Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Bad News for HoCo Panhandlers
Senator Ed Kasemeyer may not have had success getting his emergency legislation pushed through to help out the ill fated petition drive to keep Harris Teeter out of Turf Valley but the Howard County delegation was successful in getting a law passed that prohibits panhandling along state roads and right of ways in Howard County.
HB 864 prohibits “a person from standing in a State highway or the highway right-of-way in Howard County to solicit money or donations from an occupant of a vehicle; and making the provisions of the Act severable.”
In other words, you can get hit with a $60.00 fine if you break this law.
I wonder how they think someone who has reduced themselves to roadside panhandling is going to come up with sixty bucks to pay the fine.
For their sake I hope the recession is over before the law takes effect on October 1st.
Does this also apply to people raising money for charities?
ReplyDeletePenn State Thon (Wikipedia)
GGP files Bankruptcy:
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090416/bs_nm/us_generalgrowth_bankrupcty
A few more details from the Sun.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the chances GGP would spin off the Rouse component?
ReplyDeleteAnons, et al:
ReplyDeleteI'll write a separate post on the GGP bankruptcy announcement later today
-wb
If nothing else, perhaps this will keep the charities and students off the roads. I always felt the practice of putting kids out in an intersection to panhandle is a tragedy waiting to happen.
ReplyDeleteSince you had the uncontrollable and compelling urge to draw the Board of Elections' retroactive signature rejection (disenfranchising 1000s of County voters) into your blog posting, I'll take your bait.
ReplyDeleteIt is shameful that the legislature failed to correct the statewide mess that some geniuses in Ho Co created when they brain stormed a way to throw out the referendum signatures of 10000 residents.
The Maryland Bd of Elec is now left to handle the endless calls (which have already started) from individuals and organizations that want to know what set of rules they can rely on when they get their petitions signed for the 2010 election.
Isn't it ironic that the politicians, developers and lawyers, who have worked so hard to kill the referendum, are going to see it tied up in federal court for months, if not years? While they're all waiting for a decision (which will ultimately reaffirm voter rights) their Turf Valley project will be on ice.
Maybe they can cast their attention to GGP if they want to hear the Fat Lady sing......
The irony.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for this... except for those guys that sell roses by the road for cheap. Can't beat $5 for roses and you don't even have to get out of your car! Oh well, gotta take the good with the bad.
ReplyDelete