Proposed Bills Are Rolling In

​Dear Friend:
The deadline to introduce legislation in the House and be guaranteed a bill hearing is Friday, February 13. Between now and then, numerous bills will be introduced. Thus far, I have introduced the following bills:
Local Boards of Education Transparency Act (HB 154): Requiring local boards of education to livestream their meetings and meet other transparency requirements.
Metro Funding Modification Act of 2026 (HB 386): Resets Maryland's regional contribution to DC-area Metro funding to account for inflation and other needs.
Co-Op and Condo Energy Refund Equity Act of 2026 (HB 702): Ensures that co-op and condo residents benefit from any energy rebates the General Assembly passes, including last year's rebate.
Franchise Reform Act (HB 730): Reforms the state's franchising laws to help our small businesses that are trying to use the franchise method.
More to come!

FLOOR UPDATE
Our floor sessions are off to a fast start this year with debate on the redistricting map and a bill to limit county partnerships with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) both up for debate at the end of last week and into this week. You can see part of my participation in the map debate here, here, and here.
 
COMMITTEE UPDATE 
The House Environment and Transportation Committee continues a rigorous briefing schedule. Since my last email, we have heard from our regional grid operator (PJM) and our California and Texas energy officials, as well as state transportation officials. Each briefing, hearing or other committee meeting is available on the committee's YouTube page.

DELEGATION UPDATE 
On most Fridays of the legislative session, the Montgomery County House Delegation meets. Last week, we heard from the Department of Legislative Services for our local fiscal briefing and voted on a few pieces of local legislation (bills that only affect Montgomery County). You can watch the meeting here and the continuation of it here.
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DISTRICT 16 NIGHT IN ANNAPOLIS
The District 16 Delegation is hosting District 16 Night in Annapolis on Monday, March 9th starting at 6:00pm in the Lowe House Office Building. If you are interested in attending, just click reply to this email.

POTOMAC INTERCEPTOR NEWS 
As noted last week, the District 16 legislators have been in regular contact with the Maryland Department of the Environment, as well as DC Water (who owns and operates the ruptured line, not WSSC) and Montgomery County government, regarding the major wastewater pipe breach along the Potomac. The good news is that the bypass system is now turned on and is operating well on most days. The bad news is that full repairs on the interceptor will take time and the impact of the sewage leak on the environment is not yet fully known. Please stay tuned for further updates. We have been sending more detailed updates to a list of constituents who have expressed interest. If you would like to be added to that list, please reply to this email.
One thing that challenges the bypass system--and our infrastructure in general--is items going down the toilet or the drain that do not belong there, especially grease and wipes. Please do your part to not put these materials into the system.

​THANK YOU MAYOR SLAVIN 
The Town of Somerset's Mayor, Jeffrey Slavin, has announced that he will not seek re-election. Mayor Slavin has served in that role since 2008 and was on the Town Council before that. Thank you Mayor Slavin for your years of service to our community. You can watch his announcement here.

CAMPAIGN NEWS
Senator Sara Love and I have announced a series of meet-and-greets around the district and have had two thus far. Unfortunately, the one scheduled for February 8th in Maplewood is being rescheduled. Email [email protected] for further information on any of our meet-and-greets.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 
Every week during the legislative session, I plan to spotlight a non-Montgomery County Delegate colleague. This week, I want to highlight Regina T. Boyce. Regina serves on the House Environment & Transportation Committee with me where she chairs the Natural Resources and Open Space Subcommittee. Although she represents an urban Baltimore district, she has become a trusted voice on the committee for rural, agricultural, and sportsmen communities because of her work ethic and diligence. And fun fact, we went to the same elementary, middle, and high schools!