What began as a push to show local support for a national issue turned into a debate over the best use of Howard County Council resources.
“We should not be doing resolutions on things that don?t directly impact council business,” said Council Member Greg Fox, R-District 5. “We have enough to focus on with county issues.”
Council Member Jen Terrasa, D-District 3, had introduced a resolution stating the County Council urges Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
“To me, it?s an important piece of legislation,” Terrasa said.
The national bill, which passed the House last week, would establish stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union, provide mediation for first-contract disputes and allow employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing representation without an election, according to the AFL-CIO.
Critics, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, rallied against the bill, saying it would lead to coercion by union organizers and not protect employee privacy.
However, in Howard, the debate turned to the role of the County Council on national issues.
As she began to discuss the move with her colleagues, Terrasa said she was rethinking the resolution. She said late Friday that she may withdraw the resolution. What evolved was a positive dialogue,she said, rather the County Council battling out the issue over a vote.
“As a new council, we are figuring out the best way to use those resolutions,” she said, adding they may be more appropriate for some federal measures that have a direct local impact, such as No Child Left Behind Act.
Council Chairman Calvin Ball, D-District 2, said he shared Terrasa?s stance on the issue, “but I do have concerns using the resolution process to influence federal decisions.”
Ball said the previous County Council tried to focus more on issues that directly impact the county.
Determining which national issues to get involved in depends on how important the community thinks the issue is, said R. Scott Fosler, former Montgomery County Council member and visiting professor at University of Maryland School of Public Policy.
Those resolutions take up council staff time and raise the question of whether the council is exercising good judgment on what issues they take on, he said.
