The O'Malley Blog

Gov. O’Malley visits Maryland servicemembers in Iraq

Governor Martin O'Malley spent two days in Iraq last week, visiting with deployed Maryland soldiers and the men and women of the Maryland National Guard as part of a Department of Defense-sponsored mission.

In an email to his supporters, Gov. O'Malley said,

"Some of our servicemembers [in Iraq] are on their third tour of duty. Their bravery and fortitude is inspiring - and I was grateful for the opportunity to tell them in person how much we all appreciate their service."

While in Iraq, the governor visited with members of Maryland-based Army Reserve A Company of the 323 Military Intelligence Battalion and the Maryland-based Army Reserve 392 Expeditionary Signal Battalion, Task Force Raven. Gov. O'Malley joined Gov. Chet Culver of Iowa for a barbecue dinner with service members from the governors' two states.

State of the State 2010

Earlier today, Governor O'Malley delivered the 2010 State of the State Address to the Maryland General Assembly.

Read the speech here.

Join Gov. O’Malley for an Online Town Hall Meeting next Wednesday

On Wednesday, December 9, at 8 PM Governor Martin O’Malley will hold an online Town Hall Meeting to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Maryland in the coming year.

RSVP for the event and submit your questions for the Governor now:

http://www.martinomalley.com/onlinetownhall

The event will be broadcast live here on MartinOMalley.com and will encourage viewers to participate in the discussion in real time.

First on the agenda? Jobs. Job creation. And Maryland's efforts to create good jobs, retain good jobs and make sure Maryland is prepared to lead in this global economy.

Five Marylanders who submit questions will be invited to attend the filming of the meeting so they can ask their question in person! Submit your question here by Friday, December 4 at 4 PM to be eligible to attend the event in person.

Gov. O’Malley and Lt. Gov. Brown honored for their work on domestic violence

The Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence awarded Governor Martin O'Malley and Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown for their domestic violence prevention law.

The legislation took guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.

In an email to his supporters, Governor O'Malley wrote, "By giving judges more authority to confiscate abusers'' firearms, we will - I am confident - save lives."

Seventy-five Marylanders were killed in domestic violence disputes last year.

If you think you know someone in an abusive relationship - or are in one yourself - please call local law enforcement for immediate help or visit the House of Ruth.

Gov. O’Malley, VP Biden announce funding to support law enforcement

Communities across Maryland will be safer over the course of the next three years. Announced today at an event in Philadelphia, grants from the economic stimulus package will fully fund 112 Maryland law enforcement officers' salaries and benefits for the next three years.

Governor Martin O'Malley was proud to join Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder and four other governors to announce the grant program. The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) branch of the Department of Justice will administer the grants.

"We saw the value of COPS program first hand in the City of Baltimore," said Governor O'Malley. "Once the nation's most violent and drug addicted City in America, we worked with law enforcement and the people of our City to take our streets and neighborhoods back for our families. And together we achieved a 40 percent reduction in violent crime."

Eight police departments in Maryland will benefit from the COPS Hiring Recovery Program:

• Baltimore - 50 positions
• Bladensburg - 1 position
• Cambridge - 2 positions
• Laurel - 3 positions
• Prince George's County - 50 positions
• Princess Anne - 1 position
• Riverdale - 1 position
• Salisbury - 4 positions

O'Malley impressed upon the importance of keeping Maryland's families and communities safe:

"There is no greater or more solemn obligation we have as public servants than the protection of our citizens. Thanks to the leadership of President Obama and our federal delegation, local law enforcement agencies have an unprecedented opportunity to create or save jobs that directly impact the safety of our neighborhoods."

In addition to the COPS program, Governor O'Malley and the Maryland legislature have allocated an additional $10,000 of economic stimulus money for the purchase of radios, bullet-proof vests, computers and other equipment to support the new officers.

Tell us what you think about Gov. O'Malley's efforts to build a safer Maryland.

Gov. O’Malley keynoted Emergency Preparedness Summit

Last Thursday, Governor Martin O'Malley delivered the keynote address at the Maryland Meta-Leadership Summit for Preparedness.

During the speech, he announced an initiative to expand coordination between government agencies during emergency situations.

The Summit trained emergency preparedness and response stakeholders, brought together high-level decision makers in business, government and nonprofit organizations and provided a networking opportunity for practitioners in a variety of fields.

The Maryland Meta-Leadership Summit for Preparedness was held in Baltimore at the Tremont Grand Historic Venue. For more information on the two-day event, click here.

Governor O’Malley asks for assessment of animal cruelty laws

Following several incidents of animal cruelty, Governor O'Malley has asked the state attorney general to review the state's laws to assess their sufficiency.

Two teenagers were recently charged with animal abuse and cruelty after dousing a pit bull with gasoline and burning the dog. Phoenix, as the dog has been named, survived the burns, but - due to kidney failure - was euthanized days later.

Officials at the Baltimore City Health Department are currently seeking help to find the culprits in a similar incident in which a cat was chained to a pole and burned with firecrackers.

O'Malley - who owns three dogs and two cats - says that he was "deeply disturbed and saddened" by this cruelty.

Currently, Maryland law deems aggravated cruelty to animals through torture, beatings or dogfights a felony punishable by up to three years in prison and $5,000 in fines. And, abuse or neglect of an animal is considered a misdemeanor, which can levy a 90-day sentence and $1,000 in fines.

The Governor and other government officials wish to deter Marylanders from engaging in such cruel and heinous crimes.

Making our homes safer

Today, I was proud to sign a bill that will take firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers.

The most sacred responsibility that any government holds is that of improving public safety. As One Maryland, we were able to do just that.

Maryland's judges are now able to take guns out of potentially deadly situations when a protective order is issues, whether it's temporary or final.

This bill would not have been possible without Lt. Governor Anthony Brown - who has been an invaluable partner in passing this legislation.

Thanks to a productive legislative session I was also able to sign several other bills today that will:

• Keep our roadways safer
• Minimize crime
• Protect elderly Marylanders and at-risk youths
• Help our military families
• Improve our healthcare system.