Passing Legislation

The big news this past week is all about politics.  Senator Barbara Mikulski has decided not to seek reelection after five terms in the Senate.  The news that several of Maryland's Members of Congress may run for the seat has many of my colleagues—and a long list of others from outside the legislature—considering Congressional campaigns.  Interestingly, state legislators are not on the ballot in 2016 and do not need to give up their current seats to run (but would have to resign if they win).  I am excited to be supporting Chris Van Hollen for the U.S. Senate.  Congressman Van Hollen has political savvy, policy smarts, and has also stayed connected to the district he serves.  I think those are skills we need in the U.S. Senate.

Legislative News

Although not necessarily on the front page, the House of Delegate has passed numerous bills over the past few weeks.  A number of them make technical changes to arcane or obscure areas of the law.  But here are a few of the more interesting bills you may not have heard about:

• Public Service Commission ("PSC") Post-Service Restrictions: The PSC regulates public utilities such as Pepco.  Both the House and the Senate have passed legislation restricting a departing Public Service Commissioner from going to work for a PSC-regulated company for a period of one year.  This strengthens the restriction that was already in place prohibiting departed Commissioners from advocating before the PSC.

• 70 Mile Per Hour Speed Limit: Both the House and Senate have passed bills allowing the State Highway Administration to examine state roads and determine if any maximum speed limits can be raised from 65 MPH to 70 MPH.  As you know, traffic in District 16 would rarely--if ever--allow such speeds but this was a priority for several rural lawmakers and some believe it could also be applied to the Intercounty Connector.
  
• Driverless Cars: Speaking of driving, the House has passed interesting legislation to study issues related to self-driving cars.  There are many who believe our automobile technology is moving in this direction and this bill would establish a task force of relevant stakeholders to consider issues such as the use of driverless vehicles by the blind, how liability would be assessed in an accident, and driver education.

Agency News

Last week's email discussed my legislative scholarships program.  Another higher education funding option you should be aware of is the College Savings Plans of Maryland.  This is a state program set up in the late 1990s that currently provides two options for higher education saving:

1. Maryland Prepaid College Trust: This program allows a student to pre-pay tuition at today's prices by entering a "tuition contract" with the Board and pre-paying in advance of enrollment.
2. College Investment Plan: This program is a mutual fund style investment that is professionally managed and can later be used for higher education costs.

These short descriptions do not tell you everything about these programs.  If you have a child or grandchild and are thinking about higher education, I would encourage you to visit the state system's website.

Community News

• The Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Educational Foundation is hosting an Evening of Wine, Chocolate, and Cheese on March 12, 2015 from 7pm to 9pm.  The event will be held at the Woman's Club of Chevy Chase, 7931 Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase.  More information is at www.bccedfoundation.org.
• Congressman Chris Van Hollen will be holding a Service Academy Forum with representatives from the Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, Military, and Naval Academies for classes entering in July of 2016.  Interested 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students and their parents are invited to attend:

Thursday, March 19, 2015
(Panel convenes at 7:15pm)
Montgomery County Executive Office Building, Auditorium
101 Monroe Street
Rockville, MD 20852

For information on directions or parking, please call (301) 424-3501.

• The Bethesda Urban Partnership will host its annual film festival on March 20th and 21st.  The event is held at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Avenue in Bethesda.  Click here to purchase tickets or for more details.
• The BCC High School Used Book Sale is on Saturday, March 21 from 10am-5pm and Sunday March 22 from 10am-3pm at BCC High School.  More information is available at www.bccptsa.org
• Councilman Craig Rice is holding an Education Budget Meeting with Larry Bowers, Interim Superintendent of MCPS, and Sanjay Rai, Senior VP of Academic Affairs at Montgomery College.  The event will be held on Monday, March 23rd from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Winston Churchill High School, 11300 Gainsborough Road in Potomac.

If you know of an event that should be advertised, please email the information to [email protected].

District 16 Notes

• District 16 Democratic Central Committeemember Michael Gruenberg's book, Buying and Selling Information, is a "Featured Book of the Month" at his publisher.  More information is at http://www.infotoday.com/.  Congratulations Mike!
• The Gips Family of Bethesda had a fun New Years Resolution you may have read about in the Washington Post Magazine.  Check it out here.
• Congratulations to the BCC Barons Boys Basketball team on winning the Regional Championship.  On to the Final Four!

If you know of a District 16 resident who merits recognition or condolences, please email [email protected].