The Executive Board of the American Federation of Teachers held its first meeting of 2013 March19.

President Marietta English reported to the board on the federation’s activities, emphasizing the work done on bills now before the Maryland state legislature. The president reported that the AFT-Maryland legislative team had presented testimony on several bills of importance to labor and working families and cited the federation’s support for the Voting Rights Act in a demonstrations before the Supreme Court in February.

The president also noted that several pieces of national legislation—the Fair

The Baltimore City Public Schools Construction and Revitalization Act of 2013 was passed in the Maryland House of Delegates March 20, but only after having been completely rewritten by Maryland legislators.

Several pages of amendments significantly change the bill’s original proposals. Originally, the bill proposed establishing a Baltimore City Public Schools Construction Authority authorized to issue bonds to finance new school construction. The bill also called for the state to provide a block grant each year for school construction projects in Baltimore City.

The revised bill proposes the

The Maryland Senate passed Governor O’Malley’s budget with overwhelming support March 21. Only five Republicans voted against the budget, with seven Republicans joining 35 Democrats voting to support the budget.

The Maryland House of Delegates approved the governor’s proposed state budget March 15. The Democratic-controlled House voted 101-36 for the bill, largely along party lines. Both houses have approved a $36.8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2014.

The budget bill now goes to a conference committee where legislators will resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of the

Members of the AFT-Maryland legislative team testified in opposition to four charter school bills for which hearings were held March 13. The bills proposed making a study of ways to improve to charter schools, allowing charter schools to directly hire school personnel, establishing an independent charter school advisory council, and proposing that charter schools be allowed to certify their own principals.

Speaking on behalf of President Marietta English in hearings before the house Ways and Means Committee, AFT-Maryland representatives testified that charter schools were public schools and