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LATEST NEWS

September Update

9/8/2016

 
As we head into fall, preparation for the 2017 legislative session continues.  I will be speaking to a number of community groups, civic associations, and other community members over the next few months about state issues.  If you know of a group that would like to hear from one of their state legislators, please let me know. ​
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

Most of the legislature's hearings take place during the 90 day session, but there are some meetings throughout the rest of the year.  In August, the Appropriations Committee (on which I serve) and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee held a joint briefing on the recent pay raise and bonus for the Chancellor of the University System of Maryland.  The hearing can be viewed here.
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Maryland's Comptroller has issued the year-end closeout report for fiscal year 2016 (which ended June 30th).  The closeout report essentially reflects the Governor and legislature's budget decisions and the economic climate.  Maryland ended the year with a $196.4 million fund balance (meaning funds that are not being spent for a particular purpose). While it is great to have cash on hand, that actual figure is down from the projected balance of $551.3 million.

The complete report is available at the end of the Comptroller's statement. It also shows a "rainy day" fund approaching $1 billion.

Administration News

The big news of the past few weeks seems to be the Governor's Executive Order that schools in each local jurisdiction should begin after Labor Day and end by June 15th.  Assuming the order withstands legal scrutiny, this will require Montgomery County Public Schools to "find" eight days in the 2017-2018 school calendar in order to fit the current 180 day required class schedule plus built-in potential snow days into the new calendar.
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Garnering far less attention is the Hogan Administration's threat to withdraw from the successful anti-climate change initiative, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).  RGGI is a cap and trade program for power plants in Maryland and several northeastern states.  According to the Washington Post, "Carbon emissions from states in the pact have fallen dramatically, from 122 million tons in 2009 to 83 million tons in 2015. The reduction is 16 percent greater than in states that haven’t joined the initiative, according to an analysis by the Acadia Center, which advocates for clean energy. The analysis also says electricity prices have decreased 3.4 percent on average for participating states, while rising elsewhere."  The Hogan Administration is threatening to unilaterally withdraw from RGGI, something they are allowed to do under state law.  Combined with the Governor's veto of the increase to the state's renewable energy goals, serious questions are being raised as to whether the Governor wants Maryland to work against climate change.  Maryland cannot do it alone of course, but we should be a part of the solution and not the problem.
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The state of Maryland pension system has announced its fiscal year 2016 return. The pension fund is obviously important for state employees and retirees, but how it performs also affects the size of the actuarially required payment the state must make with your tax dollars each year. The annual return for fiscal year 2016 was 1.16%, a sub par annual return (although it is important to not get too caught up in annual fluctuations of a long-term investment).

The pension's worst investment category this past year was public equity and its best was private equity. The press release is available as the first link here (as of 9/7/16).  

Metro

Along with Delegates David Moon and Erek Barron, I helped organized a letter to Metro from 40 Montgomery County and Prince George's County elected officials regarding the proposal to permanently eliminate late night weekend service and cut back on typical Sunday evening service.  Metro claims this proposal is to allow for more maintenance, but the entire system cannot be worked on simultaneously.  Click here to read the letter.

There has also been some local press coverage on the issue.

Community News
  • The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission recently held a hearing on its six year capital improvement plan.  If you missed the hearing, you can read about the projects in District 16 here.  The  projects relate to White Flint/Pike and Rose and increasing transmission capacity from the Potomac Water Filtration Plan to parts of Montgomery and Prince George's County.
  • Congratulations to Glen Echo Mayor Deborah Beers on the birth of her grandson, Alexander Beers Black.
  • District 16 resident Adam Luecking's company, Clear Impact, was recently named one of the fastest growing in America.
  • Congratulations to Charles Washington of District 16 on his new position with Total Wine & More.
  • Many District 16 residents are being honored at the Jewish Community Center's 25th Dinner of Champions.  Inductees to the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame include Glenn Consor and Alvin Lann of Rockville; Steve Rubin of Chevy Chase; and Jason Belinkie of Bethesda.  Cooper Macklin of Chevy Chase and Reuben Winston of Potomac are receiving High School Athlete Awards.  My Leadership Montgomery classmate, Jillian Copeland, is receiving the Pollin Humanitarian Award.
  • My apologies to Carrie Wofford, whose last name I misspelled in the last newsletter.
  • Bethesda Beat ran a story on Bethesda resident Jeff Wagner's lacrosse program.
  • Another story in Bethesda Beat highlighted the fun donkey collection of Bernice Rabin.
  • Condolences to the family of Mike Springer of Bannockburn on his passing.  I first met Mike when knocking on doors and he became a helpful adviser and researcher on many legislative issues.
If you know of a District 16 resident who merits recognition or condolences, please email marc@marckorman.com.

Community Events
  • The Montgomery County Young Democrats Annual Paint the County Blue event is this Saturday, September 10 from 1pm to 5pm at 2138 Merrifields Drive in Silver Spring.  More information is here.
  • This month's Bethesda-Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club is onTuesday, September 13 at 7:30.  The guest is State Senator Jim Rosapepe of Prince George's County.  The meetings are held at the Original Pancake House in Bethesda.
  • Stratton Local Park Access Improvement Review Meeting will be held onWednesday, September 14 at 7pm at the Cabin John Ice Rink. 10610 Westlake Drive in Rockville.
  • A meeting will be held on new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight patterns on Thursday, September 15 at the BCC Regional Services Center beginning at 6:30pm.
  • For nearly 25 years, the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education ("MBRT") has made a commitment to support education reform and improve student achievement in Maryland.  Through this work, it led the creation of Maryland’s STEM Innovation Network called STEMnet.  It provides educators in Maryland universal access to STEM information, resources, and opportunities by establishing a virtual environment in which communities of practice emerge to promote new and innovative programs.  The group is currently recruiting volunteers throughout the state to participate in its programs on STEMnet, which deploy workplace volunteers into classrooms, and have a direct impact on the lives of 8th – 12th grade students in Montgomery County.  The group is looking for volunteers in the county who can speak with and engage young people in their college and/or career preparation while in high school.  These volunteers can be entrepreneurs, business professionals, federal employees or college faculty and staff in STEM and non-STEM fields.  We are excited to hold a volunteer training session at National Institute of Standards and Technology on Wednesday, October 12, 2016 from 9:00-12:00 pm.  Any interested person can sign up for a volunteer account and register for a training here.
  • On Thursday, November 10 the Maryland Department of Transportation will present on the Consolidated Transportation Program.  The meeting will take place at 7pm at the Council Office Building in Rockville in the 3rd floor hearing room.
  • 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 at7pm at the Council Office Building in Rockville in the 3rd floor hearing room.
  • 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.

​If you know of a District 16 resident who merits recognition or condolences, please email marc@marckorman.com.

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