Adjournment

The 2024 Maryland legislative session has now concluded. The legislative session was a challenging yet productive one marked by some substantial budget challenges and the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge because of a vessel collision. I also took on a new role as Chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee, one of just six standing committees in the House of Delegates. In this position, I had the opportunity to work closely with my seatmate, Delegate Sara Love, who is a member of the committee. The newest member of the District 16 team, Delegate Sarah Wolek, completed her first full legislative session, representing our constituents well on the Appropriations Committee. There will also be some changes to the District 16 Delegation over the interim. State Senator Ariana Kelly announced that she will be leaving the legislature in May for an exciting new opportunity at the Maryland Commission for Women. Thank you to Senator Kelly for her years of service to District 16.
Below is a synopsis of some key highlights from the legislative session. We work on thousands of bills each legislative session so if an issue you care about is not addressed here, please email me about it at [email protected]. You can also attend the District 16 virtual town hall on May 19th by registering here: bit.ly/D16-05-19-24

Education
Ensuring Maryland students receive a quality education has remained one of my top priorities, and this session, the Maryland General Assembly took additional steps to improve our education system. As described below, the annual state budget fully funds our education formulas to support pre-K through 12 education in Montgomery County.
I was also pleased to sponsor the Open-Source Phonics Matching Grant Program Act (HB 475), a grant program that works to support organizations who provide free open-source phonics materials that adults can use to tutor children. This legislation aims to address the state’s literacy rates and reading comprehension that continue to linger below pre-pandemic levels.
Education equips young Marylanders with the tools they need to understand and engage with the world around them. To achieve this goal, it is critical that students have access to a diverse range of authors and literary perspectives, especially those that are often marginalized. I proudly supported the Freedom to Read Act (HB 785), which prohibits the exclusion of reading materials in public schools and libraries based on the views of the author, or due to differences in partisan, ideological, or religious beliefs. 
Access to diverse educational materials is only part of the solution. In these turbulent times, it is important that our educators understand the complexity and diversity of our community. That is why I supported HB 1386, which requires the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to develop guidelines for an anti-bias training program for our school systems, including training on anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
Firearm and Public Safety
With the continued prevalence of gun violence, I am proud to have supported many efforts this session to improve firearm safety in Maryland. I voted to establish a new organization under the Maryland Department of Health, the Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention (HB 583). The Center will take an innovative public health approach towards reducing firearm violence, harm from firearm violence, and the misuse of firearms in the state. I also supported the Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2024 (HB 947) to create consequences for negligent conduct by the firearm industry that creates significant public safety concerns.  
Outside of measures to reduce gun violence, the General Assembly advanced legislation (HB 575) to support victims of crime by expanding the eligibility for, amount of, and types of awards that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board is authorized to make. I also supported the Juvenile Law Reform (HB 814), which alters procedures relating to juvenile arrests, complaints, probation and detention. We want to ensure we are treating juveniles fairly while also addressing juvenile criminal activity. Finally, I was proud to support HB 195, which creates a Purple Alert program to disseminate information to assist in locating a missing person who has a cognitive impairment, mental disorder, or intellectual or developmental disability. 
Budget Highlights
The one piece of legislation that we are constitutionally required to pass each year is a balanced budget. I was a member of the conference committee appointed to settle differences between the House and Senate budget proposals. This year’s budget includes:
Full funding for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education, including $1.1 billion in state support for Montgomery County Public Schools and advance funding of our public education reform program (the Blueprint for Maryland’s future) for the next several years.
$330 million in transportation funding to reduce the budget deficit and support our transportation system, including road maintenance, transit services, and funding to address the impacts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. 
$105 million in additional funding for Maryland’s trauma centers.
$90 million allocated towards the implementation of the Climate Solutions Now Act to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
Sufficient funding to maintain the state Rainy Day Fund at 7.5% of General Fund revenue.
The full actuarially required contribution to the state pension.
In District 16 and across Montgomery County, the capital–or construction–budget as passed includes:
$3 Million — New Entrance to the North Bethesda Metro Station
$150,000 — Renovation of Merrimac Neighborhood Park
$150,000 — Glen Echo Stormwater Restoration
$100,000 — Jewish Social Services Agency Mobile Mental Health Unit
$150,000 — Restoration of Bethesda Meeting House
$3 Million — Institute for Health Computing in North Bethesda
$440,000 — Disabilities Access for Diener School
$2.7 million for Walt Whitman High School upgrades.

​Environment, Energy, and Climate Change
In 2022, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Climate Solutions Now Act, which sets ambitious goals for greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Meeting these goals is one of the major undertakings of my committee.
We took a step forward this year through the passage of HB 990, which expands greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements to the cement sector and narrows exemptions for other manufacturers. The manufacturing sector accounts for 10% of statewide greenhouse gas emissions, with cement production being the single largest contributor within that. 
Through the hard work of my seatmate Delegate Sara Love, the Department of Natural Resources is bolstered in their efforts to protect and improve the quality of state waterways. The Whole Watershed Act (HB 1165) establishes a fund and partnership program to accelerate restoration of the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays by providing grants and technical assistance for integrated efforts to address watershed pollution. With the passage of the Clean Water Justice Act of 2024 (HB 1101), we are also working to protect our waterways by establishing legal standing in state courts for private actors to sue for the violation of clean water laws. This measure restores waterway protections that were removed at the federal level due to the Supreme Court’s decision to narrow the applicability of the federal Clean Water Act. 
I am also proud to have sponsored and supported efforts making it easier for individuals to transition to an electric vehicle. Along with Senator Kelly, I introduced the Electric Vehicle Recharging Equipment Act of 2024 (HB 159) which builds on my previous work to facilitate the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure for residents of common ownership communities and co-ops.
In order for the state to meet our climate goals, we will need to improve energy efficiency and accelerate the transition to clean energy sources for buildings throughout the state. This transition necessitates a deliberate, multi-faceted approach, which is why I supported revisions to the state’s EmPOWER program for low-income households to require electric companies, gas companies, and the state Department of Housing and Community Development to develop energy efficiency, conservation, demand response, and beneficial electrification measures that will enable them to meet their greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals (HB 864). The Environment and Transportation Committee also passed legislation to facilitate the installation of electric vehicle recharging equipment, solar energy equipment, and energy storage systems for condominium common elements (HB 216). 
We also need to ensure that Maryland’s electric companies are operating in the state’s best interest. The legislature invested in the transition to renewable energy sources through bills that establish funding opportunities for thermal energy network system pilot programs (HB 397), modify and expand our offshore wind energy program (HB 1296), and restructure solar energy incentives to optimize investment (SB 783).
Transportation Investment, Safety, and Accessibility
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)–our local Metro system–is facing an operating funding short-fall. This not only impacts Metro riders but our entire transportation system and economic health. The Moore Administration has stepped up with additional funds but this requires a change to our state law that currently caps the operating fund increases to Metro. I sponsored the Maryland Metro Funding Act of 2024 (HB 198), which temporarily lifts the operating cap to allow for the necessary funding increases. I also supported legislation that will study how to improve the Maryland Transit Administration’s paratransit service to ensure that transit is accessible for those with disabilities (HB 1199). 
Maintaining safety on the roads is one of my top priorities, as it is for many of you. I was proud to support the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Memorial Act (HB 337), cyclist safety legislation sponsored by Delegate Love in response to the death of Sarah Langenkamp on River Road. The Maryland Road Worker Protection Act (HB 513) protects roadway construction and maintenance workers and improves safety around work zones through the increased use of speed cameras and traffic enforcement. SB 345 establishes the Vision Zero Advisory Commission to study and advise the Department of Transportation on best practices to eliminate road deaths. This session, we also addressed the proliferation of dangerous and disruptive behavior on our roadways by establishing increased penalties for street racing and banning exhibition driving statewide (HB 601). Finally, noise pollution substantially impacts quality of life for many residents near major roadways. In response to concerns from constituents, the Montgomery and Prince George’s county delegations supported legislation authorizing the counties to establish a pilot program for noise abatement monitoring systems (HB 212).
Access to Health Care
Expanding access to health care has been a main focus for the Maryland General Assembly. This session, the legislature passed the Access to Care Act (HB 728), which allows those who do not have current legal residency status to purchase unsubsidized health care plans on the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. This policy will reduce the uninsured population in the state and help to stabilize insurance premiums. It will also reduce the strain on hospitals by minimizing emergency room visits.
The legislature also increased access to preventative care through HB 1259, which requires insurers to cover breast and lung cancer screening appointments. At a time in which access to reproductive health care is under attack across the country, the legislature took action with HB 367 to require that community colleges implement a plan to provide access to over-the-counter contraceptives for students. Finally, while Maryland has made progress in improving access to preventative care, we need to invest in our urgent care system as well. HB 1143 establishes a commission to review the state’s emergency department wait times, which are some of the highest in the nation, and recommend solutions.  
I was proud to support the Miriam Kelty Aging and Senior Social Connection Hub and Spoke Pilot Program (HB 1103), sponsored by Delegate Sarah Wolek,  to support seniors who choose to age in place by providing funding for the Montgomery County Village Consortium, which fosters social connections and coordinates neighbor-to-neighbor support.
Housing
My committee spent a significant amount of time this year on Governor Moore’s housing package. The Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act (HB 693) creates the Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs, establishes a Tenants’ Bill of Rights, and increases the eviction filing fee to fund vital renter related programs, among other provisions. The Housing and Community Financing Act (HB 599) establishes the Maryland Community Investment Corporation as an independent unit in order to facilitate increased state investment in new housing and commercial property. Finally, the Housing Expansion and Affordability Act (HB 538) provides density bonuses for more housing for certain types of projects in areas that have received significant state investment, such as areas close to mass transit and state-owned campuses, and projects run by nonprofits. The House carefully refined this bill to ensure that it was narrowly targeted and would incentivize market-based projects from private developers and not just government-owned or subsidized projects. We also worked to limit the impact on single family home communities.
Workforce Development and Consumer Protection
This session, the General Assembly remained committed to expanding protections for Maryland’s workforce. I proudly supported HB 649, which builds upon existing pay equity policy by requiring employers to disclose certain salary information to improve wage transparency. The legislature also passed a measure to expand the information an employer must give to an employee for each pay period (HB 385). Finally, I supported efforts to strengthen anti-discrimination in employment by including protections based on sexual orientation (HB 602). 
Just as we strive to protect our workers, the legislature is also taking steps to protect consumers.  In our digitized era, private information is becoming exceptionally vulnerable and personal data is in need of another layer of defense. I was proud to support the Maryland Data Privacy Act of 2024 (HB 567), sponsored by Delegate Love, which establishes certain requirements or obligations for data processors to protect against the infringement of consumer privacy laws. I also supported the Maryland Kids Code (HB 603) to establish enhanced privacy protections for children, specifically within the online applications they are most likely to use. The legislature also took steps to improve transparency in commercial interactions. In response to reports about deceptive business practices by retail energy companies, SB 1 puts guardrails around the energy industry’s sales and marketing operations. The Gas Price Clarity Act (HB 882) improves price transparency by requiring retail service station signage to display the credit and debit price, especially if higher than the cash price. 
Francis Scott Key Bridge
The tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after a cargo vessel collided with it has shaken the state. We mourn the loss of six construction workers and thank the brave first responders, including the Maryland Transportation Authority police that managed to minimize the loss of life by closing the bridge quickly.
State and federal agencies are working around the clock to remove the bridge debris and vessel so the channel can be cleared and the Port of Baltimore can reopen for business. Every day it is closed is an economic body blow on a macro scale but also results in unemployed dock workers. The legislature responded with the Maryland Port Act (HB 1526) which provides temporary relief programs for port employees and related businesses. 
Even when the port reopens, the region will face the reality of having lost a bridge that moved over 30,000 vehicles per day. Efforts are being undertaken to minimize the local traffic impacts. Going forward, Maryland will work to reconstruct the bridge and we appreciate the promised federal support for this effort, the details of which are still being worked out.
My Office Outside of Session
My newsletter will now revert to its out of session monthly format. I strongly value the input of my constituents on the issues before the General Assembly. While the state legislature only meets for 90 days each year in Annapolis, I am working for you 365 days a year. As we progress throughout the year, my office will continue to be a resource to help connect you to state and local officials.
If you have any questions about the material in this letter, other questions about the recently concluded legislative session, ideas regarding policy issues, issues with a state agency that require constituent services, or are interested in my office’s legislative scholarship, please contact me any time. I can be reached by phone at 301-858-3649, or by email at [email protected].