation-to-back-HOCO-1-25-for-transparency-board-training-and-restored-anonymous-staff-survey","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6347519-13b30261760f902f409b31ca7243ac64/orig.mp4?Expires=1776059003&Signature=JxfyMdzafPrLxHTjUjVa7KMiQusECNaqZ9H53yxJKu0Rj9SDo5lYGrqotUiwFhtJicxPH33-xLJGzi5nBzAxQEMLsyHxoYEDKxp4sxtLPoK6fkQqCFhQefBr2HK6~6DYP9LfTWmWlCoLzardxTlt61AXVvZNxLUkXVZnrDXz5O5mWq18TwRm7VjO5gdrvTq9my~7YwkL3WRF2ej7Krv7q7vw7YEcenDDqsCpFI1VGx9HierMONdyLM2bBBUbqG4yQanpmYNvyDoVIfKP~NpSM~533HPhpm7vvKwTjlNVnXZ7uLBjoPZflVZtGfJmcRTVxV5UHUMjb~6F6bLRbTw5WA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","MGA - House Other","date","2025-02-05T00:00:00Z","article","Dozens of Howard Community College faculty, staff and union representatives asked the Howard County delegation to support HOCO 1-25 and its amendments to increase transparency and accountability at the college, restore anonymous employee feedback, require periodic trustee training and ensure regular public comment at board meetings.

\"Faculty voices, along with those of students and staff, are largely absent from these discussions,\" said Mari Weprecht, an associate professor at Howard Community College, asking that the board adopt a public comment process similar to other local public bodies.

Speakers described multiple, recurring concerns: the suspension or termination of the college's entire HR department this year; an approximately $7.7 million contract approved by the board to outsource human-resources functions; the discontinuation in 2022 of the anonymous QUEST employee survey in favor of an internal, nonanonymous tool; and what several witnesses called inconsistent application of college policies.

\"At many board of trustees meetings, it seems that expenditures are presented and rubber stamped with very little or no discussion,\" said Beth Deutschman, an associate professor of physical science, citing the recent HR contract as an example. Philip Vilardo testified that the outsourcing contract was approved after the board removed the HR staff and that the substitution of a third-party provider raises reaccreditation risks.

Multiple faculty members described difficulty reaching trustees, alleged that the college president has functioned as a gatekeeper for who is allowed to speak at board meetings, and asked that trustees receive ongoing training to strengthen oversight of data, budgets and institutional decisions. Witnesses also emphasized that without an anonymous employee survey, staff fear retaliation and are less likely to report problems.

Some faculty reported what they described as targeted enforcement of a sign/poster policy after unionization activity, including an incident where campus security removed union-related signs from inside offices; faculty said other nonunion signs remained. Several witnesses said they planned to pursue administrative and legal remedies.

Union representatives and AFT organizers urged the delegation to support the bill as a set of corrective steps that would return transparency and improve governance at HCC. The delegation did not take formal action on the bill during the portion of the hearing in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","HOW Committee Session, 2/5/2025 #1","oneSentenceSummary","More than a dozen Howard Community College faculty, staff and union representatives testified that HOCO 1-25 and its amendments are needed to restore transparency, require trustee training, restore an anonymous employee survey and ensure routine public comment at board meetings.","taxTitle","Howard, Delegation Committees, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Maryland","taxId",15077,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6347523,"Howard County firefighters and experts ask delegation to permit off-duty medicinal cannabis use and change testing rules",1173,1429000,2602000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce&start=1429&end=2602","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce/thumbnail_1429000.jpg","/articles/6347523/Maryland/Howard-County-firefighters-and-experts-ask-delegation-to-permit-off-duty-medicinal-cannabis-use-and-change-testing-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6347523-e96c060d073a36e7e8e466023ca5dd79/orig.mp4?Expires=1776059003&Signature=gIYmxmBg6xBXXSW8CJ~8J2GVt8ugSgzNrdTjs49a7gzJAXUsoxQM8pCXy801zFnBN72~D5N1Rx5LwBUUSDi8cz4BB0bpGduc4JpnBlQdAe1omvIbAG8-q0AvCly~ptVX4w~IWNSOnAK6~pHbJ1wBEXK-~DG1zhvq0R5-LO0o5neISdH4Oz07OokWx5iJLI~w6na5LxIKamzz7vUN67-jgVXnnxAhhHAs95oq7-t~XjbFzAwJN-BBReNHpS9aTd9EFbiueLL7ZJvdACW4dn3yodMkWkzJvY-CjQ6DdUCazYm-TkvOXnXbXj-Ga4pqAQx2kd28UPevOinL5hvMG21vxQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives of the International Association of Firefighters Local 2000, active and retired fire chiefs, and cannabis policy experts told the Howard County delegation they support HOCO 19-25 and sought amendments to align county workplace testing and discipline with modern understanding of cannabis pharmacology.

\"This bill simply adds cannabis to the list of lawful medications for which a firefighter may be prescribed, nothing more, nothing less,\" said Matt Johnson, who identified himself as second vice president of IAFF Local 2000, speaking on behalf of more than 500 Howard County firefighters and lieutenants. He emphasized the testimony did not seek on-duty impairment or relaxed safety standards, but rather protection for off-duty medicinal use.

Testimony from department members and outside experts focused on three technical points raised repeatedly during the hearing: urine testing detects THC metabolites that can remain in the body for days to weeks and does not establish impairment; a statutory 12-hour pre-shift prohibition is not enforceable by toxicology because no test can reliably show when cannabis was last used; and objective performance-based impairment testing is a better method to identify on-duty impairment.

Paul Armentano, who testified as an expert on cannabis pharmacokinetics, said urinalysis \"does not determine whether someone is impaired, nor can it determine when someone was last exposed to any controlled substance,\" and asked legislators to remove the 12-hour timing prohibition and instead bar use while on duty and require direct evidence of impairment for discipline.

Fire service witnesses from outside Howard County, including a battalion chief from Pittsburgh, described department policies that allow medical cannabis for personnel under carefully defined off-duty rules and reported no incidents of on-duty misuse under those policies.

Members of the delegation asked technical questions about the 12-hour window included in the current draft; Kevin Rohrer and others deferred to the IAFF representatives for the medical and testing details. Witnesses recommended alternative approaches such as performance-based cognitive testing apps and observational impairment protocols rather than reliance on ATP/urinalysis.

No formal vote on HOCO 19-25 was recorded in the portions of the hearing captured in the transcript. Witnesses said they had supplied written testimony and technical citations to the delegation.

The testimony relied on professional experience, departmental policy comparisons and pharmacology expertise presented to the delegation during the hearing.","IAFF Local 2000 representatives, fire chiefs and cannabis policy experts asked the Howard County delegation to support HOCO 19-25 so firefighters can use state-authorized medicinal cannabis off duty without automatic discipline based solely on positive metabolite tests.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6347529,"Residents, volunteers ask Howard County delegation to let DNR authorize mechanized trail work in Patuxent Wildlands",1022,306000,1328000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce&start=306&end=1328","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce/thumbnail_306000.jpg","/articles/6347529/Maryland/Residents-volunteers-ask-Howard-County-delegation-to-let-DNR-authorize-mechanized-trail-work-in-Patuxent-Wildlands","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6347529-f31607cfc0ff348ea1d825e0b2e2dfe7/orig.mp4?Expires=1776059003&Signature=aw3oRg883uylh8dZl-txLx3MlDSbELoBAV2f05bCuoC75d02U2kHHjDRn~QgY7mzgBhWBaPbciQbSsg1db~4j2uLlINq~jsTCGL0fHsDPrgDMTduDm-Dq7XAvRJT13-A6iYFLqOmVEXGZt-6jG~RzBWwHlMykz2-t3dqbiv-czM5ovG2Gm97sr5erpulaMbycVml~VaEmNve7k09vCVyEy-2qj4sDuulihrQiS-KhPnpQ6kwWtSdC1aXTaOSZ56GQh6ugUoGDE7GM7FEORTYKuTGRXa3jyiquG8Sr2kQlYYPtM94n8u8qWT5CA3wppxksEa-AIiRLKzYMsm1OOTotg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Peter Framson, a Howard County resident and president of the Howard County Ironbridge Hounds, told the delegation that volunteers and park users need better access and the ability to use mechanized equipment to maintain trails and to assist with rescues in the Patuxent Wildlands area of Patuxent River State Park.

\"What we would like very much to see happen is have the ability to have better access to the park ... whether it's me on foot or me as part of an organized ride ... that we need the ability to use some different kinds of equipment,\" Framson said, describing an earlier incident when a small off-road vehicle could reach an injured person only because the park was then more accessible.

Volunteers and organized groups told the delegation that routine trail maintenance in the park has depended on volunteer labor for years and that recent growth of downed trees and dense vegetation in areas designated as state wildlands has made trails impassable for emergency responders. Christina Misek, testifying as a representative of the Potomac Bridle and Trail Association, said the designation of parts of the state wildlands currently prevents volunteers from using mechanized tools such as chainsaws.

\"Because it is designated as state wildlands, it is not able to be used [with] mechanized equipment, such as chainsaws, etcetera, by volunteers to help clear the land,\" Misek said, urging the delegation to support a bill that would allow DNR to enter into user agreements permitting limited mechanized work for trail maintenance.

Speakers described safety incidents they said illustrate the risk. Crystal Pickett, who said she represents members of Howard County volunteer fire and rescue and has ridden the park for decades, described a 2017 rescue in which emergency medical crews could not bring an EMT-equipped ATV deep into the woods and an injured rider had to be hand-carried out, costing critical time.

Larry Raskin, who said he trains search-and-rescue horses and is certified in chainsaw operations, told the delegation the central section of the park remains unmapped and unblazed, and that volunteers have been filling the maintenance gap for years. \"The park is mapped, but only very small sections of it... The section we're talking about in the central section ... is not mapped, not trailed,\" Raskin said.

Testimony repeatedly asked the delegation to support narrowly tailored language that would permit the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to enter user agreements allowing trained volunteers to bring mechanized tools into the park to maintain existing trails and assist with access for first responders. Witnesses emphasized the request was limited to maintenance of existing trails, not to expand mechanized access beyond those purposes.

The delegation did not take a vote during the portions of the hearing recorded in the transcript. Several speakers submitted written testimony in addition to their oral remarks.

The testimony cited in this article came from multiple members of the public and volunteer groups testifying during the Howard County Delegation public hearing, including first-hand descriptions of an access failure in 2017 and estimates of trail mileage maintained by volunteers.","Local riders, volunteer trail builders and search-and-rescue members told the Howard County delegation that state \"wildlands\" rules prevent volunteers from using mechanized tools to clear trails and reach injured people in Patuxent River State Park, and they urged a narrowly tailored change to allow user agreements for safety and maintenance.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6347511,"Howard County delegation approves Adventist Academy Outdoor Education Center LBI; vote recorded",0,8584000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce&start=8584&end=8584","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce/thumbnail_8584000.jpg","/articles/6347511/Maryland/Howard-County-delegation-approves-Adventist-Academy-Outdoor-Education-Center-LBI-vote-recorded","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6347511-c62207767d3a42d76e030a75ba35d4aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1776059003&Signature=jUz25W4FNeemDt76uMV-YEbw77FGgUDnWcYYlIuL85feJWdOqurze~TQ~2d~Cu5k8hbfB6CZ0CNBKptiYrqAbaMr5draH5crKynIjX5L5ReBs39UbiOX18fyf-qw09b5LoV~qe2nrBUbfxwGJ7yPs8h2B57yr4THZEdouT09KvLGmLNGqZBkZyEmFMcAy7LjJg~EtyT1F34p6MrcVKlHNgr1TOchrUQOPo3kYoMge9ukWMyoCz9H7f5M902KQF6wLKqBY~LPY093j0pW8FODk1VQrWk1EtVtLreIz-Oh~pS9uUyB4s2foEG4ssYtRJtqvnpJe41AUugHlLhuRM81~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Howard County delegation voted to approve the Local Bond Initiative (LBI) for the Adventist Academy Outdoor Education Center during the public hearing.

The chair called the roll on the motion to approve the LBI. The recorded votes in the hearing transcript were: Chair Wu — yes; Delegate Feltmore — yes; Delegate Cazoni — yes; Delegate Hill — yes; Delegate Tawaso — yes; Delegate Watson — yes; Delegate Ziegler — yes; Chair Lamb — no. The motion passed with seven votes in favor and one opposed.

Delegates and staff cautioned that approval of an LBI places the project on the list of initiatives to be considered for county funding but does not guarantee appropriations, particularly because witnesses and delegation members noted severe budget shortfalls for capital funding this year.

The transcript identified the item as the Adventist Academy Outdoor Education Center LBI; the mover and seconder for the motion were not specified in the recorded minutes.","The Howard County delegation approved an LBI (local bond initiative) for an Adventist Academy outdoor education center by recorded vote: seven yes, one no. Delegates noted approval does not guarantee funding this year due to tight capital budgets.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6347514,"Elkridge and River Hill residents urge Howard County delegation to allow local noise monitors for modified vehicles",114,2822000,2936000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce&start=2822&end=2936","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2245441-4829c9fad0d34b4a7098655340bf96ce/thumbnail_2822000.jpg","/articles/6347514/Maryland/Elkridge-and-River-Hill-residents-urge-Howard-County-delegation-to-allow-local-noise-monitors-for-modified-vehicles","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6347514-0d595cbd059e5a48d5da3e8985a4cfae/orig.mp4?Expires=1776059003&Signature=dMuuBJQYxW0ui6EbG-UF6Z2jmkKIqIAYoKCOnOm6~l~ysxEIgV2CCFryaLPknr8UxoRYQwFFKH8-6ICmZk0cZ11B1j7awdiBP3DzfzPz69khmEcngIJRqJm0xGTAAvYAOv0GPR1VHJPXVTIVvtHnmePR33HoJkkG3ys2dQ-giFpTLQwX2moxEWdivEyD7s~jH7vXjUOu~kIvxNSlZ2cjyzc965iY-nVp6mFH-kHJp~ajpRbsUaYfRXzggkKXGKWZWlJuhMh481NrP4wWT8a3Rm64jLBmQypcUZ9hUAmerfZkRgfgYUMbP55VNA~bJ5CFSzFhuE7KPiBfBQd849n~dg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Councilmember Deb Young (District 4) told the Howard County delegation that constituents in River Hill and surrounding neighborhoods have suffered repeated disturbances from vehicles with modified engines, late-night car rallies and unsafe driving.

\"My district ... has been plagued by cars that have purposefully modified their engines to produce as much noise as possible,\" Young said, and she praised the bill that would allow the county to use noise-monitoring devices like those used in Montgomery County to detect noxious motor-vehicle noise and issue citations.

Young cited incidents in 2022 where exhibition driving and impromptu drag racing at a local shopping center generated late-night engine revving, trespassing and other public-safety complaints. She told the delegation that police can disrupt organized rallies but have limited capacity to enforce individual noisy vehicles while they are traveling.

\"Using monitoring devices in high occurrence areas provides a level of detection that is not currently available or feasible for local patrols,\" she said, asking the delegation to add Howard County to the list of jurisdictions authorized to deploy such monitors.

The transcript shows no recorded vote on HOCO 17-25 during this hearing segment.","Councilmember Deb Young urged the delegation to support HOCO 17-25 to give Howard County the authority to use noise-monitoring devices to detect and cite excessively noisy motor vehicles following years of community complaints about modified engines, drag racing and late-night gatherings in District 4.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Howard Community College faculty and staff urge delegation to back HOCO 1-25 for transparency, board training and restored anonymous staff survey

Howard County firefighters and experts ask delegation to permit off-duty medicinal cannabis use and change testing rules

Residents, volunteers ask Howard County delegation to let DNR authorize mechanized trail work in Patuxent Wildlands

Howard County delegation approves Adventist Academy Outdoor Education Center LBI; vote recorded

Elkridge and River Hill residents urge Howard County delegation to allow local noise monitors for modified vehicles