July Update: Federal Reconciliation and the Impact on Maryland

Since my last email, Congress has passed and the President has signed a large "budget reconciliation" bill. This legislation is a ticking time bomb for Maryland. As a member of the Joint Federal Action Oversight Committee, we were briefed on the bill in late June. Although what ultimately passed was not identical to what was discussed then, it still presents a useful picture of the bill and you can watch the hearing here. Below are a few key points about its impact on Maryland. The bill has other changes that will help many Marylanders, such as changes to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction. But overall, the top 5% of earners get the most benefit from the income tax changes on a percentage basis. 

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS
 
If you are reading this, the easiest way to reach me is to just click reply and it goes right to my inbox. But if you prefer to use my official email address, it is now [email protected]. The old address ([email protected]) will auto-forward until April 2026.

 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
 
Many of the bills we pass each legislative session become effective on July 1st. You can see a list of newly effective laws here.
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I am pleased to share that I received 100% on the 2025 Maryland Humane Scorecard. I am particularly proud because many of these bills went through my committee. All of the details are here.
 
WSSC UPDATE
 
We often receive constituent inquiries regarding WSSC and our water bills. One area of great confusion is that WSSC does not use fixed period (e.g., monthly) billing, so it is challenging to compare current and prior bills. We took a step towards progress this year by passing my legislation that states our intent that billing should use a fixed time period. But another common issue is an undetected leak driving up bills. WSSC sent out a helpful reminder about these and has provided more information here.

TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
 
Thank you to outgoing Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld for his decades of service to Maryland and the region in multiple roles. I was quoted in a Washington Post story about his departure that you can read here.
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The Maryland Transit Administration released the MARC Growth and Transportation plan to chart the next 25 years of our state's commuter rail service. You can read the plan here. Below is what it would mean for the three commuter rail lines, including the Brunswick Line that serves Montgomery County. I was quoted about the plan in the Washington Post.
But this is not the first MARC rail plan and I look forward to seeing how the Governor's next Consolidated Transportation Program works to implement this plan.

A provision in the state budget requires a bimonthly report on the Purple Line’s progress. The May report is available here.
Two key charts below show overall progress by category and the project milestones. The Live Track Testing Beyond Test Track milestone is new, replacing the now in progress milestone of “Test track Complete for Local Testing & Operator Training.”

COMMUNITY NEWS
 
-I am participating in an event to support our federal workers in Bethesda on July 22nd. More information is here.
-Congratulations to Jane Callen on her reappointment to the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association.
-The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club has announced two upcoming meetings. On Thursday, July 24th at 7:30am, the guest will be State's Attorney John McCarthy. On Monday, September 15th at 7:30am, the guest will be Senator Chris Van Hollen. Email [email protected] for more information and the meeting link.

 
-July 4th is always a lot of fun around District 16. This year, I attended three parades (Edgemoor, Cabin John, and Wood Acres), a picnic (Somerset), and a party (Friendship Heights).