An Annapolis Agenda for 2016

The 436th Session of the Maryland General Assembly convenes today.  I am excited to start my second year as your Delegate.  I have learned that there really is no "down time" as a Delegate, but certainly these next 90 days will be an intensive sprint in Annapolis.

​I will be called upon to consider and vote on numerous legislative issues during the session, many of which you have probably recently read about in the news.  But below are some of the major issues in my Annapolis agenda for the year.  Each of these issues will be the subject of future emails.

​Ongoing Work

When I first ran for Delegate, I explained my view that only a part of the job is passing bills.  Much of the work involves oversight efforts and assisting others with their legislative efforts.  Two ongoing efforts are of particular importance to me.

1. School Construction: Montgomery County has the fastest growing student population in the state--approximately a high school worth of students a year.  We really feel this in District 16 where all but two schools in the Whitman Cluster, about half the schools in the BCC and WJ clusters, and three schools in the Churchill cluster have more students than they have space for.  We had partial success last year obtaining additional funding for Montgomery County that recognized school districts with high rates of growth.  We need to build on that success in 2016.
2. Metro: The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ("WMATA") is the product of a compact between Maryland, Virginia, DC, and the federal government.  Maryland has an important role to play as a major funder of the system in providing adequate oversight.  In 2015, I founded the WMATA-Metro Work Group with other colleagues interested in improving WMATA. The Work Group will meet on a weekly basis during the session and a tentative schedule will be released soon.

Legislation

I will be introducing bills during the session on at least four major issues:

• Energy Storage: Recent technological advances—including in batteries—allow us to actually store electricity after it is generated instead of using or losing it.  This has great potential for improving our electric grid and helping us better deploy renewable sources such as wind and solar.  California and Oregon have adopted public policies to advance this technology in their states and my legislation will do the same in Maryland.  There is both economic and environmental potential if we move quickly to deploy energy storage in Maryland.
• Board of Public Works Transparency: The Board of Public Works is a state agency comprised of the Governor, Comptroller, and Treasurer.  It is extraordinarily powerful and has the ability to cut most line items of the budget by up to 25% when the legislature is not in session.  I was troubled to find out that the Board does not have to provide any public notice of such cuts (whereas the legislature goes through a very public process in crafting the budget).  My legislation would require advance public notice of any cuts proposed by the Board, building upon a similar effort that was included in last year's budget.
• Public Service Commission Reform: One of the most frustrating quality of life and economic issues in Montgomery County is our electric utility. I believe our state utility regulator—the Public Service Commission—needs to do a better job of regulating electric and other utilities.  I am proposing legislation that reforms the Commission's structure and operations to improve its performance and increase its focus on customer service and consumer protection.
• Sidewalk Closures: One of the frustrations of areas like downtown Bethesda or White Flint/The Pike District are the regular sidewalk closures.  Montgomery County recently adopted notice requirements to try and make the closures a little less inconvenient for pedestrians.  My legislation would adopt similar requirements for sidewalks adjoining state roads such as Wisconsin, Old Georgetown, and Bradley.

Again, these issues and bills are just a small sampling of how my time will be spent over the next 90 days.  I will be sure to keep you posted bu please contact me anytime.  The office phone number is 301-858-3649 and my email address is [email protected] (or just reply to this email to reach me).  If you are in Annapolis, you can visit me in Room 210 of the House Office Building.  I share an office suite with my District 16 colleague, Delegate Ariana Kelly.

Community News

• Congressman Chris Van Hollen is reminding his constituents about the Congressional App challenge for students, which has a deadline of January 15.  Visit http://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/ for more information.
• The Montgomery County Charter Review Commission will be holding its public hearing on January 20 at 7:30pm on the 7th Floor of the Montgomery County Council Building (100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville).  The Charter Review Commission considers amendments to Montgomery County's constitutional framework.
• The Montgomery County Council will hold a public hearing on the Westbard Sector Plan on January 26 at 7:30pm in the County Council hearing room (100 Maryland Avenue in Rockville).  Details about the sector plan can be found here.
• On January 28, Park and Planning will be hosting a community meeting regarding the Rock Spring Master Plan.  The event will be from 7pm to 9pm at Walter Johnson High School.  Details about the Rock Spring Master Plan can be found here.
• On February 1, Montgomery County Park and Planning will be hosting a forum on the White Flint 2 Sector Plan.  The event will be held from 7pm to 9pm at Luxmanor Elementary School, 6201 Tilden Lane in Rockville.
• Save the Date for the District 16 Democratic Club debate for 8th Congressional District Democratic Primary candidates at Walt Whitman High School.  The event will be held on Sunday, February 28 from 3pm to 5pm.  
• On March 5 and 6, Walter Johnson High School is holding a used book sale.
• On March 12 and 13, BCC High School is holding its annual used book sale.  As a personal aside, I have been to this book sale in the past and found many great items.

If you know of an upcoming community event, please email [email protected].

​District 16 Notes

• Congratulations to Laurie Edberg, District 16 constituent and aide to Senator Barbara Mikulski, on graduating Leadership Montgomery.
• Congratulations to District 16's Jim Clarke on becoming the Action Committee for Transit's Vice President, Legislative.  Congratulations to former District 16 resident Ronit Dancis on becoming the Action Committee for Transit's new president.

If you know of a District 16 resident who merits recognition or condolences, please email [email protected].