Drop Deadline - Week 6 Update

Last week was the deadline to introduce bills and be guaranteed a hearing.  Yes, unlike Capitol Hill, every bill introduced by a certain date gets its own hearing in the state legislature.  Here is my messy board where we keep track of the eleven bills I have introduced.

​Over 1200 bills were introduced in the House and almost 900 in the Senate.  You can browse the House bills here and the Senate bills here.

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

Since my last email, I have introduced three more pieces of legislation:

• Energy Storage Pilot Project Act (HB 650): I have worked on issues related to energy storage since joining the legislature.  Energy storage is extremely important for wide scale adoption of intermittent renewables.  The bill would require the state's Public Service Commission--which regulates our electric utilities--to carry out pilot projects related to energy storage.
• Electric Vehicle Recharging Equipment for Multifamily Units Act (HB 826): This legislation was brought to me by a constituent to make it easier for multifamily housing buildings to adopt equipment for electric vehicles.
• State Department of Assessment and Taxation (SDAT) Reform Act (HB 1088): The bill would make numerous consumer-friendly reforms to SDAT, the state agency that assesses property for purposes of the property tax.
• Each of these bills will be subject to a hearing in the weeks ahead.

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Of course, we consider many significant bills that I am not the sponsor of.  Two bills of major impact made some progress last week that I wanted to highlight.

• Alternative Voting Methods: This is local legislation sponsored by Delegate Luedtke and Senator Kagan that would allow--but not require--the Montgomery County Council to adopt approval or ranked choice voting for local elections.  Last week, the bill unanimously passed the Montgomery County Delegation and will next be heard by the Ways & Means Committee.
• Minimum Wage Increase: This legislation would raise the minimum wage in Maryland to $15.00 per hour by 2023.  Montgomery County is already increasing its minimum wage to $15.00 per hour by 2022.  The legislation was subject to a hearing in the Economic Matters Committee last week.

Administration News

REAL ID is a federal law mandating that states issue driver's licenses and ID cards that comply with certain federal standards.  A non-compliant ID will not be accepted by federal agencies starting on October 1, 2020, which includes the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at airports.  Check to make sure your Maryland license or ID is REAL ID compliant by going to: http://www.mva.maryland.gov/realid/index.htm  Even if your card looks new, it may not be compliant with REAL ID so be sure to take advantage of the Motor Vehicle Administration's website to be sure.

Community News

• Congratulations to District 16's Larry Sidman and Michael Kieval on winning Kavod Awards from Temple Beth El.
• Thank you Gail E. Shearer for chairing the Bethesda Metro Area Village since its inception in 2014.  Gail is stepping down in early 2019. Through her leadership the village launched its articles of incorporation, by laws, boundaries, 501c3 status, steering committee (now Board), members and volunteers to its now active status with numerous activities to engage senior citizens as well as services provided by volunteers to keep them in their homes.   
• Congratulations to Andrew Cha on being named one of the top youth volunteers in Maryland for 2019.

Community Events

• The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Implementation Committee (BIC) will host its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 19th at 7pm at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center in downtown Bethesda.
• District 16 resident and former County Office of Community Partnerships Director Bruce Adams will provide an armchair slideshow tour of Montgomery County’s five Sister Cities at Oasis in Bethesda from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursday February 21. Learn about Montgomery’s extraordinarily diverse community by exploring the Sister Cities located in the five top countries of origin of Montgomery County’s immigrant population. Join Oasis for visits to Morazán, El Salvador; Hyderabad, India; Daejeon, South Korea; and the ancient capitals of Xi’an, China and Gondar, Ethiopia. There is a $10 fee. Please register for class # 420 at oasisnet.org/washington. Bruce’s presentation will be at the Oasis headquarters located in the Macy’s Home Store at Westfield Montgomery Mall, 7125 Democracy Boulevard in Bethesda.
• The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club will next meet on Monday, March 4th at 7:30am.  Their guest will be County Executive Marc Elrich.  Meetings are at the Original Pancake House in Bethesda.
• On Monday, March 11th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, Councilman Craig Rice, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith, and Montgomery College President Dr. DeRionne Pollard will host an education forum at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.
• The Bethesda Chevy Chase Educational Foundation will hold its annual Wine, Chocolate, and Cheese Fundraiser on Thursday, March 14th starting at 7pm at the Woman's Club of Chevy Chase.  You can find more information here: http://bccedfoundation.org/about-the-foundation/

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