Metro, School Construction, and More: July Update

I hope you are having a great summer.  I have been busy knocking on doors, attending events, and participating in a number of other activities, many of which are described below.  In particular, this month's newsletter includes some exciting updates on two issues I have spoken about extensively since I first started running for office: Metro and School construction

You can always keep up with what I am doing by following me at @mkorman on Twitter, clicking "Like" on Delegate Marc Korman on Facebook, or visiting www.marckorman.com.  And remember, if you would like to support my reelection financially, you can do so at www.marckorman.com/contribute.

Legislative News
Our schools are overcrowded and the need is real as our school population continues to grow by approximately 2,500 students--one high school worth of students--per year.  My local elementary school just had an addition added, yet the Kindergarten playground is being removed for more portables.  Many of us ran for the state legislature on the platform plank of bringing more state school construction dollars to the county.  And we have.  The chart below shows the increase in state school construction funding dollars for Montgomery County over the past few years, representing a 50% increase. The success is thanks to the work of many different people at the county and state level.  But there is still a lot more work to do and bar graphs are cold comfort when your kids' school is overcrowded, but we are chipping away.

Metro
I joined nine other legislators from Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in writing and releasing a report on Metro reform and funding entitled “Metro Reform: A Maryland Approach.”  The report is an outgrowth of the work of the WMATA-Metro Work Group--which I co-founded and co-chair in Annapolis--and many meetings I have had in the region about what is needed to improve Metro.  The report comprises a series of reform proposals to improve the Metro system.  Included in the report are:

• A restructured Board of Directors to improve governance;
• Improved oversight by strengthening Metro’s Office of the Inspector General;
• Increased public and rider participation in Metro through a reformulated Riders Advisory Council and robust public processes; and
• The establishment of a dedicated revenue source through a flexible framework that allows jurisdictions to pursue the funding options that work best for them. 

The proposal works holistically, but parts of it can also be used in combination with other reform proposals circulating regionally.  I have been meeting with federal, DC, and Virginia representatives to discuss how we can move Metro forward.  You can read the full report here.  Multiple media outlets also covered the report, here and here.

Administration News
Each county in the state submits a letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation regarding local priorities for state transportation funding.  Supposedly, these letters do a lot to shape the annual update to the state's capital transportation plan.  Montgomery County's recent letter reflects current priorities in District 16 including funding for Metro; safety improvements on state roads, such as River Road; transportation improvements in C&O Canal National Historic Park; and 270/495 improvements.  You can read the letter here.
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A recent request for data from a federal election integrity commission has elicited concern in over 40 states.  I joined a letter to our elections administrator urging her to comply with state law and not release the information.  The Maryland Attorney General concurred with that view and the State Board of Elections has declined to release the data.  Here is a link to the letter we sent.
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Many constituents have written the District 16 team concerned about large health insurance rate hikes currently pending before the Maryland Insurance Administration.  We wrote a letter to the Maryland Insurance Administration expressing our concerns.  Frankly, many of the drivers of insurance cost increases are beyond control of the state or private insurers.  But there are areas the Maryland Insurance Administration can scrutinize carefully such as how the insurers are planning for federal policy changes, their plans to contribute to reserves, projected morbidity rates, and more.  You can read the letter here.
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The proposed federal budget appears dead on arrival in Congress, but there are still likely to be reductions with undivided government in DC.  For Maryland, this has a double effect: we lose out on programs and our overall economy is slowed.  The Maryland Center on Economic Policy released a preliminary analysis on the effect of budget cuts on the state.

Community News

• Little Falls Library will reopen on July 29.  The Bethesda Library will temporarily close for its refresh on August 6.  During the closure, a pop-up library will be placed at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center and will operate on Wednesdays and Sundays from 11am to 2pm.
• My office was contacted by a Churchill High School student about traffic safety on his walk to school.  We worked with Councilman Berliner's office to convene a community meeting with County transportation officials to discuss potential solutions.  The Montgomery County Department of Transportation is now implementing some of those approaches.  Bethesda Beat covered the student's advocacy.
• Congratulations to Enid Light on being appointed to the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.
• Joseph Judge has been reappointed to the Strathmore Hall Foundation Board of Directors.
• Congratulations to Susan Esserman for receiving the 2017 Chambers Women in Law Award for “Outstanding Contribution to Advancing Gender Diversity (Private Practice)."
• Marlene Beckman has been appointed to the County's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
• Congratulations Melanie White, Eleanor Nieman, and Barbara Turlington on receiving awards from the Village of Friendship Heights on July 4.

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