More Than Halfway Through The Legislative Session - Weekly Update

We are now more than halfway through the 2024 legislative session and 19 days from "crossover," the date by which bills are supposed to pass one chamber in order to be guaranteed a hearing in the other. Most--but not all--legislation with a chance of becoming law will pass one chamber by that date.

As we get deeper into the legislative session, we are on the House floor for longer periods of time debating legislation. As a committee chair, I usually leave it to my subcommittee chairs to debate and defend legislation we are advancing out of committee.  However, this past week I was briefly up on the House floor to help clarify pro-environmental legislation called the Paint Stewardship Act.  You can watch it here.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
​The Maryland Metro Funding Act of 2024 that I sponsored passed the House with bipartisan support. The legislation temporarily eases Maryland's operating funding limit for Metro/WMATA in line with the Governor's budget and regional negotiations regarding Metro funding.

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You may recall that I proposed local legislation to require Montgomery County Public Schools teachers to undergo training in anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of religious discrimination.  However, as part of the Decency Agenda the House is passing this year that I mentioned last week, there is a statewide bill to accomplish this goal for every school system.  Therefore, I have withdrawn the local bill.
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HB 1300 is another local bill I have received numerous questions about.  The bill would void restrictions in deeds, covenants, or common ownership community organization documents that restrict land use beyond what the county's zoning regulations state for that area. There have been a lot of questions about the bill.  We discussed this bill in the Montgomery County Delegation meeting last week and you can see that discussion here.

ADMINISTRATION UPDATE
Governor Moore was back in the Environment and Transportation Committee this week to discuss his housing agenda, which includes three pieces of legislation related to zoning and where housing can be built, protections and support for renters, and a new community development enterprise to access federal tax credit financing for development.  You can watch his explanation here and read about each bill in detail below:
Housing Expansion and Affordability Act of 2024
Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024
Housing and Community Development Financing Act of 2024

PEPCO UPDATE
​For those of you with solar panels on your roof, Pepco recently sent an email regarding implementation of the Net Metering Flexibility Act in Maryland. I authored this legislation with Senator Brian Feldman--inspired by a conversation with a constituent in his driveway when going door-to-door--and it allows those who generate electricity more flexibility in how they use net metering credits for electricity they sell to the grid. If you have questions about this policy, you can call Pepco customer care center at 1-800-424-8028.

COMMUNITY NEWS
Montgomery County Parks will hold a virtual meeting to discuss proposed renovations at Merrimac Neighborhood Park. The meeting is on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, from 7 – 8:30 p.m. Register to attend here.
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The Bethesda Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club has a series of upcoming meetings. To obtain links for any of the below, please email [email protected]:
-March 4, at 7:30am: Lisa Taylor, Chair of the Montgomery County Committee Against Hate/Violence
-April 10, at 7:30am: District 18 state legislators
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Congratulations to Daniel Ahr on joining the Friendship Heights Village Council.
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Two Montgomery County constituents are being confirmed to County Boards and Commissions this week: Nick Magliato to the Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board and Jordan Kaplan to the Interagency Coordinating Board for Community Use of Public Facilities.

BOOK CORNER
With Larry Hogan back in Maryland politics and not just on the Sunday shows, this is a good time to highlight Blue-State Republican by Mileah Kromer. She explores Hogan's political success and popularity during his gubernatorial years as a Republican in a Democratic-leaning state.  I was probably too close to this overall topic--the political time period, not Governor Hogan--to have an unbiased opinion of the book but I particularly appreciated her discussion of Hogan's specific political tactics that helped him maintain his popularity and win a second term.