Ladies & Gentlemen, Salisbury News is reaching out to every single one of our viewers and asking for your help. Below is a list of contacts we need each and every one of you to please take the time and write your Senators. Here's what's going on.
Bill 622 is asking for a minimum sentence of 20 years. Bill 254 is asking for a minimum sentence of 15 years. Here's the catch 99% of you are unaware of.
Senator Brian Frosh is stating it's ALL or nothing. In other words, either the majority vote for the 20 years or the bill completely drops.
Senator Joe Valario is stating on Bill 254, either the minimum stays at 15 years or the Bill completely drops.
Now, there's a very good chance Bill 254 will in fact pass with the minimum of 15 years but there's a very good chance Bill 622 does not have the support with a minimum 20 year sentence. Mind you, Delegates are fine if the Bill passes with a minimum of 15 years instead of 20, (right now it's a minimum of 5 years, so 15 is OK. HOWEVER, because Frosh is saying 20 years or nothing, if everyone isn't on their toes before Monday and IF you and I do not make contact by this weekend, ALL of these Bills could completely drop and NOTHING will be accomplished.
I have been on top of this since yesterday and one thing I can assure you of is, the other Senators who were NOT aware of Frosh and Valario's position are now aware and are doing their best to look into any and all avenues to keep these Bills alive.
Your help is needed Folks. In the name of Sarah Foxwell, PLEASE, take the time this weekend to ask these Senators to please reconsider and change Bill 622 to 15 years and pass this new legislation.
As many of you know, I have been trying to stay on top of ALL of these Bills and this is it Folks. If we do not make contact, if the word does not get spread to every single person you know and the thousands of people who were there Christmas Day searching for Sarah Foxwell, seriously Folks, these Bills could just disappear.
We've gone the extra mile to provide you all of the contact names we feel need to hear from you. The Senate is on the floor today and they will get your message. President of the Senate Mike Miller felt it was more important to go to Opening Day with the Orioles yesterday and called the Senate back into session today. So please take the time to write our Senators and demand they pass these Bills.
brian.frosh@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3124
lisa.gladden@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3697
jennie.forehand@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3134
larry.haines@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3683
nancy.jacobs@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3158
alex.mooney@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3575
anthony.muse@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3092
jamie.raskin@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3634
bryan.simonaire@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3658
norman.stone@senate.state.md.us (410) 841-3587
15 comments:
Here's the bill http://mlis.state.md.us/2010rs/bills/sb/sb0622t.pdf
So, if an 18 year old has sex with a 13 year 11 month old girl he's going to jail for a MINIMUM of 15 (or 20) YEARS to LIFE?
That's just stupid. There are times to have extreme penalities, but a minimum term of 15 or 20 years as a one size fits all punishmnet is asinine.
There's nothing right about an 18 year old having sexual relations with a 13 year old, is your head screwed on straight? 13 years old is MIDDLE SCHOOL!
even if it passes, there are so many "what ifs" and "only if this" with this bill no one will ever get the fifteen year minimum.
Teens lie. This is just job security for lawmakers it is just bullcrap that we all feel sorry for teens that know what they are doing. Teens with GOOD parents will always know what their teens are doing. Bad parents teens will have sex knowingly and willingly and the parents will not know about it. You can not rape the willing.
"There's nothing right about an 18 year old having sexual relations with a 13 year old, is your head screwed on straight? 13 years old is MIDDLE SCHOOL!"
And 18 years old is HIGH SCHOOL! If you have an immature 18 year boy, and a sexually curious 13 or 14 year old girl having sex this bill is proposing to put him in jail for a MINIMUM of 20 years. That's insane!
"even if it passes, there are so many "what ifs" and "only if this" with this bill no one will ever get the fifteen year minimum."
If that's the case what's the point of the bill other than it being useless "feel good" legislation that will encumber the court system even more?
4:13pm- you are right- except that I have seen 13 year old girls that could pass for at least 16 years of age, and it's typical for girls to present themselves as older than they are- particularly when with a boy they are smitten with. I can assure you- I was a good kid growing up- and I'm a productive adult now- but when I was around 13a friend and I met two 18 year old boys when camping with my friend's family. I lied and said I was 16. Nothing came out of it- I'm just posting this story to reinforce that kids lie. I don't see the point in ruining an 18 year old's life, if that is how it truly happenened.
It is just the beginning people! We have to start somewhere . If any of you have a better idea please DO NOT HOLD BACK !!
Emails sent, have you written?
It's an election year, they'll say and do anything to get your vote. If it passes they'll let you know how hard they worked to get it through. If it fails they'll let you know it was the other guys fault. It's all a scam. Maryland doesn't care about anything except spend, spend, spend and running businesses out of the state.
Vote for no incumbent.
I am the parent of a teenage guy and I SEE how the girls who are in their teens (13-16) act around a guy. They (teen girls) basically put themselves out there picture wise on facebook, my space, mobile phone pics half dressed (almost naked) with their tongues hanging out and a beer in hand and smoking (not a cigarette) and then expect a guy who is 18 and older to brush it off! I have told my son many times to not let any girl talk him into anything (those under 18) as then they go back to their parents screaming Rape!
Believe me, I am all for putting sex offenders in jail for a VERY long time but sometimes, its the girls who really egg these young guys on and suddenly they are caught in the middle. And the girl moves onto her next "victim" without!
This legislation as written is just nuts. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm emailing them telling them not to support these absurd bills.
A minimum of 15 or 20 years for sex with a 13 or 14 year old even if the other party is a teenager? That's just crazy.
To all my Maryland Representatives, Senators, etc. :
I am a Maryland resident of Wicomico county. It is my understanding via a local blogger in Salisbury that there are two bills up for consideration Bill 254 and Bill 622 that propose to put the minimum penalties for having sex with a minor to 15 and 20 years respectively if the minor is 13 and/or there is 4 years of more between the parties (that's the way it reads in the versions you have online). What happened to little Sarah Foxwell was terrible, and her murderer should be punished to the full extent of the law, but drafting draconian legislation that sweeps up every situation into a 15 or 20 year penalty net is not good law or good governance.
The way the bills read my son, who is nineteen years old, and a student at Wor-Wic Community College would face a MINIMUM sentence of 15 or 20 years if he had sexual relations with a 13 year old who represented herself to be 16. I'm just using him as an example, he is a gentleman and has never been in trouble, but kids do stupid things all the time (girls too re misrepresenting their ages to snag an older boyfriend). That a teenager would face a minimum of 15-20 years behind bars for having sex with another teenager is is simply crazy!
Please don't pass laws that will come back to bite us the first time an aggressive State's Attorney wants to make a name for him or herself and manages to put some foolish 18 year old boy away for 15 or 20 years of having consensual sex with a 13 year old. Change the laws if necessary. That's your job, but don't make crazy laws that leave no room for flexibility in penalties to handle the range of human circumstances. We count on you to govern us wisely.
some of you are making excuses for teenage kids to have sex which is wrong they should be playing or learning in school or at home,this should help teach them(the kids)that its not ok to be having sex yet,I cant believe this is the excuse being used to not want the bill passed I just dont get it.
"some of you are making excuses for teenage kids to have sex which is wrong they should be playing or learning in school or at home,this should help teach them(the kids)that its not ok to be having sex yet,I cant believe this is the excuse being used to not want the bill passed I just dont get it"
Is this some kind of joke? You don't "get" the concern that some stupid teenage boy is going to get put away for 20 years for being a stupid teenage boy getting involved with a 13 or 14 year old girl? You think all teenagers are "playing" at home.
Male and female teenagers are seething masses of hormones. Ignoring this is almost criminally stupid. Even Sarah Palin (a Governor!) couldn't stop her 16 year old daughter from having sex. It happens. It happens all the time. And if it happens between two teenagers who happen to be 4 years or more apart this legislation says one of them will be going to jail for a MINIMUM of 20 years.
You don't "get" why that's a cause for concern?
(iv) If the State fails to comply with subsection (d) of this section, 22 the mandatory minimum shall not apply. 23
(d) If the State intends to seek a sentence of imprisonment for not less than 24 [5] 20 years under subsection (c)(2) of this section, the State shall notify the person in 25 writing of the State’s intention at least 30 days before trial.
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