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

November Update

11/14/2016

 
Picture
Another election has come and gone. Congratulations to all the winners from the presidency on down to the local school board.  But also my thanks to those who ran and lost.  Whatever their party or cause, those candidates threw their hats into the ring in order to improve their local, state, or national government.
The Montgomery County Delegation to Annapolis is in the midst of its fall and winter meetings in Rockville.  Upcoming meetings include a joint priorities hearing and hearings on local legislation.  The calendar of meetings is available here.

My friend and former competitor, Jordan Cooper, recently interviewed me for his Public Interest Podcast.  Click here to listen to the interview.

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

I have joined with several colleagues in an effort to reform pre-trial money bail in Maryland.  Too often, money bail has been used to keep people in jail because of an inability to pay, rather than any risk they pose.  We wrote to the Maryland Attorney General to try and understand the legality and constitutionality of the current approach and Attorney General Frosh's office wrote back with significant concern regarding the use of pre-trial money bail.

Following that opinion letter, almost eighty of my colleagues in the General Assembly sent a letter to the Judiciary's Standing Committee on Rules, Practices, and Procedures in support of proposed reforms to pre-trial money bail put forth by the Attorney General.
-----------
One of my priorities since being elected is to advance the use of energy storage devices (e.g., batteries paired with solar panels) in the state.  The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) recently launched a proceeding on several forward looking electric utilities issues, including storage.  I submitted comments to the PSC that outlined key principles that I believe should govern energy storage in Maryland: environmental stewardship; forward thinking; flexibility; cost effectiveness; and regulatory clarity.  I also outlined some of the many beneficial uses and complexities of energy storage.  You can read my comments here.
-----------
Back in April, I shared a letter sent by the legislature's Joint Committee on Pensions that I worked on with Chairman Barnes, Chairman Peters, Delegate Stein, and Delegate Platt. The letter asked how our state pension fund was addressing the growing risks of climate change. Climate change can affect the direct value of certain assets but also create regulatory risks for others. Many financial institutions are factoring climate change into their evaluation of investments.  The state's Chief Investment Officer recently sent a reply and testified on the issue at a recent hearing.

Administration News

River Road is a state road governed by the State Highway Administration (SHA).  Along with my District 16 colleagues and local and federal officials, I have worked to improve River Road safety.

We recently asked the State Highway Administration (SHA) to study turning the stretch of River Road near Whitman High School into a "school zone." SHA promptly informed us they have agreed to do the study. A school zone designation would allow for a lower speed limit in that segment of River Road.  SHA also sent an update on some of the other work being considered in that area.
-----------
Last month, I wrote about the Bureau of Revenue Estimates projections for the state of Maryland lagging expectations.  Because Maryland is constitutionally required to have a balanced budget, this has necessitated action for the current fiscal year.  The Board of Public Works (BPW) is empowered by state law to make certain line item budget reductions of up to 25% and the Governor proposed $82 million of such reductions last month, which can be viewed on page 57 of this agenda. 

Mid-year budget reductions may be painful to those who benefit from the affected programs or services, but I am proud they are at least transparent.  Legislation I sponsored in 2016 now requires these BPW cuts to be made public prior to being made--a reversal from previous practice--which gives Marylanders a chance to weigh in on these difficult decisions.

Metro

I was recently invited to participate in a forum regarding dedicated funding for Metro.  While I support dedicated funding, I explained at the forum that any new funding should be coupled with significant reform of Metro's governance and management.  You can watch the forum online.
-----------
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments recently issued an interim technical panel report on Metro. The report covers three major issues: benchmarks for improvement, value, and funding needs.

Benchmarks: Almost everyone agrees that measurable improvements are imperative for continued regional buy-in and support of Metro. The report discussed specific measurable benchmarks related to safety, reliability, and customer experience. In addition to many objectively quantifiable measures, the report recommends including customer perception and satisfaction in these areas.

Value: As is broadly accepted, the report found high property value near Metro stations. According to the report, there is a real estate value premium on properties within a half mile of Metro of between 6.8% (single family residential) to 9.4% (multi-family).

Funding Needs: The study found an operating funding gap of $2.1 billion over ten years and a capital funding gap of $9.8 to $12 billion (depending on whether certain investments would be made). It also discussed the need for debt financing to make that gap more manageable.

The report is a good addition to the important discussion happening now about what we want from Metro and how to get it.
-----------
SafeTrack repairs are occurring on the Red Line through November 22.  Visit Montgomery County's website on the work to find out more details and how to minimize delays.

Community News
  • Like many high school clusters around the County, the schools in the Walter Johnson cluster are under severe capacity constraints. But in addition to existing single family home neighborhoods turning over to a younger generation with growing families, WJ has students coming from the White Flint, White Flint 2, and Rock Spring redevelopments and whatever is built on the WMAL property.The school system superintendent has recently released his recommendations for addressing these challenges. You can view the full report here.
  • School boundaries are extremely sensitive, as many people move to neighborhoods so their children can benefit from a particular school. The BCC High School Cluster has long been in need of an additional Middle School. Westland Middle School (fun fact: Westland itself was previously combined from two middle schools in the days of declining enrollment) is projected to be almost 600 students over capacity in the 2017-2018 school year. Luckily, a new middle school is under construction. The Superintendent recently issued his proposal for the boundaries for the two cluster middle schools. Click here to read it.
  • Congratulations to Bethesda's Rose Li on being appointed to the state Board of Education by the Governor.
  • Wendy Pulliam, Bonnie DeWitt, Michael Gruenberg and Roberta Rovner Pieczenik were recently reappointed to the County's Commission on Juvenile Justice.  Congratulations!
  • Congratulations to Somerset's Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott, on being named Washington Business Journal's CEO of the Year.  And thanks for deciding to keep Marriott in Bethesda!
  • The Friendship Heights Neighbors Network (FHNN) was recently formed, a grass-roots, self-organized initiative that through volunteer efforts has completed a community needs assessment, is now processing Articles of Incorporation, and is applying for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.  The FHNN will provide volunteer-supported services and member social interaction to enable neighbors to remain active and engaged in their community.  Visit  http://www.fhneighbors.org/ for more information.
  • The Library Board's Kathleen Reedy was recently reappointed.  Congratulations Kathleen!
  • Diana Rubin from District 16 was recently appointed to the County's Commission on Women.  Best of luck Diana!
If you know of a District 16 resident who merits recognition or condolences, please email marc@marckorman.com.

​Community Events
  • The House and Senate Montgomery County Delegations will be hosting the annual joint priorities hearing on Wednesday, November 16.  Check a future email for information about signing up to testify.  The meeting will take place at 7pm at the Council Office Building in Rockville in the 3rd floor hearing room.
  • The Glen Echo Holiday Art Show and Sale runs from November 19 to January 8.  Visit www.glenechopark.org for further information.
  • On Monday, December 5, hearings on local and bi-county bills will occur.  The hearings will take place at 7pm at the Council Office Building in Rockville in the 3rd floor hearing room.
  • Further hearings on local and bi-county bills will occur on Wednesday, December 7.  The hearings will take place at 7pm at the Council Office Building in Rockville in the 3rd floor hearing room.
If you know of an upcoming community event, 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