MARC KORMAN
  • Home
  • About Marc
  • Issues
    • Airplane Noise
    • Animal Welfare
    • Budget
    • Civil Rights & Civil Liberties
    • COVID-19
    • Economic Prosperity
    • Education
    • Energy & Environment
    • Healthcare
    • Pepco
    • Preserving Our Success
    • Public Safety
    • Seniors
    • Transportation
    • Questionnaires
  • Scholarship
  • Latest News
  • Contact
    • Subscribe to Email Updates
  • Home
  • About Marc
  • Issues
    • Airplane Noise
    • Animal Welfare
    • Budget
    • Civil Rights & Civil Liberties
    • COVID-19
    • Economic Prosperity
    • Education
    • Energy & Environment
    • Healthcare
    • Pepco
    • Preserving Our Success
    • Public Safety
    • Seniors
    • Transportation
    • Questionnaires
  • Scholarship
  • Latest News
  • Contact
    • Subscribe to Email Updates

LATEST NEWS

Early Hearings

1/18/2022

 
The legislative session is off to a fast start in committees.  In a normal legislative year we begin with short floor sessions--because no legislation has been passed by committees at this early date--and committee briefings. This year, because of COVID, we are skipping the short, largely ceremonial floor sessions and also quickly commencing bill hearings.  The Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Transportation and the Environment that I chair is in the process of holding a series of relevant early briefings.  And more are in planning on the Maryland Transportation Authority--the agency that handles EZPass--and its recent troubles as well as the Purple Line.
​
You can view the first oversight briefing on Maryland's commuter rail system here.  It was also covered in a media story. 
Picture
You can view the first oversight briefing on Maryland's commuter rail system here.  It was also covered in a media story. 
The first hearing on one of my bills is also scheduled for tomorrow.  The Zero-Emission Bus Transition Act Revisions (HB 10) will be heard by the Environment and Transportation Committee.
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.
The Budget
By the time you read this, the Governor's fiscal year 2023 budget proposal will be made publicly available. The budget will be available here and I will have more to say about it next week. But for those interested, the non-partisan Department of Legislative Services will hold its annual fiscal briefing on January 24 at 3pm to provide insight into the budget request.
 
TransportationOne of my great frustrations with state government is the mismanagement of the Purple Line construction. I support the project and believe a suburb to suburb transit connection running from Bethesda through Silver Spring and College Park to New Carrollton will, in the long term, be beneficial to the region. But the path to getting there has been disappointing.
I have been concerned about the Public Private Partnership (P3) used for the Purple Line from the time it was entered into.  As a rank-and-file member five years ago, I joined with colleagues from Montgomery and Prince George's County to question the then-Transportation Secretary on some of the provisions.  When I became chair of the Transportation & Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, I requested that the P3 vendor attend the Maryland Transit Administration's budget hearing in 2020, which the Administration rejected.  I have been in close contact with Department of Transportation officials since the construction contractor walked away and was pleased that the P3 vendor finally attended the Maryland Transit Administration budget hearing in 2021, where I had the opportunity to question them on the progress of the project.  The budget last year included language I drafted requiring status reports from the Maryland Transit Administration on the progress of replacing the construction contractor and the most recent submission is informative. 
As you can read in the submission, the good news is the new construction contractor has been identified, the Board of Public Works will consider the award at its next meeting--the documentation for which is here--and the construction contractor will ramp up their work in the spring .  But the awful news is that the total cost of the P3 has seen 66% growth since 2016 including almost 75% growth in the construction phase.  The Administration tries to place the blame for this on inflation and COVID, but the truth is they accepted an unreasonably low bid in what looks like an effort to hide costs and we are paying for it.  First with a departed construction contractor who has delayed the project and now with these increased costs and other changes to the project that increase the risk to the state.  My subcommittee plans to hold a briefing on the project soon.
----
Maryland has a series of alternative fuel corridors that have been federally designed and, thus, eligible for federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations under the new federal infrastructure law.  The entire Montgomery County House Delegation sent a letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation seeking the designation of additional corridors in the County.  Read the letter here.  You can read the response from the Department here.
Community News
  • The next two Bethesda Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club meetings are:
    • ​Tuesday, January 25 with County Executive Marc Elrich and County Executive candidate/Councilmember Tom Hucker.
    • Wednesday, February 9 with candidates for Comptroller Mayor Tim Adams and Delegate Brooke Lierman.
The meetings are virtual at 7:30am and you can email keller.johnw@gmail.com for the zoom links.
  • On Thursday, January 27, the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board will host a special meeting with the County Council regarding the Thrive 2050 plan. The meeting is at 7pm.  Click here for the link.​
  • Bethesda resident Charles McGee, the 102 year old Tuskegee Airman, has passed way after a full life. Condolences to his family 


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

Comments are closed.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    Categories

    All
    Legislative Session Update
    Monthly Update
    News Clip

    RSS Feed

By Authority of Friends of Marc Korman; Mark Brown, Treasurer
HOME
ABOUT MARC
ISSUES
SCHOLARSHIP
LATEST NEWS
CONTRIBUTE
CONTACT
sign up to receive updates