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Each fall, state legislators are busy preparing for the next legislative session by researching and drafting legislation, participating in committee site visits and oversight briefings, and participating in lots of meetings. Some of those meetings are hosted by our Montgomery County Delegation, the group of legislators that represents Montgomery County. As occurs each year, the Delegation will have four public meetings this fall: a presentation by the Maryland Department of Transportation; a Joint Priorities Hearing--sometimes called Open Mic Night--where residents can tell us their priorities; and two nights of bill hearings on legislation with a local impact. More details can be found at www.montgomerycountydelegation.com.  LEGISLATIVE UPDATE There are a lot of questions swirling about vaccine access. Governor Moore issued a helpful press release recently that discusses the lay of the land in Maryland. The key point is excerpted in the picture. But you can read the full release here: https://tinyurl.com/2pmn8phb And here are links to the two key bills he signed to preserve access and insurance coverage for vaccines, including for Covid. HB 1315: https://tinyurl.com/yjehstu8 HB 974: https://tinyurl.com/mw2hpyj8  BUDGET UPDATE The Comptroller recently issued the annual close-out report for the previous fiscal year (which ended on June 30). You can read the full report here: https://tinyurl.com/yneyhufm The highlights are: -Both the sales tax and the withholding income tax increased at a faster rate than in the prior fiscal year. In total, revenues exceeded the March Board of Revenue Estimates by $520.7 million or 2.1%. That means more tax revenue came in than expected. -Several years ago we created a "revenue volatility cap" so that we did not budget non-withholding income tax revenue that may not materialize. Because non-withholding income tax revenue exceeded the cap this year by $382.3 million, those dollars are split between the state's Rainy Day Fund (reserve) and one time education-related capital construction costs. -There is a remaining general fund balance of around $460 million. This includes dollars designated for the balance (we budget dollars for general fund balance to absorb unexpected changes) plus a $189 million surplus. These dollars will rollover to help with the next year's budget (and beyond). TRANSPORTATION UPDATE In early September, the Maryland Department of Transportation released the draft fiscal year 2027 Consolidated Draft Transportation Program (CTP) a six-year projection of transportation capital projects. This is a prelude to the statewide tour the Department does. The Montgomery County presentation is October 27th at 7pm at the County Council office building. After several years of overly ambitious (as in, not realistic) CTPs from the prior Governor and two extremely challenging CTPs from this Governor, this is a more status quo proposal. And I mean that positively. The last two years, we made some difficult revenue raising decisions that are tough for many Marylanders but necessary to maintain our infrastructure. This CTP puts that money exactly where the Department said they would including road safety projects in Western Maryland and Frederick County, a road safety project on Georgia Avenue in Montgomery County, light rail modernization for the Baltimore City, continued investments in the Purple Line and Metro, and so on. Our long-term challenges remain. Metro will face a capital funding cliff because our dedicated capital does not grow. There's no money for any work on the American Legion Bridge--whether that is a new bridge or major rehabilitation of the current one. The county and city share of the state motor fuel tax declines soon and maintaining the current levels is not provided for. And so forth. But the short-term project needs are being met in this proposal. Read it here. And you can learn more by listening to me on the I Hate Politics podcast.  ----- Because of the expiration of the federal program allowing zero emission vehicles to use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) (carpool) lanes, Maryland is forced to sunset its own program at the end of the month.  ----- A piece of legislation I worked on during the 2025 legislative session evolved into a workgroup on the organization of the Maryland Transit Administration, which in additional to important Baltimore-area work is in charge of the Purple Line and MARC rail system. I am serving on the workgroup which has started meeting. Follow the work here. POLITICAL NEWS A big thank you to SEIU Local 500 on endorsing my re-election campaign.  I am excited to announce that I have a new campaign team member, Lexi. You can meet Lexi in this video I made with one of my kids, part of the "Hey Dad" series we have been doing. COMMUNITY NEWS On Saturday, October 4th from 11am-2pm, join the Glen Echo Fire Department for their annual Open House at 5920 Massachusetts Avenue.  -----
Join the District 16 Democratic Club for a screening of Ain't No Back to a Merry-go-round about Glen Echo Park. Saturday, September 27 | 2:30–4:30 PM Carderock Springs Swim and Tennis Club 8200 Hamilton Spring Court, Bethesda, MD 20817 Parking is limited. Please be respectful when parking your car and follow signage. Watch Video: https://vimeo.com/927163039?share=copy This powerful documentary tells the story of the 1960 civil rights protests at Glen Echo Amusement Park — a pivotal moment in U.S. history. With never-before-seen footage and interviews, it offers deep insight into the roots of activism and strategies we can learn from today. CLICK HERE TO RSVP ----- Congratulations to several appointed and re-appointed Montgomery County board members: Tiffany Boiman, Commission on Women Jodi Danis, Commission on Women Surinder Juneja, Commission on Common Ownership Communities Christina Rodousakis, Bethesda Urban Partnership Board of Directors Comments are closed.
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October 2025
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