The Governor's Budget

Last Friday, the Governor introduced his first budget proposal. It is made up of three components: the operating budget; the capital (or construction) budget; and a Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA) which proposes changes in statute to support a balanced budget. You can review the budget submission here.
 
Later today the General Assembly will have its annual fiscal briefing as we begin to dig into the proposal.  Over the next few weeks we will continue to go through the budget on an agency-by-agency basis as we work with the Governor to finalize the budget.

Here are some of the highlights of the budget:

• The budget is balanced, as required by Maryland law.
• The budget fully funds mandated pre-K through 12th grade education programs, including $1.1 billion in aid for Montgomery County Public Schools.
• The budget forward funds $500 million for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, the state's ambitious education reform plan.
• The budget holds tuition increases at Maryland public colleges to 2% and fully funds the state's community college funding formula (known as Cade).
• The budget forward funds $500 million for to-be-identified major transportation investments.
• The budget funds the summer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) I helped create at $5 million.
• The budget sets aside funds for some of Governor Moore's legislative priorities including creating a Department of Service and Civic Innovation and more quickly increasing the state minimum wage.

 
As I said, we will dig more deeply into the budget over the coming weeks.
 
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Last week, I joined my colleague Senator Cheryl Kagan for "Kibbitzing with Kagan."  You can hear our conversation on YouTube.
 
TRANSPORTATION
 
In my update two weeks ago I mentioned a forthcoming announcement from Montgomery County Park & Planning regarding Little Falls Parkway.  That announcement came a few days ago.  On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, from 7 – 8:30 p.m, Parks will hold a virtual meeting to present data from traffic studies conducted on Little Falls Parkway between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue. After the meeting, Parks will present the findings of the traffic studies to the Planning Board in a hearing during which members of the public will have the opportunity to testify. The Planning Board will then review the Parks Department’s recommendations and the public testimony and determine whether to proceed with the pilot project in a subsequent meeting. The Planning Board public hearing and meeting dates are yet to be determined but will likely be held in late March and early April. Once the dates are set, they will be publicly announced and posted on the Parks Department’s website on the project page.  
 
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Work continues on the Purple Line, but the construction contractor has recently claimed that delays on utilities relocation will extend the construction by several months.  The state's view is that the delays can be mitigated but you can read more about the situation here.
 
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Governor Moore recently announced his new Secretary of Transportation: Paul Wiedefeld.  Mr. Wiedefeld is best known in our area for his work as the General Manager of Metro, but he has also led the Maryland Aviation Administration and Maryland Transit Administration, and worked at the State Highway Administration.  Read more about the announcement here.
 
COMMUNITY NEWS

• Former District 16 Delegate Marilyn Goldwater recently passed away.  Delegate Goldwater served from 1975 to 1986 and from 1995 to 2007.

• Condolences to the family of journalist Bernard Kalb, a Luxmanor resident who recently passed away.

• Congratulations to District 16 resident Vashti Van Wyke on her inclusion in the new class of Emerge Maryland, an organization that trains women to run for office. 

• Congratulations to several District 16 residents recently nominated for County boards and commissions: Bryan Detchon and Linda Silverman (Climate, Energy, and Air Quality Advisory Committee); Alan Orenstein (Mental Health Advisory Committee); and Swati Gupta (Glen Echo Park Partnership Board of Directors).

• The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) will hold its annual budget meeting on Tuesday, January 31 at 7:00pm at the County Council office building, 7th floor.

• Join the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club virtually on Monday, February 6 at at 7:30am to hear from former Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, who is currently chairing the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Accountability and Implementation Board.  Email [email protected] for further information.

• The next Bethesda/Chevy Chase Community Advisory Team for the Purple Line meeting will be on Tuesday, February 7 at 6pm.  More information will be available at https://www.purplelinemd.com/public-involvement/community-advisory-teams-cats.

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