Boo to ignoring alternative redistricting maps

Thumbs up: To U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski for becoming the longest-serving female member of Congress in U.S. history. Mikulski (D) of Baltimore was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1976, after serving on the Baltimore City Council. She was also the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right. In October, Mikulski was inducted into the National Womens Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, N.Y. In her speech, she said, Its not how long you serve, but how well you serve.

Thumbs down: To Dels. Kevin Kelly (D-Dist. 1B) of Cumberland and Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville for taking the lead in killing legislation under which state and local lawmakers could have been prosecuted in state courts for seeking or taking bribes. The delegates said the bill could falsely call into question why a lawmaker changed position on an issue. Simmons also cited the need to protect lawmakers from judges or a prosecutor with an ax to grind. Both seem like awfully flimsy arguments, especially when up against the issue of public trust.

Thumbs down: To Maryland public schools, which have benefited the past few years from their No. 1 ranking by Education Week magazine, for having the second-largest gap in the nation in eighth-grade math performance between low-income and wealthier students. Minority and income-based achievement gaps remain a major concern for the states educators.

Thumbs up: To legislation to close a loophole that allows officials convicted of a crime to stay in office until they are sentenced. Known as Leslies Law, in dishonor of former Prince Georges County Councilwoman Leslie Johnson, the measure would require that officials who are convicted or plead guilty to a crime to step down immediately. A House bill has passed, while the Senate version is in committee.

Thumbs down: To the University System of Maryland for, until relatively recently, storing information, including Social Security numbers and some credit card numbers, of prospective students on a server that the public could access. While officials deserve credit for making a change toward better security in December 2010, they warrant criticism for moving way too slowly; they were warned about their lax security in 2002 and 2005 reports.

Thumbs up: To efforts being led by Del. James E. Malone Jr. (D-Dist. 12A) of Arbutus and Sen. James N. Robey (D-Dist. 13) of Elkridge to make talking on a cell phone without use of hands-free device while driving a primary offense in Maryland. Currently, its a secondary offense, meaning drivers must violate another road rule before they can be pulled over by police. Maryland is the only state to make it a secondary offense. Studies show that primary enforcement leads to a 20 percent increase in compliance with phone bans.

Thumbs up: To Michael Busch for becoming the longest-serving speaker in the history of the House of Delegates, when he was sworn in to a 10th consecutive one-year term in January.

Thumbs down: To Michael Busch for declining to hold hearings on alternative redistricting plans. The House speakers office said the lack of a consensus on five alternative plans put forward by delegates weighed against holding hearings. But there was enough criticism of the Democratic plan, which eventually took effect, that hearings on the others were warranted.

Thumbs down: To talk of charging higher tuition for so-called STEM students in the state university system. It might cost more to educate science, technology, engineering and math students, but at a time when the United States is falling behind in these technical fields and President Barack Obama and others have made attracting STEM majors a priority, charging more seems counterintuitive. If anything, STEM students should be charged less, as an incentive.

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Gazette.Net: Thumbs up to Mikulskis Capitol Hill longevity