SEE LATEST
SPONSORED LEGISLATION
SB540 - Education - School Mapping Data Program - Established
Dawn D. Gile, Benjamin T. Brooks, Brian J. Feldman
Last updated 5 months ago
6 Co-Sponsors
Establishing the School Mapping Data Program in the Maryland Center for School Safety; providing that the purpose of the Program is to provide funds to local school systems to produce school mapping data for each public school in the county, including public charter schools, to assist first responders in responding to emergencies at a school; requiring a custodian of records to deny inspection of any school mapping data produced under the Program; etc.
STATUS
Passed
SB378 - Criminal Law - Theft of a Handgun
Chris West, Mary Elizabeth Carozza, Ronald Lorenzo Watson
Last updated 8 months ago
5 Co-Sponsors
Establishing the felony of theft of a handgun; and establishing a penalty for theft of a handgun of, for a first conviction, imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to $1,000 or both and, for a second or subsequent conviction, imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine of up to $2,500 or both.
STATUS
Introduced
SB1091 - Education – Blind and Visually Impaired Students – Textbook Equity
Ronald Lorenzo Watson, Chris West, Nancy King
Last updated 4 months ago
8 Co-Sponsors
Establishing requirements for each county board of education regarding provision of the instructional materials that will be used in the upcoming school year by students with individualized education programs; requiring the county board to coordinate with the Instructional Resources Center to provide instructional materials in a specialized format to blind or visually impaired students; requiring, beginning January 1, 2025, certain textbook publishers to provide an electronic file of pupil edition textbooks to a certain entity; etc.
STATUS
Passed
SB958 - Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather (RENEW) Act of 2024
Katie Fry Hester, Benjamin T. Brooks, Dawn D. Gile
Last updated 8 months ago
16 Co-Sponsors
Establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Payment Program in the Department of the Environment to secure payments from certain businesses that extract fossil fuels or refine petroleum products in order to provide a source of revenue for State efforts to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change and to address the health impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations; establishing the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Fund to support efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change; etc.
STATUS
Introduced
SB967 - Higher Education - Part-Time Senatorial and Delegate Scholarships - Alterations
Craig Zucker, Brian J. Feldman, Malcolm L. Augustine
Last updated 5 months ago
8 Co-Sponsors
Allowing an applicant of a part-time senatorial or delegate scholarship with a documented disability to request from the Maryland Higher Education Commission a waiver from the requirement to carry at least 6 semester hours of courses each semester.
STATUS
Passed
SB1022 - Maryland Higher Education Commission - Academic Program Approval and Institutional Mission Statements - Requirements
Nancy King, Ronald Lorenzo Watson
Last updated 6 months ago
2 Co-Sponsors
Requiring the Maryland Department of Labor, the Department of Commerce, and the Maryland Higher Education Commission to each perform certain duties related to defining, identifying, and compiling data regarding the workforce needs in the State and work collaboratively across certain agencies in a certain manner; altering certain requirements for the State Plan of Higher Education; requiring the Commission to establish a Program Review Process Advisory Council; etc.
STATUS
Engrossed
SB592 - Maryland Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Program - Materials for Individualized Education Program, Individualized Family Service Plan, and 504 Plan Meetings
Craig Zucker, Brian J. Feldman, Jason C. Gallion
Last updated 5 months ago
16 Co-Sponsors
Requiring a local school system to provide to parents at certain individualized education program, individualized family service plan, and 504 plan meetings for children with disabilities certain written informational materials regarding the Maryland ABLE Program: requiring the State Treasurer to develop informational materials about the Maryland ABLE Program that may be distributed electronically or by hand; and requiring the State Treasurer to provide informational materials to the State Board of Education and county boards.
STATUS
Passed
SB692 - Cybersecurity - Workgroup to Study Data Security - Establishment
J.B. Jennings, Stephen S Hershey, Katie Fry Hester
Last updated 8 months ago
5 Co-Sponsors
Establishing the Workgroup to Study Data Security to study certain data protection standards, identify existing standards that would best be assimilated by State agencies, and develop recommendations on and assess certain fiscal impacts; and requiring the Workgroup to submit an interim report by December 1, 2024 and a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by June 30, 2025.
STATUS
Introduced
SB707 - Armed Forces – Support of Military Families and Addition of Space Force
Michael A. Jackson, Malcolm L. Augustine, Benjamin T. Brooks
Last updated 6 months ago
10 Co-Sponsors
Adding the Space Force to certain provisions of law related to the armed forces; authorizing military spouses and residents of the State who are members of the National Guard of another state or a reserve component of the armed forces to terminate certain contracts at any time after the date the service member receives certain military orders to relocate; adding the Space Force and members of the National Guard of any other state to the definition of a "military-connected student" for purposes of the Purple Stars Schools Program; etc.
STATUS
Passed
SB797 - Education - Access to Attorneys, Advocates, and Consultants for Special Education Program and Fund - Established
Katie Fry Hester, Malcolm L. Augustine, Benjamin T. Brooks
Last updated 5 months ago
9 Co-Sponsors
Requiring certain information to be provided to the parents of a child with a disability under certain circumstances; establishing the Access to Attorneys, Advocates, and Consultants for Special Education Program; establishing the Access to Attorneys, Advocates, and Consultants for Special Education Fund; requiring interest earnings of the Fund to be credited to the Fund; requiring the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $1,000,000 to the Fund beginning in fiscal year 2026; etc.
STATUS
Passed
BIOGRAPHY
INCUMBENT
Senator from Maryland district SD-023
COMMITTEES
Maryland Senate
BIRTH
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ABOUT
Ronald Lorenzo Watson was born in South Central Los Angeles. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served for over 20 years as a Master-at-Arms, retiring as a First Class Petty Officer. After retiring, Watson founded a consulting firm providing security analysis and protection services. He has served on his local Neighborhood Council and various non-profit boards. Watson aims to ensure civic participation, accountability, transparency and responsibility in governance.read less
OFFICES HELD
Maryland Senate from Maryland
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