In her second term representing District 39 in Maryland’s House of Delegates, Del. Lesley Lopez is now president of the Women’s Legislative Caucus and deputy whip. Del. Lopez has tirelessly advocated for immigration reform, voting rights protections, and equitable education. Moreover, she has introduced several bills that address predatory lending and private student loan debt at the state level and sponsored the Ghost Gun bill that was passed into law without Governor Hogan’s signature.
For Del. Lopez, many of the problems women and families face are not abstract struggles. As the mother of a three-year-old and one-year-old, she navigates the same challenges as her constituents. She recognizes that a bill alone will not solve many of these problems; all levels of government need to be involved. With a new governor and strong Democratic representation in the legislature, she is optimistic that legislation that was not passed last year, as well as new bills benefiting women and families, will move forward during the 2023 session.
In the following interview, Del. Lopez gives her perspective on legislation that will most benefit women and families. She also discusses the role the Women’s Caucus will play in supporting Governor Moore’s platform.
During the 2023 session, what are the top three pieces of legislation you would like to see passed this session?
Right now, many women across the state and country cannot afford a secondary screen for breast cancer so the disease goes untreated, causing women to suffer very-real consequences. A bill put forth by Speaker Pro Tem Sheree Sample-Hughes will require insurance companies to cover diagnostic imaging for breast cancer.
Another bill, which has bipartisan support [and the support of WDC], will establish a Correctional Ombudsman in the Office of the Attorney General. This bill came about in part because of the woman who gave birth without assistance while in solitary confinement in a Washington County correctional facility. With the bill’s passage, Maryland’s leaders will be setting an example for how correctional facilities should handle pregnant and care-giving women.
Expanding the childhood tax credit for working families also is a top priority, especially for the Women’s Caucus. The governor incorporated legislation sponsored last year by former Sen. King and Del. Palakovich Carr into the Family Prosperity Act of 2023. With the bill’s passage, households will have more money, helping to reduce the number of Maryland families living in poverty.
Passage of the Ghost Gun bill (SB387 and HB425) in 2022 was a significant accomplishment. What role do gun owners play in building support for gun reform?
There is a lot of momentum around safe storage of guns. Unfortunately, every year there are more reasons to pass gun safety legislation, however, even with a Democratic governor and a Democratic majority, gun bills are difficult to pass. Every year we hear testimony from gun owners who are proponents of gun safety bills. It is useful to lawmakers for gun owners to speak about proper storage, proper maintenance, and background checks from their perspective, not the NRA’s, which no longer represents gun owners, but instead represents gun manufacturers. Ninety percent of gun owners and 80% of NRA members believe in universal background checks. There is even a conservative organization for gun safety called 97Percent whose mission is to reduce gun deaths.
As president of the Women’s Legislators Caucus, what do you want Marylanders to know about this organization?
As the first women’s caucus in the country, the Maryland Women’s Caucus has a rich heritage of leadership. At this point in our history, we are figuring out the best ways to support the record-breaking number of women in the legislature, soon reaching a high-water mark of 82 women in both chambers of the General Assembly. We also are championing issues that will help our women constituents by tapping into our own experiences in a profound way.
With affordable childcare a part of the governor’s platform, childcare for all is an ongoing priority. Reports from across the country show the cost of child care is debilitating for women. Anyone with children during COVID can attest that it is difficult to do work when children are at home. Caucus members’ stories put us in a unique position to lead support for this legislation. We need to show up and partner with the governor to make sure that the cost of childcare does not hamstring women, preventing them from taking advantage of opportunities.
It also is important that the Caucus supports the current speaker, a woman who brings an innovative agenda to this session. For the first time in 40 years, the Caucus voted unanimously to support the speaker’s bill for the constitutional amendment for reproductive justice. This position wasn’t without controversy, but this is the fight women in our country are experiencing so this is where the Women’s Caucus needs to lead.
Every other Wednesday, Caucus members meet to discuss a wide breadth of issues. Recently, for example, we held a briefing about women in trade and apprenticeships that was led by Del. Melissa Wells (Baltimore City), a national expert and White House presenter on this topic. We also have women from labor talk about their experiences and tell us what we as legislators can do to strengthen organized labor and apprentice programs, and how we can increase opportunities for women in trade.
Later in February, the Caucus will release a policy agenda that will include repealing the Spousal Defense Act, a bill that came very close to passing last year. [Supported by WDC.]
How does the Women’s Caucus work with Maryland’s other caucuses?
Currently, we are partnering with the Legislative Black Caucus, chaired by Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, on a briefing on black maternal health. Both our memberships have an enhanced degree of knowledge in this and other policy areas, and we can either push specific bills forward or highlight issues and provide support for our constituencies. We also had a joint briefing with the Latino Caucus from the Office of Public Defenders. Working collectively, we can lift up and prioritize issues like domestic violence that cut across all our communities.
How can the Women’s Democratic Club support your legislative priorities?
WDC has a real presence in Annapolis and has testified in support of many of my individual bills. Additionally, a lot of the bills on the Caucus’ policy agenda are shared by WDC so most of our positions on issues are already aligned. It is important that WDC maintain its presence and show the strength of the organization along with supporting women Democratic candidates who put their names on the ballot.