January 28th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

Battling the violent crime crisis in the state remains a top legislative priority for Maryland Republicans- hoping to push through some of the governor’s proposals that failed to get approval in previous years. Those include: the Judicial Transparency Act and the Violent Firearms Offender Act. The judicial transparency plan focuses on the sentences imposed by judges; while the firearm bill introduced in 2020 and again in 2021, calls for at least minimum sentences and fines for crimes involving guns.  House Minority Leader Delegate Jason Buckel said that although Allegany County has yet to see the levels of violent crime that is being experienced elsewhere- the numbers are on the rise. He points to four homicides in the city of Cumberland in the final four months of 2021, including the murder of a high school student just off of school property, as evidence of a growing crime problem…