A big part of the job in Annapolis is, of course, to vote on legislation. We took our first votes on legislation on the House floor back on January 30th (it was a maternal and child health funding bill using an existing pot of money) but more committees are now sending legislation to the floor. My committee had its first voting session this past Friday. Those bills--which include an environmental measure on yard waste, a bill on cycling safety, and changes to fishing fees--are on the House floor this week. The rate of committee and floor voting sessions will speed up from here.
Last week was also the deadline to file legislation without it being referred to the Rules Committee (instead of the policy committee of jurisdiction). There are over 1800 bills in the House and over 1300 in the Senate. Currently, the committee I chair (Environment & Transportation or ENT) has the second most amount of bills in the House.

DELEGATION UPDATE
​As regular readers know, the Montgomery County House Delegation--now 26 members strong--meets most Friday mornings for local bills and to consider local legislation. This past Friday included a briefing from Park & Planning which you can watch here. At the briefing, the Planning Director (a District 16 resident!) shared a story map that traces housing development in Montgomery County over the decades. You can review the map and all of the changes in Montgomery County here.

LEGISLATION UPDATEEach bill I am sponsoring has now been introduced and scheduled for a hearing. Yesterday was the hearing on the Metro Funding Modification Act, which grows Maryland's dedicated capital funding for our area Metro system--contingent on Washington, D.C. and Virginia doing the same--because the value of the contribution has eroded since 2018 when it was first enacted. You can watch the hearing online.

BUDGET UPDATE
I provided a broad overview of the Governor's budget submission several weeks ago. The budget process will continue over the rest of the legislative session. A large and, of course, controversial aspect of it relates to tax changes proposed by the Governor. The state's Bureau of Revenue Estimates recently issued its report on the impact of personal income tax changes by tax bracket and county.


BIRD FLU UPDATE
I mentioned a few weeks ago that my committee held a briefing on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (also known as avian or bird flu) which you can watch here.
Since then, bird flu has made its way to backyard birds in Montgomery County. Here are some reminders. The Maryland Department of Agriculture requires all owners of backyard chickens to register their flock with the department. Learn how to register here. In the event of an infected bird, owners should contact the Maryland Department of Agriculture at 410.841.5810 (after hours at 410.841.5971) or send an email to [email protected].
Owners should limit visitation and interaction with their birds from non-essential parties. Any coop and feeding areas should be covered and secured to prevent exposure to wild birds and animals. Food and water should be changed daily to reduce risk. Following interacting with the flock, owners should sanitize their hands and any equipment used as well as dispose of any garments worn when providing care. As we all work to handle the ongoing outbreak, owners can help keep their flocks safe and limit the spread of Bird Flu in Maryland.

COMMUNITY NEWS
Nancy Long, a 51-year Town of Glen Echo Councilmember, recently passed away She was involved in efforts to revitalize Glen Echo Park including the Carousel and protecting the C&O Canal. Condolences to the entire Town of Glen Echo on the passing of this stalwart resident.
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If you are looking for tax preparation assistance, AARP tax aide volunteers will be available for low to moderate income taxpayers at the Davis Library in Bethesda numerous times in February including: Friday, February 14th at 10am-6pm; Wednesday, February 19th at 12pm-5pm; Friday, February 21st at 10am-6pm; Wednesday, February 26th at 12pm-5pm; and Friday, February 28th at 10am-6pm.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH
February is Black History Month. The real life inspiration for Harriett Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin lived in Montgomery County and you can learn more about him at the Josiah Henson Museum Park in District 16. You can watch a video about him from Montgomery Community Media.

OFFICE CORNER
The last few weeks I have shown various maps I have around my office. This week I have one last one to share. Several years ago, a then-colleague gave me a copy of the Report of the State Roads Commission of Maryland for the Years 1908, 1909, 1910, and 1911. It came with this incredible map in the back that I had framed.

I usually send my weekly email out in the morning. But today was the Governor's State of the State Address, so I waited to send the email so I could link to his speech. The Governor talked about the challenges ahead during this legislative session and beyond as we address our budget deficit but also work with a new and, frankly, erratic federal administration. He called these two storms.
In Michelle Obama's memoir, she described President Obama's approach to his job: "His job, it seemed, was to take the chaos and metabolize it somehow into calm leadership--every day of the week, every week of the year." The current president prefers to catalyze the chaos. In addition to the very real and frightening threats to federal funding and federal workers, this was demonstrated by his offensive response to the tragedy at National Airport, a tragedy where at least eight Marylanders were among the 67 souls lost.
The Governor reminded us that Marylanders prefer for us to "confront crisis with courage, compassion, competence and calm."

​BRIEFINGS UPDATE
​The Environment & Transportation Committee continues to receive briefings on some of the important issues our committee will deal with even as we take up a full schedule of bill hearings. Last week, we had a briefing on the State of the Chesapeake Bay and our annual fiscal briefing.

LEGISLATION UPDATE
I continue to introduce the legislation that I announced in my first email of the legislative session. This past week, I introduced two more bills (the last two I expect to introduce this session):
Conflicts of Interest Act (HB 932): The committee I chair has jurisdiction over our state ethics laws. Several disturbing stories have come out regarding how the former Governor did not recuse himself from matters that clearly impacted the private business he still owned. This legislation would strengthen the state’s rules around blind trusts and non-participation requirements to ensure our governors are acting on behalf of the state and not their private interests. Senator Brian Feldman, chair of the Senate committee of jurisdiction, is sponsoring the Senate version of this bill.
Franchise Reform Act (HB 992): Franchising is the system by which a successful business can replicate its idea with independent ownership. If you think about McDonald’s, some of the stores are owned by the McDonald’s Corporation but many are owned by individual franchisees who have to follow certain requirements of the Franchisor (the McDonald’s Corporation). Maryland has one of the toughest franchising laws in the country, making it difficult for Franchisors to expand their concepts and for small business owner franchisees to access these concepts. The regulatory regime is well meaning to protect potential franchisees from being taken advantage of, but I believe Maryland can be more friendly to these new business concepts, a concern brought to me by several constituents. The bill would pilot a new system for franchisors to file their paperwork with the state and make other changes to our franchising regulatory regime.
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Bill hearings are also continuing. Last week, there was a bill hearing on the County School Board Antibias Training Act (HB 324). As as a reminder, last year we required “school employees” to take anti-bias training including to address anti-Semitism. We learned that this did not include school board members and I introduced this bill with Senator Brian Feldman to close this loophole. You can watch the hearing here. Local press also covered the bill.

Yesterday, two other bills I sponsored were heard in the Ways & Means Committee.
The Affordable Housing Payment In Lieu of Taxes Expansion Act (HB 390) would expand an existing affordable housing program to protection naturally occurring affordable housing. You can watch the bill hearing online.
The Local Boards of Elections Transparency Act (HB 412) would expand transparency requirements for our local boards of elections to live stream their meetings and canvassing sessions. You can watch that hearing online as well.

CONSTITUENT MEETINGS
​It is always fun to have constituents visit us during the General Assembly session. This past week's visits included a group of District 16 residents with Moms Demand Action to talk about sensible gun safety and Girl Scout Troop 34148 from Bethesda Elementary School. If you are going to be in Annapolis, be sure to stop by to visit me.

COMMUNITY NEWS
​Congressman Jamie Raskin has launched a new resource page regarding the impact of the federal Administration's policies and actions. You can hear from Congressman Raskin directly at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club on Monday, February 10th at 7:30am (hope the Super Bowl doesn't run too late!). Email [email protected] for the link.
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Last week, I mentioned the Montgomery County Planning Board's discussion of the 2024 Bethesda Downtown Plan Annual Monitoring Report. You can watch their discussion here. Also relevant to our area, on Thursday the Planning Board will consider the scope of work for the forthcoming new Friendship Heights Sector Plan.
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If you are looking for tax preparation assistance, AARP tax aide volunteers will be available for low to moderate income taxpayers at the Davis Library in Bethesda numerous times in February including: Friday, February 7th at 10am-6pm; Wednesday, February 12th at 12pm-5pm; Friday, February 14th at 10am-6pm; Wednesday, February 19th at 12pm-5pm; Friday, February 21st at 10am-6pm; Wednesday, February 26th at 12pm-5pm; and Friday, February 28th at 10am-6pm.
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Congratulations to Ed Krauze and George Zarubin on their appointments to the County-wide Recreation and Parks Advisory Board.

OFFICE CORNER
​Last week I shared the Maryland Transit Administration maps in my office. Keeping with the theme, this is a laser-cut wooden map of District 16 a friend made me. However, District 16 is slightly different today as this reflects the pre-2020 census version where one of the Potomac precincts that is no longer a part of the district today still was.

Presenting legislation regarding Maryland license plates.
BUDGET UPDATE

​Thank you for all of the email and telephone call feedback I received on last week's run through of the Governor's proposed budget. That will be the focus of a lot of discussion and work over the next few months.
Some of you have asked for my position on discrete provisions--taxes/revenue, cuts, shifts to the county--within his overall proposal. While I obviously have views on individual provisions, the budget is not just an a la carte menu where we can pick and choose what we like and don't like. Ultimately, the final package must represent a balanced budget and that will undoubtedly involve some tough decisions about what programs will be reduced and how programs are paid for. My approach is to ensure:
1. That we do what we can to protect the most vulnerable who rely on our support to live and thrive;
2. That we remember the need for economic competitiveness as we make these decisions to ensure we can grow and prosper; and
3. That it be a fair deal for Montgomery County and District 16. 
Others have asked for predictions about what will happen with particular proposals. I believe it is really too soon to predict the final outcome and, indeed, there will be other ideas not introduced by the Governor that will enter the conversation.
Please keep hitting reply or calling with your questions, concerns, and other feedback on the budget.

 BRIEFINGS UPDATE

The Environment & Transportation Committee continues its robust schedule of briefings. Last week, we had a lengthy joint briefing with our Senate colleagues on Maryland's zero emission vehicle goals, a briefing on background checks for renters, a briefing on Department of Natural Resources issues including the charter boat industry and Maryland's tree planting goals, and one on avian influenza. So far this week, we have had a briefing on the state of Maryland's agriculture industry.
Separate from my committee work, I would recommend this thorough briefing on the Blueprint for Maryland's future, Maryland's major investment in pre-k through 12 public education reform and improvement.

FEDERAL UPDATE

In the weekly update that I sent around this time eight years ago, I shared my general philosophy that I try to keep my updates focused on the state and local issues that are in my purview. That does not mean I do not have opinions about what happens nationally and, certainly, many federal actions can have a significant impact on our community. The new Administration's war on federal employees and recent decisions to freeze certain spending already agreed to are uniquely bad for Maryland and my district.
That said, we took a number of actions in 2017 and beyond to try and insulate our state from certain actions such as codifying Obamacare protections in state law, funding reproductive health, and more. One of the most significant actions we took was to further empower our state Attorney General to bring suit against the federal government.  Some members of Maryland's minority party disingenuously opposed this stating that the states should not sue the federal government, despite their own cheering at that time for conservative state suits against Obamacare and EPA regulation--cheering that certainly continued in the Biden years when conservative states challenged, for example, student debt relief. I hope that Attorney General Brown actively uses his authority and I will encourage him to do so at appropriate times.

LEGISLATION UPDATE

I continue to introduce the legislation that I announced in my first email of the legislative session. This past week, I introduced two more bills:
Automated Enforcement Privacy Protections (HB 516): This year I am the House cross-file of Senator Sara Love’s bill to set privacy protections around our automated enforcement programs. I believe these programs are important for public safety but there should be clear rules about how our personal data can be used. Senator Love championed this issue for years in the House and I am happy to follow her lead now.
The MARC Rail Authority Act of 2025 (HB 517): Maryland’s commuter rail system—the three lines that make up MARC rail including the Brunswick Line through Montgomery County—has long been the stepchild of the state Department of Transportation. Despite endless initiatives and plans, little seems to change with this system that could be a crucial part of our 21st century transportation network. I believe that part of the challenge is that our Maryland Transit Administration is not built to succeed. Unlike most state transit agencies, it provides the local Baltimore-area transit service (bus, light rail, and subway), similar to WMATA/Metro in our area, while also maintaining control of commuter rail, transit planning and grantmaking statewide, and more. This legislation would separate the MARC system to function more independently. Senator Cory McCray is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill.

TRANSPORTATION UPDATE

A provision of the annual state budget requires the Maryland Department of Transportation to provide bimonthly reports on Purple Line progress. The January report is now available here. The chart below shows the overall progress and progress of specific project elements.

COMMUNITY NEWS

​The Planning Department's annual Downtown Bethesda Annual Monitoring Report has been released and will be discussed at this week's Planning Board meeting.
OFFICE CORNER

Last week I shared my office's Metro stuff. This week, I want to share a few Maryland Transit Administration maps I obtained and had framed (at my own expense) and placed in the outer office of the Environment & Transportation Committee. These show some of the other current and future transit options around the state beyond WMATA.

In last week's email, I noted that the Governor's budget would arrive later that day. I have spent the past week parsing through the budget and want to offer some initial thoughts here.
But first, a brief primer. The annual budget--the only bill we are constitutionally required to pass each year (and it must be balanced)--is actually three documents:
1. The Operating Budget: This is the cost of personnel and programs including aid to local school districts and other local aid programs. You can dig into the proposed operating budget here.
2. The Capital Budget: This is the state's construction budget which funds school construction, state buildings, and assistance with local construction projects. You can review the capital budget here.
3. The Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BFRA): This is legislation that accompanies the budget and makes changes to law necessary to balance the budget--a constitutional requirement--such as adjusting a funding formula. You can read the 2025 BRFA here.

The projected budget deficit for fiscal year 2026--the subject of the Governor's submission--was $3 billion. Before discussing more about what is in the budget, it is worth discussing how we got here. It is a fair question and I wish some of those opining on it would actually ask about it and examine the issue.
Structural deficits--future year shortfalls based on current spending--are not new in Maryland and have existed as long as I have been in the General Assembly with the exception of a few years when the state was flush with COVID-19 aid from the federal government. That money was used for several different purposes: a number of aid and rebate programs; saving in the Rainy Day Fund which starts this year at 10% of the General Fund, whereas pre-COVID that was typically 5%; savings in the Blueprint Fund to pre-pay public education costs; significant one-time construction/capital expenses; and some ongoing programs such as the state's new tax credit for those over 65, expanding the state Earned Income Tax Credit, and providing some dental benefits via Medicaid.
So what is driving the fiscal year 2026 deficit? It is actually not public education, which is often casually blamed. The Blueprint for Maryland's future is an ambitious, and frankly expensive, revamp of our pre-k through 12 education programs but because of savings made during the COVID-era budget surpluses driven by federal assistance, it does not contribute to the structural deficit until after fiscal year 2027. But three programs have driven shorter-term costs up: higher than expected Medicaid enrollment and expenses; high participation in the state's childcare subsidy program; and significant expenses at the Developmental Disabilities Administration.
By the way, everything I have written about above relates to the so-called General Fund. Regular readers know that I spend a lot of time on issues related to the separate Transportation Trust Fund (TTF). The TTF is largely funded by its own sources such as motor fuel taxes but there are some cross-subsidies. For example, work to expand the Howard Street Tunnel to support the Port of Baltimore is being paid in part by General Fund resources although it is a transportation project.
With that significant--but still abbreviated--background provided, what is in the Governor's budget?
It tackles the $3 billion projected General Fund deficit with approximately $1.3 billion in revenue raisers (taxes and fees), $630 million in fund transfers, and over $1 billion in budget cuts. On the transportation side, it also raises approximately $420 million in revenue (taxes and fees) to hold the transportation budget essentially harmless and able to meet its prior commitments.
What always makes the news are tax changes. The Governor proposes to:
-Consolidate the bottom four tax brackets with a 4.7% rate;
-Increases taxes on two new top income tax brackets ($600,001-$1,200,000 and more than $1.2 million);
-Add a temporary 1% capital gains surcharge for those with income over $350,000;
-Increase the standard deduction to $5,600/$11,200 (single filer/joint return) but eliminate itemization of deductions;
-Lower the estate tax exemption to $2 million but eliminate the inheritance tax;
-Lower the corporate income tax rate from 8.25% to 7.99% but adopt the combined reporting approach to corporate income taxes;
-Increase sports wagering tax rate from 15% to 30%, table game tax rate from 20% to 25%, and increase the cannabis tax rate from 9% to 15%; and
-Increase the assessment on hospitals to cover Medicaid costs.
On the transportation side, the Governor proposes to:
-Add a $0.75 retail delivery fee;
-Limit the trade-in exemption on vehicles when the vehicle being purchased is over $15,000;
-Raise the vehicle emissions inspection program fee from $10 to $30;
-Quicken the pace of forthcoming registration increases.
On the cuts side, the Governor proposes to:
-Permanently reduce support for behavioral health services in our schools, slow the phase-in of teacher collaborative time, and pause extra support for so-called "Community Schools" with a high concentration of poverty (remember, none of these pre-k through 12 reductions help the immediate budget deficit);
-Reduce support for the Developmental Disability Administration by changing the self-directed care program and eliminating another program for those with developmental disabilities;
-Cap the enrollment in our childcare subsidy program; 
-Decrease funding to the University System and assumes a 2% tuition increase; and
-Reduces future expenditures to many other smaller programs.
The Governor's proposal also shifts various costs to county government (meaning county taxpayers) including certain pension costs, operational costs of the State Department of Assessment and Taxation which handles local property tax assessments, and special needs teacher pay.
There are also various fund transfers, including using $180 million from the state's Strategic Energy Investment Fund to support climate programs.
A lot more information is available in the fiscal briefing prepared by the Department of Legislative Services which was presented this past Monday. The briefing can be viewed here and the meeting materials accessed here.
In addition, each specific agency will be the subject of its own Department of Legislative Services budget analysis and hearing in both the House and the Senate. The hearing dates can be viewed here, where the analyses will also be posted as they become available.
There are some capital projects in District 16 funded in the Governor's budget that I would like to highlight, including funding for HVAC systems at Whitman High School and Westland Middle School; funding for the renovation and expansion of the Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health; and funding for the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park.

COMMITTEE UPDATEAs I mentioned last week, our committees usually begin each session with oversight briefings as bills are still being introduced. Thus far, my committee has held briefings on the State of Housing in Maryland, our Vision Zero traffic safety goals, housing affordability including insurance, and our state's transit systems. We have several more upcoming briefings which can be viewed here. 

LEGISLATION UPDATEI continue to introduce the legislation that I announced in my first email of the legislative session. This past week, several more bills were introduced including:
Local Board of Elections Transparency Act (HB 412): For several years, Senator Cheryl Kagan and I have advanced transparency legislation including at the State Board of Elections to require public posting of agendas and live web streaming of meetings. This year, we are proposing to expand those requirements to local Boards of Elections including for when they canvass ballots, as was done during COVID. This bill has been assigned to the Ways and Means Committee.
Affordable Housing Payments in Lieu of Taxes Expansion Act (HB 390): Working with our county partners, this legislation would expand an existing state program that allows housing projects meeting certain affordability requirements to pay no or discounted property taxes. In Montgomery County, more of these projects involve maintaining affordability for existing naturally occurring affordable housing that would otherwise be redeveloped to higher market rates. The legislation would allow these types of projects to benefit from the program and keep more housing affordable. Senator Shelly Hettleman is bringing the bill forward in the Senate. It has been assigned to the Ways and Means Committee.
Metro Funding Modification Act of 2025 (HB 467): Regular readers of my updates will not be surprised to see a Metro funding bill included here. In 2018, our region came together to support dedicated capital funding to rebuild our Metro system. And it worked. The system is in far better shape today than it was five years ago. But the regional commitment of $500 million has not kept up with inflation and this legislation would re-base Maryland’s commitment to account for inflation and peg it for future 3% growth increments, all contingent on our regional partners doing the same. Senator Malcolm Augustine is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill. The bill has been assigned to the Appropriations Committee.
State Mineral Act (HB 411): Picking up the mantle from former Delegate Bill Frick, Senator Craig Zucker and I are championing my constituent’s initiative to have Chromite declared the state mineral, adding us to the majority of states with a state mineral. Chromite was first discovered in the United States in Maryland and is an industrial metal. The bill has been assigned to the Health and Government Operations Committee.
Also, the WSSC Transparency and Reform Act was the subject of a committee work session last week which you can watch here.
TRANSPORTATION UPDATEMetro is once again allowing you to check your annual stats. Visit https://metrorewind.com/ and enter your SmarTrip number to see how you did. Drop me a line and let me know how your stats compare to mine.

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The United States Senate Commerce Committee held a confirmation hearing on Sean Duffy, nominee for Transportation Secretary, last week. Two issues in Maryland--including one in District 16--were brought up by non-Maryland Senators and I wanted to highlight them.
Senator Tammy Baldwin shared the story of Sarah Langenkamp, the District 16 resident killed while cycling on River Road, and asked the nominee for support of flexible funding to protect cyclists and pedestrians. Watch the exchange here.
Senator Shelly Moore Capito referenced the horrific crash on I-695 that killed six road workers when seeking attention for road worker safety and protection. Watch that exchange here.
It is great to see these important safety issues that have obviously impacted Maryland but are repeated elsewhere given attention at this hearing on a bipartisan basis.

COMMUNITY NEWS
Congratulations to District 16's Jeffrey Slavin, who is stepping down from his role as Board President of Montgomery County Media after 10 years.

OFFICE CORNERIn honor of my introduction of the Metro Funding Modification Act and sharing my 2024 Metro stats, here area few of the Metro-related items in my Annapolis office. I framed the map and bought the Bethesda sign at my personal expense.

Later today, the Governor will introduce his annual balanced budget. As regular readers know, the fiscal year that is the subject of these budget negotiations has a large projected deficit and addressing that will be a significant task this legislative session. I will have a lot more to say about the Governor's proposed budget in future emails.
COMMITTEE UPDATEFor the second session in a row, I am chairing the Environment & Transportation Committee. Despite the name, the committee's jurisdiction covers not only environment and transportation but also housing, land, use, agriculture, ethics, and local government. You can watch the organizational meeting I led for the committee here.
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Each year, the committees commence the session with legislative briefings. The Environment & Transportation Committee has numerous briefings scheduled including these meetings on housing and transportation issues.
The State of Housing briefing already occurred and can be viewed here.

LEGISLATION UPDATE
​I have begun to introduce the bills that I previewed last week. Thus far, I have introduced two bills:
School Board Member Antibias Training Act: Last year, the General Assembly passed Ways and Means Chair Vanessa Atterbeary’s bill requiring school employees to undergo anti-bias training, including training related to anti-semitism. I was surprised to learn that school board members are not considered school employees and, therefore, were not included. This legislation closes that loophole and requires school board members around the state to go through the same training. I understand that our school board in Montgomery County is doing some voluntary training, but this sets the law for all to follow. Chair Feldman is also cross-filing this legislation.
 
Specially Designed Vintage Reproduction Registration Plates: If you ever see me driving, you know I do not even use my special General Assembly plates to say nothing of the plates you can buy with a Baltimore Oriole logo or a nice picture to support the state Agricultural Trust or Bay Foundation. But I believe Marylanders who want to pay extra should have these options and am partnering with Senator Folden to allow Marylanders to purchase a vintage plate design that was in use over 100 years ago and is quite popular with some of our neighbors.
DELEGATION NEWS
The 26 member Montgomery County House Delegation is the largest in the Maryland General Assembly. We typically meet weekly on Fridays during the legislative session. Our first meeting included updates from the County Executive and County Council President and can be watched here.
COMMUNITY NEWS
The Federal government has awarded $24.8m in federal funding for the new North Bethesda Metro station entrance. This is in addition to millions of dollars in state and local funding awarded over the years to put together the funding necessary for this project.

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Former District 16 Delegate and long-time State Treasurer Nancy Kopp was honored with her official portrait unveiling last week. It is a lovely tribute to a tremendous public servant.

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Congratulations to my seatmate, Senator Love, on her elevation to Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Read more about it here.

OFFICE CORNERThis year I plan to share an item from my office in my weekly emails. Because this week's update includes the organizational meeting of the Environment & Transportation Committee--known as E&T--I am sharing a few "ET" items in my office to remind me of the committee I chair. I have shared these as handouts--at my expense--with each of my committeemembers in the years I have chaired the "ET" Committee.

Today marks the start of the 2025 legislative session. Unlike the United States Congress, the Maryland General Assembly is part-time and meets for 90 days each year. After several legislative sessions starting new roles, I am excited to start this session in my second year as chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee, one of our six committees.

As I do each year with this first email of the legislative session, I will discuss my legislative agenda—the bills I will be primarily sponsoring—below. But I also have the opportunity each year to work on numerous other issues both as a member of the full House and chair of a committee.  Specifically, in addition to having the usual opportunity to weigh in on the state budget, public education, healthcare (including reproductive health), sensible gun control and public safety, and numerous other issues, the committee I chair has jurisdiction over the environment, transportation, housing, agriculture, ethics, and more.  In fact, as committee chair, I am the sponsor of 21 bills as a courtesy to various state departments and agencies seeking changes to their governing statutes.
 
That said, I currently plan to sponsor the most diverse slate of legislation of my entire career. Here are brief summaries of the eleven bills that I plan to primarily sponsor:
 
WSSC Transparency and Reform Act of 2025: The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission is our local water utility and while it succeeds every time clean water comes out of the tap and dirty water goes out with a flush, I am a strong believer in making sure our institutions are subject to strict oversight and review to ensure their continued success. This legislation arose from constituent complaints of varying scales: concerns about unexplainable high bills, exasperation with ever rising rates and add-on charges, and WSSC disregarding its contractual obligations to local communities. The bill puts in place several reforms and transparency provisions while also requiring a full review of WSSC’s performance. As a local bill, this has already been introduced and had local bill hearings (you can watch my testimony here). If it makes it through the local process in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, it will go through the regular legislative process.
 
The MARC Rail Authority Act of 2025: Maryland’s commuter rail system—the three lines that make up MARC rail including the Brunswick Line through Montgomery County—has long been the stepchild of the state Department of Transportation. Despite endless initiatives and plans, little seems to change with this system that could be a crucial part of our 21st century transportation network. I believe that part of the challenge is that our Maryland Transit Administration is not built to succeed. Unlike most state transit agencies, it provides the local Baltimore-area transit service (bus, light rail, and subway), similar to WMATA/Metro in our area, while also maintaining control of commuter rail, transit planning and grantmaking statewide, and more. This legislation would separate the MARC system to function more independently. Senator Cory McCray is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill.
 
Metro Funding Modification Act of 2025: Regular readers of my updates will not be surprised to see a Metro funding bill included here. In 2018, our region came together to support dedicated capital funding to rebuild our Metro system. And it worked. The system is in far better shape today than it was five years ago. But the regional commitment of $500 million has not kept up with inflation and this legislation would re-base Maryland’s commitment to account for inflation and peg it for future 3% growth increments, all contingent on our regional partners doing the same. Senator Malcolm Augustine is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill.
 
Franchise Reform Act: Franchising is the system by which a successful business can replicate their idea with independent ownership. If you think about McDonald’s, some of the stores are owned by the McDonald’s Corporation but many are owned by individual franchisees who have to follow certain requirements of the Franchisor (the McDonald’s Corporation). Maryland has one of the toughest franchising laws in the country, making it difficult for Franchisors to expand their concepts and for small business owner franchisees to access these concepts. The regulatory regime is well meaning to protect potential franchisees from being taken advantage of, but I believe Maryland can be more friendly to these new business concepts, a concern brought to me by several constituents. The bill would pilot a new system for franchisors to file their paperwork with the state and make other changes to our franchising regulatory regime.
 
Affordable Housing Payments in Lieu of Taxes Expansion Act: Working with our county partners, this legislation would expand an existing state program that allows housing projects meeting certain affordability requirements to pay no or discounted property taxes. In Montgomery County, more of these projects involve maintaining affordability for existing naturally occurring affordable housing that would otherwise be redeveloped to higher market rates. The legislation would allow these types of projects to benefit from the program and keep more housing affordable. Senator Shelly Hettleman is bringing the bill forward in the Senate.
 
Conflicts of Interest Act: The committee I chair has jurisdiction over our state ethics laws. Several disturbing stories have come out regarding how the former Governor did not recuse himself from matters that clearly impacted the private business he still owned. This legislation would strengthen the state’s rules around blind trusts and non-participation requirements to ensure our governors are acting on behalf of the state and not their private interests. Senator Brian Feldman, chair of the Senate committee of jurisdiction, is sponsoring the Senate version of this bill.
 
School Board Member Antibias Training Act: Last year, the General Assembly passed Ways and Means Chair Vanessa Atterbeary’s bill requiring school employees to undergo anti-bias training, including training related to anti-semitism. I was surprised to learn that school board members are not considered school employees and, therefore, were not included. This legislation closes that loophole and requires school board members around the state to go through the same training. I understand that our own county school board is doing some voluntary training, but this sets the law for all to follow. Chair Feldman is also cross-filing this legislation.
 
Local Board of Elections Transparency Act: For several years, Senator Cheryl Kagan and I have advanced transparency legislation including at the State Board of Elections to require public posting of agendas and live web streaming of meetings. This year, we are proposing to expand those requirements to local Boards of Elections including for when they canvass ballots, as was done during COVID.
 
Automated Enforcement Privacy Protections: This year I am the House cross-file of Senator Sara Love’s bill to set privacy protections around our automated enforcement programs. I believe these programs are important for public safety but there should be clear rules about how our personal data can be used. Senator Love championed this issue for years in the House and I am happy to follow her lead now.
 
Specially Designed Vintage Reproduction Registration Plates: If you ever see me driving, you know I do not even use my special General Assembly plates to say nothing of the plates you can buy with a Baltimore Oriole logo or a nice picture to support the state Agricultural Trust or Bay Foundation. But I believe Marylanders who want to pay extra should have these options and am partnering with Senator Folden to allow Marylanders to purchase vintage plates that were in use 100 years ago.
 
State Mineral Act: Picking up the mantle from former Delegate Bill Frick, Senator Craig Zucker and I are championing my constituent’s initiative to have Chromite declared the state mineral. Chromite was first discovered in the United States in Maryland and is an industrial metal. 
 
STAY CONNECTED
If you click reply to this email (this email or any weekly email from me), a return message comes directly to me and I welcome your feedback, questions, or comments anytime. You can also email me at [email protected] or call me on my cell phone at 240-447-1175. I post regularly on Facebook (Marc.Korman.Campaign), Twitter/X (@mkorman), and Threads (@marc_korman).
The Maryland General Assembly website has many great resources if you are interested in following our work over the next 90 days.  I will highlight just a few:
The general schedule is available here.
You can look up legislation and track its progress here.  Every bill introduced by the bill introduction deadline is guaranteed a hearing and before the hearing, a fiscal and policy note about the bill will be published.
You can view the Committee Schedule, which will be regularly updated, here.
I also recommend a few different news resources for those of you interested in the legislature.  In addition to the Washington Post and Baltimore Banner, there are three websites that specialize in coverage of Annapolis:
Maryland Reporter: http://marylandreporter.com/
Maryland Matters: https://marylandmatters.org/
Center Maryland: http://www.centermaryland.org/ 

LEGISLATIVE SESSION PREP I joined the I Hate Politics Podcast to preview one of the major issues of the legislative session, the project budget shortfall. You can listen to the episode here.
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Pre-filed legislation--bills introduced before the legislature convenes--are now available online. Find the House bills here and the Senate bills here. This year, the House Environment & Transportation Committee I chair has the second highest number of pre-filed bills assigned to it among the House committees.
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I have previously shared the 2025 legislative session issue papers prepared by the Department of Legislative Services, but as a reminder, you can find them here. 

OFFICE CORNERLast legislative session, I shared a book about Maryland politics and history each week of the legislative session. This year, I thought I would share something from my Annapolis office in each of my emails. This is a bit more self-indulgent compared to book recommendations but after several years in various Annapolis offices, I have some fun stuff on my shelves and walls. You should come visit me in it but, for now, I can share these tidbits. First up is my bookshelf of Maryland politics and history, featuring many of the volumes I shared last legislative session.

Dear Friend:
The Maryland General Assembly will convene for the annual 90-day legislative session on January 10th. My newsletter will transition to its weekly format during the legislative session.
Sometimes I am asked about this newsletter. Do I write it myself? I do but I have two helpful proofreaders in my aide and my mother (thanks Conor and mom!). When do I find time to write it? I regularly drop material in an email draft during the month (for the nine months the General Assembly is not in session) or week (for the 12 or so weeks the General Assembly is in session) to make it easier to assemble. Have I ever missed a month or week? I don't think so but it could happen anytime. Although I started the newsletter prior to getting elected, it is actually inspired by former New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's constituent newsletter which he wrote himself and did not start doing until two years into his first term. For a while, he addressed those letters "Dear Yorker" using a 19th century term. If anyone knows of an equivalent historic Maryland term I should use every once in a while, let me know.
In any event, my family and I wish you all happy and healthy holidays!

DISTRICT 16 MEETING
​On Saturday, January 4th at 4pm, we will participate in an in-person legislative send-off with the District 16 Democratic Club at the Carderock Springs Swim & Tennis Club. I hope to see you there.

BUDGET UPDATE
The Maryland Board of Revenue Estimates (BRE) recently met to update their budget projections. These figures set up fiscal year 2026 (July 2025-June 2026) budget negotiations next year. The estimate was a conservative one, with a small increase in income tax revenue this fiscal year based on year-to-date reporting but mostly holding next year steady because of the uncertainty of the impacts on our local economy from federal government changes by the incoming administration. Even with this write-up in revenue, a large budget deficit is expected for the next fiscal year that will need to be balanced.
You can watch the meeting here. And you can read the presentation here.
In part based on the work of the BRE, the General Assembly's Spending Affordability Committee has met to set the parameters for the budget. That meeting can be watched here and the presentation reviewed here. The major recommendations include balancing the structural budget deficit for the coming fiscal year, getting ahead on the future structural deficits, flat funding the capital (construction) budget unless certain conditions are met, and increasing transportation system preservation funding beyond what is currently planned.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
For bills that affect only Montgomery County or Montgomery and Prince George's County, we hold fall bill hearings. I am the sponsor of the WSSC Reform and Transparency Act to bring some sunshine and changes to our water utility. You can watch my local hearing testimony here and more information about the bill is available here.
The complete bill hearings held over two nights can be watched here and here.
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​In 2023, I sponsored legislation to review the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority and whether it should continue. The legislation developed out of a bipartisan commission formed by then-Governor Hogan to review quasi-governmental entities. You can read the sunset review report from the Department of Legislative Service's Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability here.

TRANSPORTATION UPDATE 
Last legislative session, the House Environment & Transportation Committee worked on a bill that became law from Senator Jeff Waldstreicher and Delegate Julie Palakovich Carr to bring some much-needed accountability to our state’s work on Vision Zero, our goal to reduce auto traffic related fatalities and protect drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.
The bill requires public meetings of the state’s Vision Zero Committee and has the committee review and vote to accept the infrastructure reviews conducted after fatalities.
You can watch the first public meeting here. And you can learn more about the legislation setting this up here.
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A provision of the state budget requires bimonthly reports from the Maryland Transit Administration on the Purple Line’s progress. The November report is here. The key charts showing progress by component and the milestone schedule are unchanged from the last report

COMMUNITY NEWS
Congratulations to Judge Catherine McQueen, a new Montgomery
​County Circuit Court Judge.

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Congratulations to Bethesda's Michelle Buteau on being appointed to the Montgomery County Commission on Women.
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David Schardt of Bethesda has been appointed to the Montgomery County Sports Advisory Committee. Congratulations David!
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Congratulations to Stacey Band and Matt Gordon on being reappointed to the Downtown Bethesda Implementation Advisory Committee.
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District 16 residents Connie Morella--a former Member of Congress, Ambassador, and state Delegate--and Gareth Murray--also a former state Delegate--have been selected for the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame. Learn more here.

The morning after the election, I shared this message on social media:
     Congratulations to all of last night’s winners from school board on up.
     And thanks to all of the candidates who did not make it but put themselves out  there to make their 
​      town, county, state, and/or nation a better place.
I am sure many of you were thrilled by some results and dismayed by others. Readers of my emails know where I stand and who I support. Typically, the local school board races have more of a direct impact on a lot of our lives than the presidential race--as important as our national leader is. But the incoming president's approach could mean turbulent times for Maryland. Even if you are not a federal employee, our area is a "company town" and that company is the federal government. Many jobs around here are direct federal or military jobs, involve federal contracting, or are in some direct or indirect way tied to the federal government (more on that in the economic update below). Moreover, I think of this quote from General James Mattis in 2020:
     “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the        American people        —does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us”
Hopefully, the second term will be different than the first but based on the announced plans and appointees so far, I am not optimistic. What this means for our federal workers, funding for Maryland priorities like rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, relocating the FBI to Maryland, and so on remains to be seen.
All of that said, this is a good time to put national politics out of mind and enjoy your families and Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!
UPCOMING DISTRICT 16 MEETINGS
There are two upcoming dates to engage with me and the rest of the District 16 Team.
On Monday, December 2nd at 7:30am, we will be online with the Bethesda Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club to talk about the upcoming legislative session and take questions. Email [email protected] for the meeting link.
Then on Saturday, January 4th at 4pm, we will be participating in an in-person legislative send-off with the District 16 Democratic Club at the Carderock Springs Swim & Tennis Club. I hope to see you there.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
​Every year the non-partisan Department of Legislative Services publishes Issue Papers that explain some of the key matters the General Assembly will deal with next legislative session.
Read the 2025 Issue Papers here.
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The House Environment and Transportation Committee that I chair recently held a briefing with Attorney General Anthony Brown on the state's legal claims related to the Francis Scott Key Bridge. In September, Maryland filed a suit for damages against the owners of the cargo vessel that crashed into the bridge. You can watch the hearing here.
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Each fall the Montgomery County Delegation has a series of meetings virtually and in Rockville to lead into the next legislative session. Two of the meetings have already occurred.
The first meeting is our annual meeting with the Maryland Department of Transportation about the transportation budget's impact on Montgomery County. You can watch the District 16-specific comments here. The full meeting is also online.
The second meeting is the Joint Priorities hearing, sometimes referred to as Open Mic Night It is a chance for constituents to tell the 35 member Montgomery County House and Senate Delegations what you want us to work on. You can watch this year's hearing here.
The remaining two meetings relate to local and bicounty bills that will be considered by the Montgomery County Delegation. These bills are now available online and either impact only Montgomery County or our bicounty entities such as Park & Planning. The bills are here. As shown in the graphic below, bill hearings will be on December 9th and 16th.
I am the sponsor of the WSSC Transparency and Reform Act to make changes to WSSC governance and processes and provide for further review of how WSSC functions. You can read it here.

BUDGET UPDATE
​The Spending Affordability Committee met for its first of two annual meetings recently. I used to chair this special committee that sets the guidelines for our annual budget process. The first of the two meetings is the annual update on the state economic and budget outlook.
You can watch the full briefing here: https://tinyurl.com/4x55pmcx
And read the full report here: https://tinyurl.com/ysjpz956
I like to share the good, the bad and the ugly so I will say this was not a good report. We will tackle it and have our usual balanced budget but there are some clouds ahead.
First, overall growth in the state is not strong although we have a healthy--if stagnant--underlying economy with a low unemployment rate. The data on private sector jobs is contradictory and the Department of Legislative Services believes that data will be revised upward (Pages 1-3 of the report).
Second, the budget outlook is poor with large structural deficits. Unlike the federal government, we do not run an operating deficit each year but even when we balance for the current budget year, future structural deficits may remain depending on what tools we used to balance the budget. What is driving the budget deficits is, largely, major investments including in pre-K through 12 education. We are not seeing budget write-downs or unexpected costs, this is the cost of a major investment we have made to make our schools much better (Pages 13-18 of the report).
Third, one of the storm clouds is the impact the Trump II presidency may have on a state very reliant on federal jobs and contracts. Lots of unknowns there at this point (Page 4 of the report).
Fourth, we made some transportation revenue increases last year that have been successful in raising funds and avoiding some of the worst cuts to transportation, although the overall problem is far from solved to even do the currently planned construction program to say nothing of other major investments people want (Pages 21-25 of the report)
Fifth, our state staffing crisis continues with an overall double digit vacancy rate. One piece of good news is some agencies are doing much better. In October of 2022, for example, the Department of Transportation had a 10.6% vacancy rate. Now it is 6.8% (Page 36 of the report).
Sixth, our capital (construction) budget plans are within the state's debt affordability limits, which is good news (Page 26 of the report).
There is a lot more in the report and presentation for any wonks interested in diving in.
TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
Metro recently advanced the Better Bus Network, a revenue neutral bus network redesign. One of the examples of adjustments made to the plan based on feedback was keeping the J2 (soon to be M70) on its current alignment and not cut off service to existing riders.
The Maplewood community in particular raised concerns about losing service. We worked with the State Highway Administration and County Department of Transportation on signal and sign changes at Cedar and Wisconsin to allow the current route to continue in use.
The J2 line supports an average of 5,287 riders on weekdays, 3,940 riders on Saturdays, and 3,004 riders on Sundays according to Metro data.
The full Metro packet on the Better Bus Network is here for those who are interested.

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A Corridor Needs Analysis for River Road/MD-190 has been released by the State Highway Administration. Go to this site and scroll down to “Summer 2024 - MD 190 Needs Analysis” to review the short, medium, and long term recommendations. A virtual meeting will be hosted by the District 16 legislators and Councilmember Friedson with the State Highway Administration on Tuesday, December 17th at 6pm. RSVP here to get the link to the meeting.
The segment of River Road covered is Springfield to Little Falls Pkwy. That does not mean other segments don’t warrant this type of safety review but this was a place to start because of several deaths—including Sarah Langenkamp and Marge Wydro—and other incidents.

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The bike lanes on Old Georgetown Road have generated a lot of concern and controversy. Ultimately, State Highway installed them as a safety feature not only for cyclists but also to create a buffer between car traffic and the sidewalks in the aftermath of the deaths of two young people along the road. Recognizing the community concern, the General Assembly asked the State Highway Administration to prepare and submit an update report on the lanes, which you can read here.
COMMUNITY NEWS
On December 4th at 6pm, the National Park Service will hold a virtual meeting regarding Glen Echo Park. Here is the meeting link.

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Park & Planning will host a virtual meeting on the Friendship Heights Sector Plan Update on December 3rd, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Zoom, RSVP to receive a meeting link and find more information at: montgomeryplanning.org/fhsp.
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Park & Planning is working on a refresh of Merrimac Neighborhood Park, something the District 16 legislators obtained funding for in the state budget. Read the latest on the project here.
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District 16 resident Ben Ross recently published an article about the manipulation of traffic models in project planning. Read the article here.
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Congratulations to Friendship Heights Mayor Melanie Rose White on being inducted into the Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.
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Several District 16 residents have been appointed or re-appointed to County Boards and Commissions. Congratulations to:
-Frances Marshall, Board of Social Services  
-Constance Mordecai, Commission on Children and Youth
-Ellyce Butuyan, Commission on Children and Youth
-David B. Lieb, Bethesda Downtown Plan Advisory Panel
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And congratulations to District 16's Rose Li on being named the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Leader of the Year.

It's time to vote!

Of course, you can also vote on Election Day, Tuesday November 5th from 7am to 8pm. Find your polling place here.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
On October 22nd, the House Environment and Transportation Committee that I chair held a briefing on the Governor's recent executive order on climate pollution reduction and other issues the Maryland Department of Environment is working on. You can watch the briefing here.
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I had the opportunity to discuss some of the work of the House Environment & Transportation Committee recently. You can watch the interview here.
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I recently earned 100% on the Maryland League of Conservation Voters scorecard. You can read about the environmental initiatives they included here.
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Each fall the Montgomery County Delegation has a series of meetings virtually and in Rockville to lead into the next legislative session. Those meetings kick off tonight with the annual Consolidated Transportation Program presentation. Further information about the meetings is below

BUDGET UPDATEThe Board of Revenue estimates met at the end of September. Current year (fy25) estimates were increased $88m (corporate tax and interest income largely driving the change). Next year's (fy26) first estimates assume .9% growth in general fund.
Keep in mind, General Fund is important but we have lots of special funds and more sales tax and lottery revenue has been directed towards them. But sales tax growth has been slow. Interest income, incidentally, is being redirected more to the general fund.
Review the full presentation here.
Watch the full meeting here.

TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
​Although not in our area, the Port of Baltimore is important to the entire state and region and was hit hard by the vessel that collided into--and collapsed--the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I have been monitoring the Port's recovery and thought others might be interested.
August numbers for the Maryland Port Administration are now up. The good news is that there is a sustained recovery including on lagging container traffic. A few smaller categories, however, are down from last month. This should all improve more as the labor situation becomes more clear.
Data source: https://mpa.maryland.gov/Pages/cargo-stats.aspx

​COMMUNITY NEWS
​Montgomery County Public Schools recently released its new Capital Improvement Plan. You can read it here.
So what is important for District 16 to know?
The Radnor Center off of Bradley Blvd continues to have no planned uses. The school system has done some work to clean this site up and fix up the playground for local use but it is time to make some long term decisions about this virtually abandoned building.
In the BCC Cluster, Bethesda Elementary is 84 students over capacity--my daughter's second grade has 30 kids--while the adjacent Somerset is 237 under capacity. These differences continue into the out years where no other school in the cluster but one is over capacity.
The Board of Education proposed a capacity study for elementary schools in this cluster and WJ but the funds have been pushed to the out years so no change is in sight.
BCC Is also part of the boundary study for the new Woodward High School on Old Georgetown Road. And HVAC dollars have been included for Westland.
In the Churchill cluster, the biggest challenge is high school capacity. Churchill is part of the boundary study for the new Crown High School in Gaithersburg.
In the WJ cluster, capacity challenges include the high school--the new Woodward will help considerably--North Bethesda, Ashburton (where my son used to go!), and Farmland. As noted above, the WJ cluster is part of a future elementary planning study with BCC. Funds are also proposed to add an auditorium to Woodward.
Whitman is part of the new Woodward boundary study. A study for Burning Tree capital expansion has been included. Also funding for further Whitman HVAC work is included.
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Montgomery County has launched a new composting program. For those in Bethesda, it means easy compost drop-off at the Bethesda Farmer's Market on Sundays. More information is here.

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Caroline Freeland Urban Park is reopening soon. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for November 9th at 2pm to 3:30pm, but they will have a “soft opening” prior to the ribbon cutting when the public has access to the park before its official opening. More details on the changes here.
As Montgomery County Parks explained to me:
“The construction period was lengthy for this project but for good reason. During construction, the crew discovered utility lines on the site that were not on any maps. They also discovered structures from previous buildings that were unknown prior to digging. These things are not unheard of in urban environments, but they take time to work around. More recently, several weeks of consistent rain has delayed work.”
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For those of you in or near Friendship Heights, there is a prescription drug drop off on Saturday, October 26th.

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Several District 16 residents have been appointed to County Boards and Commissions:
Kevin Beverly, Early Care and Education Coordinating Entity
Elaine Binder, Friendship Heights Transportation Management District Advisory Committee
Gretchen Blankenship, Board of Education Compensation Commission
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Two District 16 residents have been named Daily Record Icon award winners: Judge Irma Raker and former University of Maryland School of Law Dean Karen Rothenberg.
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District 16 resident Whitney Ellenby did a TedX talk on the Autism Ambassadors program she runs. Watch it here.
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Congratulations to Bruce Adams, recipient of the AARP Maryland Andrus Award for Community Service.

Dear Friend:
Over the summer, my legislative office has had some big changes.
After about six years with me in a few different capacities, my Chief of Staff, Joseph Swit, has moved on to another great opportunity in state government. Joseph has been an incredible help as I transitioned across different roles and committees over the past few years, making sure all of those changes were seamless and my legislative agenda progressed. He was also outstanding at dealing with constituent service cases, including the many unemployment cases we helped navigate people through during the height of COVID and numerous complex matters with the State Highway Administration. Thank you Joseph!
And after working for me at various times in different roles since 2016, the Environment & Transportation Committee Secretary Rebecca Stryer has gone on to continue her education. JFK’s aide and speechwriter, Ted Sorensen, was referred to as his frontal lobe and while I’m no JFK, Rebecca has been my frontal lobe particularly for the past two years in the Majority Leader’s office—always making sure I was ready to jump up to discuss a bill—and on the committee—especially helping us navigate transportation funding challenges and solutions. Thank you Rebecca!

 
2024 ELECTION
 
The 2024 General Election is fast approaching. The local drop boxes for ballots that we have all become familiar with since the pandemic have popped up and ones around District 16 are listed below. If you need reminders about mail-in voting, here is information on the State Board of Election website. By the way, if you apply to vote by mail, I highly recommend that you choose to receive the ballot by mail and not email delivery. Email delivery is convenient but it requires you to print your own ballot and--after you mail it back in--the Board of Elections needs to copy it over to a standard ballot for counting which slows down the overall process.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
 
Each fall, the Montgomery County Delegation to the General Assembly holds a series of meetings as we prepare for the next legislative session. These include a meeting with the Maryland Department of Transportation; a priorities hearing where residents can tell us what they want us to work on; and bill hearings on local legislation. The schedule is below.

I am pleased to announce that I scored 100% on the Humane Society Legislative Fund scorecard. I am even more excited that both House of Delegates-scored bills went through the Environment & Transportation Committee that I chair.
The methodology and list of bills can be found here.

BUDGET UPDATE
 
The Comptroller of Maryland released the fiscal year 2024 close-out report recently. With all of the accounting done, there is a $479.5m surplus which can be applied to future expenses. Read the full report.

 
TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
 
The formal transportation budget process kicked off at the beginning of September with the release of the draft capital program. You can read the document here. Although actions the General Assembly took last year mitigated some of the worst potential cuts to local road and transit aide, there is still a significant funding shortfall impacting the transportation budget and freezing most programs.
You can hear me discuss the transportation budget in a bit more detail on the I Hate Politics Podcast here.
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A provision in the state budget requires the Maryland Transit Administration to submit Purple Line progress reports every other month. The key charts are below (the milestones are unchanged from the last report) and here is the full report.
​

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The Maryland Port Administration recently posted their July 2024 data for their public terminals—the first full month the port was reopened. Here is data comparing July 2024 to the previous four months of affected operations (March-June 2024), the last full month of regular operations (February 2024), and July 2023 (to address seasonal variations).
The good news: the Port is recovering. Autos, Steel, and Forest Products exceed July 2023. The bad news is nothing else equals or exceeds July 2023, especially containers which are a plurality of overall tonnage and have a long road back ahead (they are at 60% year-over-year). The source of the information is here.

​COMMUNITY NEWS
 
-Congratulation to District 16's John D. Brewer, Jr. on his appointment to the Maryland Port Commission. You can read about the appointment here.
-Two District 16 residents are winning awards from Potomac Community Resources: Joseph Leasure, Outstanding Youth Volunteer Award, and Anna Carter Sullivan, Outstanding Adult Volunteer.
-Congratulations to Todd Rosenberg, who is receiving the Sara and Samuel Lessans Community Leadership Award from the Jewish Community Relations Counsel of Greater Washington.
-Several District 16 residents have been appointed or re-appointed to county boards and commissions over the past month: Maura Lynch (Domestic Violence Coordinating Council); Lavontte Chatmon (Domestic Violence Coordinating Council); Kavita Battula (Solid Waste Advisory Committee); and Michael Goldman (Washington Suburban Transit Commission).
-Congratulations to Anne Derse, a Moco360 Women Who Inspires. Read about it here.
-Bruce Adams is this year's recipient of the Community Service Award from the Bernie Scholarship Awards Program. Congratulations Bruce!