First Week Back

The legislature has been back in Annapolis for one week.  The first few days of the session are like the first few days of a new school year.  Friends and colleagues reconnect, catch up, and discuss the exciting months ahead.  It is about this time that the real work begins.  Sleeves get rolled up, bill hearings begin, and in the case of the Appropriations Committee I serve on, the budget gets introduced

In addition to the excellent staff of the Department of Legislative Services, assisting me this year are my Legislative Aide, Sean Emerson; Session Secretary, Katie Muldoon; Annapolis intern, Joe Swit; and high school district interns Pranav Tandon and Coqui Rodriguez.  If you reach out to our office and do not speak directly with me, odds are you are speaking to on of these hard-working individuals.

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

If you want to keep up with what bills I am sponsoring or co-sponsoring, click here.

My first bill of the year is the bipartisan State Board of Elections (SBE) Transparency Act.  The legislation, introduced with my colleague Jason Buckel of western Maryland, would require the SBE web stream and archive its monthly meetings in Annapolis to allow more citizens--as well as local Boards of Elections--to monitor their activities.

I have also introduced the Maryland Manual Modernization Act.  The Maryland Manual is a great resource for information about state government.  The statute governing the manual, however, it outdated and does not account for the fact that the manual is now regularly updated online.  The Maryland Manual Modernization Act is a piece of housekeeping legislation to update the code.

Administration News

The Governor's proposed budget will be released on Wednesday and I will provide more information next week.  The budget documents, however, should be available on the Department of Budget and Management's website.  In Maryland, the Governor submits both an operating and capital budget.  The legislature may not increase any budget line item in the operating budget but may reduce funding.  We have more flexibility to act in the capital budget.
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One of the major uncertainties of the incoming Trump Administration is the fate of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare.  The legislation has led to a reduction in the uninsurance rate and provided healthcare to many who were previously denied coverage.  347,000 Marylanders have obtained insurance through the state's federally supported exchange, as a result of the Medicaid expansion, or because they were able to stay on their parents' insurance for longer.  More information about what Obamacare means to Maryland can be found here.  We do not yet know what changes to to the law will occur and what their budgetary and policy effect will be.

Metro

Metro has announced its latest round of SafeTrack information.  The next Red Line maintenance will be between Shady Grove and Twinbrook.  The work is tentatively scheduled for June, with the exact dates to be announced in June.

Community News

• District 16's Michael Beland was the co-author of a recent op-ed in the Baltimore Sun.
• ​Congratulations to Ann Marie Mehlert and Hrant Jamgochian on being elected Chair and Vice Chair of the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board.
• Condolences to Attorney General Frosh and his family on the passing of his mother, Judith Frosh.

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

​Community Events

• On Sunday, January 29, the annual Women's Legislative Briefing will be held beginning at 11am at The Universities at Shady Grove, Building II, 9630 Gudelsky Dr, Rockville, MD, US, 20850.

• On Monday, February 6 Councilman George Leventhal will be speaking to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club. The meeting starts at 7:30am at the Original Pancake House in Bethesda.

• Also on Monday, February 6, the Woman's Democratic Club will host a panel discussion: Fracking in Maryland: To Be or Not To Be?  The event will be held at 10am at the Jane Lawton Community Center, 4301 Willow Lane in Chevy Chase.  RSVP to dorset4708@yahoo.com.

• On Sunday, February 19, the Montgomery County Democratic Party will be holding its annual brunch.  More information is available on the Party's website.

If you know of an upcoming community event, please email marc@marckorman.com.