Swearing In - Week 1 Update

Later today I will be sworn in for my second term as your State Delegate.  Thank you for the continued opportunity to serve you and District 16.
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I will be called upon to consider and vote on numerous legislative issues during the session.  Below are some of the major issues on my own Annapolis agenda for the year.  Many of these proposed bills will be the subject of future emails. 

As I have often explained, only a part of my job is working on bills that I author.  Much of my work involves oversight efforts and assisting others with their legislative efforts.  In particular, as a member of the Appropriations Committee much of my annual work involves participating in oversight hearings on individual state agencies and helping to craft a balanced state budget. 

For the 2019 session I am taking on two other new roles that will occupy a significant amount of time: First, I will be chairing the Subcommittee on Personnel, which oversees state workforce issues; Second, I am chairing the Montgomery County House Delegation (the 24 members Montgomery County sends to Annapolis).

As of now, I am planning to introduce eleven pieces of legislation this session:

• Electric Vehicle Infrastructure for Multi-Family Units Act: This issue was brought to me by a constituent who was having difficulty installing electric vehicle charging equipment in their building.  The bill would create a set of rules for such installations.
• Extension of Electric Vehicle Incentives Act: Another constituent-driven issue, this one to ensure those who purchased electric vehicles in 2017 can take advantage of the state's tax credit for electric vehicles, as currently some 2017 purchasers are locked out of taking advantage of the credit.
• Regional Transportation & Climate Protection Act: Maryland is part of a group of states studying how to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from the transportation sector, the largest current emitter of greenhouse gases in Maryland.  The legislation would put in statute Maryland's role in the program and ensure we stay at the table.
• 21st Century Transportation Funding Act: As gas prices fluctuate, mileage improves, and more car owners go electric, there is significant stress on the state's Transportation Trust Fund.  This bill would make technical alterations to the state gas tax, require Maryland to study a shift to a mileage-based tax, and make other changes to ensure we have sustainable transportation funding.
• State Personnel Transit Benefit Act: State workers currently have access to Maryland Transit Administration facilities for free if their collective bargaining agreement includes the benefit.  The legislation would codify the benefit for all workers and study whether the DC-area Metro system (WMATA) could be included in the future.
• Energy Storage Pilot Project Act: Stakeholders have been working with the Public Service Commission on a set of energy storage pilot programs.  The bill would ensure those pilots go forward which is important for our clean energy future, as storage is vital to dealing with the intermittent nature of renewables.
• State Board of Elections Transparency Act: This is a bill I previously introduced two years ago that passed the House unanimously and was stymied in the Senate.  It would require the State Board of Elections to stream their meetings on the Internet to improve transparency.
• State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) Reform Act: The proposal would make numerous reforms to the state agency in charge of assessing our property for purposes of the property tax regime.
• Effective Corporate Tax Rate Transparency Act: Maryland has a headline corporate tax rate of 8.25% and many businesses and others cite this as a factor in economic competitiveness.  However, we know anecdotally that few--if any--businesses pay that rate.  This legislation would require the collection and publication of data to determine the effective or actual rate publicly traded corporations pay in Maryland.
• Graduate Student Collective Bargaining Act: I am once again introducing legislation to let graduate students at the University of Maryland assert collective bargaining rights, something other higher education systems in peer states already permit.
• 2018 Income Tax Penalty Waiver Act: The Trump tax changes could have many negative effects on District 16, particularly given the new cap on the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction.  One issue that has arisen is that many taxpayers who pay quarterly could be paying improper amounts to the state, which could subject them to a penalty.  The legislation would waive any penalties for the first year of the new tax regime to give such taxpayers an opportunity to understand what they need to pay under the new system.

As always, you can keep up with what I am doing by following me at @mkorman on Twitter or by clicking "Like" on Delegate Marc Korman on Facebook.

Legislative News
Two podcasts recently hosted me to discuss the 2019 legislative session.  A Miner Detail posted the podcast on December 24th and you can listen to it here.  Montgomery County Media's Montgomery Talk Podcast hosted me a few days earlier, and you can find the podcast online.
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Thousands of bills will be introduced during the legislative session, but thus far 38 bills have been "pre-filed" in the House of Delegates. You can read themhere.
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In 2017, I authored legislation requiring our state to study policies and incentives related to energy storage.  Energy storage devices are important technology that will allow our state to increase its use of intermittent renewables such as wind and solar.  The state's Power Plant Research Program recently released the comprehensive report.
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The Spending Affordability Committee passed guidelines for the 2019 legislative session budget discussions. Among the recommendations are general fund growth limited to 3.75%, an increase in the Rainy Day Fund from 5% to 6% of general funds, a capital budget of $1.085 billion, and a retained balance of $100 million. These guidelines will set the terms for the budget debate and can be reviewed here.
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And speaking of the budget, the Board of Revenue Estimates (BRE) has released its last budget estimate of 2018 and the last one before we begin work on the budget.  Revenue is still expected to rise year-over-year, but not by as much as expected when the September estimate was issued. In particular, less growth is expected in the individual income tax than was previously projected.  You can see the data online.
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Bethesda Beat's Adam Pagnucco named me one of Montgomery County's politicians of the year for 2018.  I was honored to be recognized along with Senator Brian Feldman and my seatmate, Delegate Ariana Kelly.  You can read the full column here and the blurb on us is below:

"Feldman and Korman were major leaders in the successful battle to pass dedicated funding for Metro, a huge priority for MoCo.  Kelly was the lead sponsor in the House of Delegates of a landmark bill to crack down on sexual harassment in Annapolis.  She took major risks to get it passed that would have deterred lots of other lawmakers.  All three left legacies that will be appreciated well into the future."

Bethesda Magazine also recognized the successful effort to obtain dedicated funding for Metro as the "best news" from the state legislature in 2018.

Attorney General News

In 2017, the legislature authorized the Attorney General to defend our interests in court against unconstitutional or unlawful federal actions. These types of suits are not new, but we made it easier for Attorney General Frosh—and his eventual successors—to initiate or join them. With that power comes a required report regarding those actions which you can read here. It outlines what suits the Attorney General is a part of including those related to the environment, government corruption, and more.


Administration News
As required by law, the Hogan Administration has released the pre-soclititation report for the massive proposed public private partnership to widen I-270 and I-495. Yes, it is moving forward on the toll lane plane before completing the analysis of alternatives the Administration is pretending to undertake.  The report contains lots of details about the proposed project.

Community News

• Congratulations to District 16's Sarah Wolek on being selected for the Emerge Maryland program, which helps to train women to run for political office.
• The Friends of White Flint recently appointed two new residential members from District 16: Alejandro Yepes and Don Weinstein.
• Condolences to the family of former US Senator John Culver (D-IA), who lived in District 16 after leaving Congress.

Community Events

• Please join the District 16 Democratic Club for a District 16 Team Send-Off on Sunday, January 13th at 3pm.  The event will be held at Lucy Freeman's home, 4708 Dorset Avenue in the Town of Somerset.
• On January 15th at 7pm, the State Highway Administration will host a meeting at Pyle Middle School regarding River Road traffic safety. Here is the meeting announcement.
• On Thursday, January 24th Councilman Andrew Friedson will be hosting a "Community Conversation" at 6:30pm at Burning Tree Elementary School, 7900 Beech Tree Road in Bethesda.
• County Executive Marc Elrich will host a budget forum on Monday, February 4th from 4pm to 7pm at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, 4301 East West Highway in Bethesda.

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