Executive Nominations Committee advances most nominees, holds three for later consideration

The Maryland Senate Executive Nominations Committee on Feb. 3 advanced most of the roughly a dozen nominees on its agenda and voted to hold three nominees for consideration at a later date.

The committee, chaired by Chair Lamb, moved all nominees before it into the affirmative except for three candidates identified in the motion as S1, S2 and S3; the vice chair made the motion and it was seconded. Committee members voiced approval for the motion and it carried by voice vote.

The hearing included introductions by senators and brief question-and-answer exchanges for multiple nominees. Notable exchanges included answers about training and safety in parole and probation, the structure of state support for public libraries, and the State Board of Education’s role in implementing adjustments to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Several nominees also described their local experience and connections to the offices they would serve.

Marie Grant, nominated to lead the Maryland Insurance Administration, was introduced by Senator Sitnor and drew several endorsements from senators who said they had worked with her at the Department of Health and the Maryland Insurance Administration. Grant said she was “honored, really humbled, to be nominated ... by Governor Moore” and that she looked forward to working on consumer protection issues at the MIA.

Dr. Yolanda Ray Bethea, nominated to be director of the Division of Parole and Probation, described changes she has led since taking the acting role, including enhanced staff training and safety measures. “One of the many things that we are enhancing on moving forward ... is having appropriate training for our staff. We have enhanced training from 18 hours to 40 hours,” Dr. Bethea told the committee, and added the training now includes recognizing signs of mental illness, de-escalation and defensive tactics. She said the agency has also “enhanced our safety equipment” and is working with law enforcement partners for field support, and that pending legislation could provide additional equipment.

Morgan Lehi Miller, nominated as Maryland State Librarian, outlined how the Maryland State Library Agency supports local systems: “The majority of Maryland's public library systems receive about 75% of their funding from local revenues,” she said, and described the agency’s role distributing state per-capita aid, administering county library capital grants and using federal funds for competitive grants on digital equity, early childhood literacy and other programs.

Several nominees to the Maryland State Board of Education spoke about implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Kenny Clash said he supports adjustments in the governor’s bill and pledged to remain engaged with local superintendents. Dr. Kimberly Ann Lewis, a special-education leader, said transparency and collaboration are priorities: “Transparency, collaboration. I have read the comments from the superintendents... I think we have to approach it in an honest and deliberative manner,” she told the committee. Jayomara (Xiomara) Medina, a school counselor and higher-education clinical training director, said she supports the board’s collaborative work on adjustments and highlighted adding more public-comment opportunities.

Victoria Jackson Stanley, nominated to the State Board of Elections, addressed a question about January 6, 2021: “I can confirm that I had nothing to do, no knowledge of, the January 6, debacle,” she said. She described long experience with elections at the local level and said she maintains open communication with her county Board of Elections.

Nominees to several other boards and commissions also appeared, including nominees for the State Board of Ethics, the Juvenile Services Education Board, the Maryland Ireland Trade Commission and the State Commission of Real Estate Appraisers, Appraisal Management Companies, and Home Inspectors. Katrina J. Wiggins, nominated to the property tax assessment appeals board, told senators the PTAB website is temporarily down while hosting and services are being migrated to the state’s DoIT infrastructure; she urged interested residents to begin appeals at SDAT while the transition continues.

At the close of the hearing the vice chair moved to advance all nominees except S1, S2 and S3, which the committee held for a later time; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Chair Lamb indicated the committee will plan to meet the following Monday.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to advance all nominees except S1, S2 and S3 (motion made by the vice chair; seconded): carried by voice vote; no roll-call tally recorded in the hearing transcript.

Committee discussion highlights and direction

- Parole and Probation: Dr. Yolanda Ray Bethea described raising mandatory training from 18 to 40 hours, adding mental-health recognition and de-escalation content, enhanced safety equipment and law-enforcement partnerships; she said pending legislation could add equipment for field safety. - State Library: Morgan Miller explained the state distributes per-capita aid, administers county library capital grants and uses federal funds for competitive projects; she said local systems receive most funding from local revenues. - Education board nominees: Multiple nominees expressed support for adjustments to the Blueprint and said the state board should work collaboratively with the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) and local superintendents; nominees emphasized teacher recruitment, early-childhood programs and transparency. - Elections: Victoria Jackson Stanley confirmed no involvement in Jan. 6 events and emphasized local knowledge and open lines of communication with county election officials.

The hearing record shows introductions and candidate remarks for more than a dozen nominees; the committee’s single recorded formal action was the motion to advance the slate except for three nominees held for a future hearing.