On Wednesday morning, the Hate Crimes Commission met virtually to work through some structural set up as well as guidelines for members.
This meeting was the first since Commission member Dr. Zainab Chaudry, representing the Council on American-Islamic Relations, was temporarily suspended and then reinstated following posts to her personal Facebook page.
The Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention held its first and only other meeting in September of this year, after being created by the legislature in the 2023 session.
One of the agenda items included guidelines and expectations for Commission members including a policy on public communications on personal social media pages.
While Commission members commented on a draft document, that document was not made available to the public before or during the meeting because it was a draft.
The Attorney General's Office was able to provide a copy of the draft guidelines that were discussed at the meeting on Thursday afternoon, reiterating that "these are not final and are subject to change after we finish deliberating," says spokesperson Jen Donelan.
The draft guidelines, which received notes, comments and requests for changes from Commissioners on Wednesday included sections such as the roles and responsibilities of the Commission, the Commission Chair and Individual Comissioners, as well as a section titled 'Additional Guidance on Public Communications by Commission Members in their Private Lives.'
"The Commission and the OAG recognize and support the rights of Commission members as private citizens to engage in free speech on matters of public concern to the full extent recognized and protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. However, these rights must be balanced with the duties and responsibilities Commissioners take on as described above."
-DRAFT Operating Guidelines for the Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention as of 12/13/2023
The full draft document that was discussed can be viewed below.
DRAFT: Commission Operating Guidelines Draft for Commissioner Input
