The Week Ahead (Midweek Edition)

Welcome to the midweek edition of The Week Ahead, courtesy Hurricane Sandy. Hopefully our readers were as fortunate as we were in this storm, but our thoughts go out to those who still lack power, sustained damage to their homes or business, or lost loved ones. At times like these we think particularly of the homeless and others in our community who lack adequate shelter everyday, let alone during a major storm or hurricane. We also can't help but notice, as the NY Times did in a pre-storm editorial, the value of government coordination in disaster relief and preparedness. 

Last week Neil Bergsman was quoted in a widely reprinted Capital News Service story about the potential effect of sequestration on Maryland, a MontgomeryVillagePatch.com story about gambling ad claims, and Dan Rodricks' column refuting defenders of the 1 percent.

Yesterday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released metropolitan area employment figures. All four metro areas in Maryland, plus the DC metro, had declining unemployment rates compared to one year ago.

Wednesday, October 31st

• Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight meets for an update on the state Equal Opportunity Program and personnel matters. 10am in room 3 East, Senate Office Building, Annapolis.
• Joint Committee on Pensions meets to discuss requested legislation and the optional retirement program. 2pm in room 120, House Office Building, Annapolis.
• Board of Public Works meets. 10am in the Governor's Reception Room on the second floor, State House, Annapolis.

Friday, November 2nd

• Joint Committee on Health Benefit Exchange Financing meets. Noon to 2pm at the Maryland Health Care Commission, main conference room, 4160 Patterson Avenue, Baltimore. 
• BLS releases national employment figures for October. The U.S. unemployment rate declined the last two months, to 7.8 percent in September.