Cross-Over Deadline Approaches

The 69th day of the legislative session is the "cross-over" deadline, the date by which bills have to be passed from one chamber to the other to be guaranteed a hearing in the other chamber.  This year's cross-over day is March 19th and the work will gear up considerably between now and then.  As I write this, four of my pieces of legislation have already passed the House and two more are on the House floor.

As always, you can always keep up with what I am doing by following me at @mkorman on Twitter or clicking "Like" on Delegate Marc Korman on Facebook.

Legislative News

Two of my legislative priorities passed the House of Delegates last week: the Maryland Metro/Transit Funding Act and the Maryland Pension Climate Risk Act.  These bills now head to the Senate for further action.
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A large part of my work in Annapolis is devoted to reviewing the state's annual budget.  I serve on the Education and Economic Development Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee which means we have primary oversight of all the state's education and economic development programs.  After a month and a half of oversight hearings, the subcommittee made its budget decisions today.  The budget originated in the Senate this year, which means that the subcommittee either concurred with, rejected, or modified the Senate decisions regarding recommendations from the Department of Legislative Services.  Those decisions now go to the full Appropriations Committee for consideration.
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Legislation to fund and reform Metro made significant progress in Virginia this past weekend, as reported by the Washington Post.  Maryland Matters provided a recent update on the status in Maryland.

Administration News

The state's Board of Revenue Estimates issued updated projections for the General Fund budget today. The current fiscal year projections were reduced by $39 million. Projections for the next fiscal year were increased by $433 million, which appears to be largely driven by the federal tax changes.

Campaign News

Interested in helping my campaign talk to voters?  We will be holding a group canvass onSaturday, March 17 at noon.  If you would like to help, please email [email protected].
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My campaign for re-election was recently endorsed by the Brickyard Coalition.  I greatly appreciate the support of this grassroots community organization based in my district.

Community News

• Scholarships are available through my office.  For more information please visit http://www.marckorman.com/scholarship.
• The District 16 Delegation and Councilman Berliner have been working with the community on improving the Braeburn Parkway and River Road intersection near Whitman High School. The community came up with an approach and requested that the State Highway Administration study it, which to their credit they did do. After some back and forth, the agency released the Project Impact Report that resulted from their work. You can review it here: http://www.roads.maryland.gov/OC/Braeburn-Pkwy-Traffic-Study.pdf

Community Events

• Come and enjoy the “NIH Community Orchestra Spring Concert” on Saturday, March 17, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, Maryland. This one-time only performance will feature several timeless orchestral classics.  These include:  Britten’s Courtly Dances from Gloriana, Grieg’s Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture, and selections from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 Pastoral.  There will be a reception immediately following the concert.  Free parking, no tickets; donations welcome to benefit the NIH charities. For more information, please visit this website: http://www.nihco.org/cms/  The NIH Community Orchestra is supported in part by funding from the Montgomery County government and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
• On Sunday, March 18 from 1pm to 5pm, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad Alumni Association will be holding an All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp and Oyster Feast Fundraiser.  Visit www.bccrs.org for more information.
• The Woman’s Democratic Club of Montgomery County, MD (WDC) will host a forum for Democratic County Executive Candidates on Thursday, March 22, 2018.  All six Democratic candidates (Roger Berliner, David Blair, Marc Elrich, Bill Frick, Rose Krasnow, and George Leventhal) will participate in the forum. Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart will moderate the forum. The forum will begin promptly at 7:00 PM at the Silver Spring Civic Center.  For more information and to pre-register, visit the following event website:  http://bit.ly/2Bze2D0 or call 301-648-2644.
• The State Highway Administration will hold a public meeting on the Braeburn Parkway/River Road Intersection on Thursday, March 29 at 7pm.  The meeting will be held at Walt Whitman High School.
• The Bethesda Urban Partnership (BUP) will host the annual Bethesda Film Festival on April 6 and April 7 from 6pm to 8:30pm at Imagination Stage.  More information is available at BUP's website.

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