Look Back: Diocesan Advocacy Day
Education was a significant focus among a number of areas of interest at Episcopal Advocacy Day. David Hornbeck had the opportunity to be the luncheon speaker for the day, sharing the goals and strategies of Strong Schools Maryland. He extended an invitation to the assembled to consider forming a Team of Ten, taking the opportunity to note that Memorial's Team of Ten has fifteen members at this point. At least a half dozen people expressed interest. In addition to three or four people representing congregations in the Diocese, contact was made and interest expressed from both the Washington diocese and the Episcopal Diocese of Easton. That is significant since Strong Schools has significantly less representation from those two dioceses.
At the Advocacy Day there were no meetings with Legislators on the subject of Bail Reform, however, in the time since there has been some progress and Lois Eldred reports that "As a follow up to Episcopal Advocacy day a small contingent of Memorialites are going to Annapolis on March 7 to meet legislators regarding two correctional education bills (HB291/SB1137 and HB295/SB1113) and one Pre-trial Services bill (HB447/SB1156) . The first two would improve correctional education and the third enhances pretrial services. The Criminal Justice Committee is working with MAJR, The Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform on this advocacy effort.
