Crossover Day: Weekly Update

Monday was "crossover" day in Annapolis, the date by which bills are supposed to pass from one chamber to the other in order to be guaranteed a hearing in the other body.  More details about what legislation I have sponsored and other significant bills that made the deadline are below. 

​But first, the House of Delegates is in session the Saturday before crossover and I had some important guests on the House floor.  A constituent captured this nice shot of us from the gallery.

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

Legislative News

As discussed above, Monday was the crossover deadline.  I am pleased that five of my bills made the deadline and a sixth will likely head to the Senate soon.  Here is an update:

• The Extension of Electric Vehicle Incentives Act (HB 72) would have made whole 2017 electric vehicle purchasers who did not get to benefit from a tax incentive that year. The fiscal cost was extremely high and I withdrew the bill.
• The Electric Vehicle Recharging Equipment for Multifamily Units Act (HB 826)will make it easier for those in multi-unit housing to access electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It passed the House on Monday. A big thank you to Senators Clarence Lam and Brian Feldman who have worked on this issue for years.
• The Regional Transportation and Climate Protection Act of 2019 (HB 277) will keep Maryland at the table for regional negotiations on reducing climate emissions from the transportation sector in a program called the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI). It has passed two committees and is now pending on the House floor. The Senate version has already passed that body which means that even though the bill did not make the crossover deadline, it should still be well positioned to pass into law.
• The 21st Century Transportation Funding Act (HB 426) would have increased funding for state transportation infrastructure by adjusting the gas tax, taxing digital goods (as 30 other states already do), and piloting a vehicle miles traveled tax. It was a good conversation to start but there was inadequate support and I withdrew the bill.
• The Transit Benefit for State Employees Act (HB 201) has passed the House. It codifies an existing benefit for state employees on transit access. The Senate has also passed its version of the bill.
• The Energy Storage Pilot Project Act (HB 650) will jump-start energy storage projects in the state by requiring the Investor-Owned Utilities to establish pilot programs. Storage can be helpful in deploying intermittent renewable electricity generation (e.g., wind and solar). It has passed the House. The Senate version has also passed that chamber.
• The State Board of Elections Transparency Act (HB 71) will require web streaming of the state board meetings. It has passed the House unanimously. The Senate version has also passed that chamber.
• The State Department of Assessments and Taxation Reform Act (HB 1088) would reform the assessment and appeal process for our state's homeowners in the property tax process. The bill is still pending in committee.
• The Effective Corporate Tax Rate Transparency Act (HB 361) would provide insight into what publicly traded corporations are actually paying in terms of a tax rate, as no company pays the headline rate of 8.25%. The bill is still pending in committee.
• The Graduate Assistant Collective Bargaining Fairness Act (HB 270) expands collective bargaining rights to graduate employees at our institutions of higher education. The bill has passed the House.
• The Income Tax Interest and Penalty Waiver Act (HB 457) would waive penalties for state income tax filings for errors for one year because of the complications of the federal tax changes. It is still pending in committee.
• Metro Funding Technical Corrections (HB 1412) would make some technical changes to the dedicated funding legislation for WMATA/Metro passed last year. It passed the House after vigorous floor debate because of a lack of understanding of what the bill actually does and does not do.

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Many other significant bills I was not the primary sponsor of have also passed the House.  I was pleased to work on some of these bills directly and, in other cases, simply support them on the House floor.  Here is a sampling:

• Environmental Bills: We passed HB 109 to ban the use of polystyrene (foam) for food products in the state, a ban Montgomery County already has in place.  We also passed HB 275 to ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide the Environmental Protection Agency was poised to ban until the Trump Administration withdrew the rule.
• Firearm Safety Legislation: We passed legislation to ban 3D printed guns, an emerging technological and public safety challenge.  We also advanced HB 786, which would apply gun transaction laws for typical firearms purchases to secondary transactions of rifles and long guns.
• Economic Safety Net Bills: We passed legislation sponsored by my district-mate, Delegate Ariana Kelly, to expand the childcare tax credit.  I was also heavily involved in the advancement of the Summer SNAP for Children Act, which makes it easier for low income young people to access food benefits when they are not in school.
• Healthcare Legislation: We passed HB 697, legislation that backstops many Affordable Care Act/Obamacare consumer protections in state law.  We also passed legislation--building on a temporary fix from last year--to stabilize the healthcare exchange in Maryland.  Also worth noting is legislation a District 16 constituent has been working on for years, the Patient's Bill of Rights, which has finally passed the House.
• Transportation: We passed HB 1091, which as amended reforms the process for Public Private Partnerships to clarify that for large-scale projects over $500 million, what information must be determined before the state can enter a long term contract with a private party to takeover state roads or other infrastructure.

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The above is just a sampling of the legislation that has recently passed the House.  If you have questions about a particular bill or issue, email me anytime at marc@marckorman.com.
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One other bill that passed the House I would like to separately highlight is the Build to Learn Act.  The Build to Learn Act would use state revenues obtained from casinos to service 30 year bonds, the proceeds of which would be used for school construction.  Under the legislation, Montgomery County would be able to tap into an additional $400 million of school construction funding over a few years, money that can be used to address maintenance and capacity issues at Montgomery County Public Schools.
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As I discussed last week, one component of the annual state budget process is the capital budget, which encompasses the state's investment in the construction and maintenance of schools, hospitals, parks, and more.  The House will soon pass the capital budget which includes $500 million for school construction statewide; funding for local projects in District 16 such as assistance for the YMCA Bethesda Chevy Chase, KID Museum, and Imagination Stage; and much more.
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State Treasurer Nancy Kopp recently announced that the three major ratings agencies have maintained Maryland's AAA bond rating.  You can read the bond rating agencies reports on the Treasurer's website.

Metro

On March 18, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) certified the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission as the State Safety Oversight Program for Metro.  Since 2015, the FTA has directly overseen Metrorail safety and with the March 18th announcement, that oversight is shifted to the multi-jurisdictional Commission.  Moreover, funding the FTA was withholding from Maryland has now been made available.  I spent a significant amount of time with our partners in the executive branch and the other jurisdictions helping to stand up the new Commission.

​Community News

• Congratulations to District 16's Natalie Garrett on the publication of her book, Eat Joy, which is available now.
• District 16's Anne Coventry was recently featured in an issue of theWashington Lawyer Magazine.

Community Events

• On April 5th and 6th, the Bethesda Urban Partnership will host the annual Bethesda Film Fest.  Details are at https://www.bethesda.org/bethesda/bethesda-film-fest.
• On Saturday, April 13, the State Highway Administration will be holding a meeting regarding the I-495/I-270 widening proposal.  The meeting will be held at Pyle Middle School (NOTE: THIS WAS INCLUDED IN A PAST NEWSLETTER WITH AN INCORRECT LOCATION).  The meeting time is 10am to 12pm.  Note: In a prior newsletter, the date of the meeting was misstated.
• On Monday, April 15th at 7:30am, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club will hear from my seatmate, Delegate Sara Love, along with Delegates Emily Shetty and Jared Solomon.  The meetings are at the Original Pancake House in downtown Bethesda.
• On Monday, May 6th at 7:30am, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club will hear from Sheriff Darren Popkin.  The meetings are at the Original Pancake House in downtown Bethesda.
• On Monday, June 3rd at 8:00am, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club will hear from Attorney General Brian Frosh.  The meetings are at the Original Pancake House in downtown Bethesda.

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​If you know of a District 16 resident who merits recognition or condolences or an upcoming event, please email marc@marckorman.com.