I'm honored to serve the people of District 46 in Annapolis. I'm focused on making Baltimore – and the entire state of Maryland – a more equitable, sustainable, and safer place.
In 2013, a law was passed that tied MTA fare prices to the Consumer Price Index and mandated regular fare increases when inflation remains high for several years. I introduced a piece of legislation called The Fair Fares Act which uncoupled MTA fares from inflation, thereby preventing increases in MTA fares set to take place in Summer of 2023. This increase would undoubtedly impact low and fixed income riders disproportionately. Finally, the Act gives MTA the authority to set fares following notice and a public hearing, creating a pathway for public access and transparency in the process.
The budget passed in the 2023 Legislative Session included $100M in a fund for public transportation projects such as Southern Maryland Rapid Transit and the Baltimore Redline. This allocation will specifically fund environmental studies so that these projects can continue.
The budget passed last Session prioritizes the development and utilization of renewable energy and other important steps to reach our goal of a clean, sustainable environment.
In direct partnership with Delegate Terrasa, we presented legislation to the House Environment and Transportation Committee to create a recycling refund program in Maryland (HB1089). The proposed program would essentially change the way we recycle for the better. The basics of the program are that when someone buys a beverage, they put a 10 or 15 cent deposit down on the container. Then, when they bring the empty container back to be recycled, that deposit is returned. A program like this would significantly increase recycling rates in the State and reduce litter in our waterways: a prominent problem in District 46. This bill did not pass this Session. I plan to meet with stakeholders during Interim to modify the language of the bill, continue to grow support, and reintroduce the bill next year.
Major legislation around gun safety was passed this past Session. The Gun Safety Act of 2023, SB1, restricts the places concealed carry permit holders can bring their guns, including into private residences without the owner’s permission;HB824 Possession and Permits to Carry, Wear, and Transport a Handgun - strengthens gun safety in Maryland by adjusting Maryland's conceal-carry permitting process to include additional disqualifications to state law. Among other new requirements, HB824 prohibits possession of a regulated firearm by a person who is younger than 21, a person who suffers from a “mental disorder” and has a history of violent behavior, or a person who has been involuntarily admitted for more than 30 consecutive days to a facility for treatment of a mental disorder.
A number of specific allocations have been made for Baltimore City, such as $25M for critical upgrades, maintenance, and improvements to the Baltimore City Convention Center, $1M for SquashWise, an organization in West Baltimore that teaches youth how to play squash and supports them academically and personally, $1.25M for the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy, $1M for the Maryland Center for History and Culture, and $400,000 for the Greater Baybrook Alliance to turn the building donated by Bank of America into a community space and possible local small business. These are only a few of the many incredible investments made in our City this year via the budget.
With my colleagues in the House Appropriations Committee, we worked to pass a balanced budget that includes a $900M downpayment on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future so that every student has a chance to succeed and makes continued investments in enhancing the child tax credit and expanding other benefits that support Marylanders in need to support and lift families out of poverty.
Additionally, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Maryland Educator Shortage Act (HB1219) which addresses the record vacancies in Maryland’s schools by establishing the Teacher Development and Retention Program as a pilot program to encourage college students to pursue teaching careers. The bill also enhances existing programs to recruit and retain new educators, including expanding existing teacher scholarships and reforming the way we qualify childcare providers.
This past Session, I introduced legislation (HB638) to establish a grant program to which school districts can apply to fund Holocaust related teaching materials, trips and activities, and teacher training. It seems like every day we hear about instances of antisemitism on the news and I regularly receive accounts from neighbors about concerning antisemitic vandalism in our communities. The only way to combat antisemitism and hate is with education and exposure. Unfortunately, this bill did not pass this Session, but I plan to reintroduce it again next year and will continue to stand up against the voices of hate that seek to divide us.
I'm proud to be working with my colleagues on legislation that will make a positive impact on Maryland families. Explore what the Maryland General Assembly accomplished in the 2023–2024 Legislative Session.
We have fully funded the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (our public education system) through FY27. There is no bigger or more important commitment than the one we make to our children. By assigning additional revenues of approximately $150 million from tobacco taxes we will recruit and hire more highly qualified teachers, support community schools and English language learners, and enhance compensation for existing and new Pre-K programs.We appropriated funding for affordable housing via Project Core, the Strategic Demolition Fund, and the Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative totaling over $70 million. A significant portion of this funding will be used for demolition of vacant housing and the purchase and development of vacant lots in Baltimore City. In addition, the budget allocates over $130 millionfor rental housing assistance. Combined, the investments represent a historic investment in tackling our affordable housing crisis.
We enhanced funding to support Maryland’s trauma system. Our state is blessed to have one of the most effective trauma systems in the country, if not the world. Through this year’s budget, we were able to allocate an additional $105 million to ensure that Marylanders can continue to receive top-notch care in the future.
The budget includes approximately $230 million (rising to $330 million over time) in additional revenue to support the Transportation Trust Fund. This is the primary pot of money that funds both major transit systems in the state (MTA and WMATA), as well as the expansion and maintenance work performed on all of our roads, bridges, highways, airports and the port, as well as many other local transportation/transit systems. I am incredibly proud to report that the overwhelming beneficiary of this enhanced funding will be Baltimore, as it will be prioritized for HUR ($120 million to Baltimore), the locally operated transit systems (LOTS) program that funds the Charm City Circulator and the Harbor Connector, and MTA operations and maintenance.
I, along with my Team 46 colleagues, Senate President Bill Ferguson, and Delegates Luke Clippinger and Robbyn Lewis, were able to secure a number of monumental investments in local programs and services.Working together we were able to secure $8 million for design and construction funding for Rash Field Phase 2. We were also able to appropriate $2.25 million for improvements to the National Aquarium. In addition, I worked with Senator Mary Washington to secure a $1 million investment for the Enoch Pratt Free Library System. In addition to that funding, we were able to allocate $3.5 million for Living Classrooms, an excellent organization based in Baltimore City that offers educational opportunities to students. The capital budget also a $100,000 grant for the Maryland Science Center, $350,000 for Port Discovery, $750,000 for the Downtown Sailing Center, and $50,000 for the relocation of the Locust Point Community Garden.
One of my favorite parts of crafting thebudget is the legislative bond initiative (LBI) process. LBIs allow localorganizations to apply for capital funding for community enhancement projects.These projects range in their impact and grant amounts and it is always amazingto see how creative people can be when planning these projects.
I was particularly focused on five (5) projects this year: a $50,000 grant to B’More Clubhouse, an organization in Mt. Vernon that works with adults with mental illnesses, to build anew elevator for their facility. Drink at the Well, an organization in Curtis Bay that helps women survivors of sex work and drug use rehabilitate and start new lives, is in the process of buying the property that they are currently leasing for their main operation. The State awarded them $450,000 towards that goal. SquashWise is an organization that is very close to my heart. They do phenomenal work with Baltimore City youth to reach their athletic, academic, and life goals. SquashWise was awarded $250,000 to put towards the renovation of their new facility. Finally, $29,000 was awarded to the Federal Hill Park Playground for a rehab project.
Passing this bill is one of my proudest accomplishments this Session. The bill will guarantee future funding to the LOTS program. This funding helps local jurisdictions provide critical transportation options to their constituents, including getting residents to medical appointments. This bill garnered favorable, bipartisan testimony from every corner of the state, including Worcester, Baltimore, Harford, Carrol, St. Mary’s, Montgomery, and Anne Arundel Counties. In Baltimore City, this funding supports the Charm City Circulator and Harbor Connector systems. Without the funding, neither system could continue to operate. I am incredibly proud of the diverse coalition we were able to build in support of this bill and that it passed both chambers and will be on its way to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
Before Session began, I had a difficult conversation with a trusted community member who informed me that seniors were having a hard time making ends meet; to the point of not being able to afford food. I immediately started the process of drafting a bill to increase supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits for seniors.My original bill had the goal of increasing the supplemental benefit for individuals over the age of 62. Having discussed the issue with my colleague, Delegate Emily Shetty, Chair of theHealth and Social Services Subcommittee on Appropriations, I learned that she had a very similar bill so we agreed to work together on a bill that would lower the age of seniors from 62 to 60 and increase the amount of each benefit. HB666 has passed both chambers and will be signed by the Governor in the next few weeks, ensuring that our seniors receive the vital support they need.
We also passed another critical bill relating to affordable housing and transit in Baltimore City. HB38 will remove mandatory parking minimums for new residential construction projects within a quarter mile of a major transit hub. The goal of this legislation is twofold. First, it aims to encourage public transit use and the construction of transit-oriented development by making it easier to build housing near current and future transit stations. More importantly it aims to reduce housing costs for city residents by decreasing the costs associated with the construction of residential housing. The cost to construct designated parking spaces is extremely high and results in substantial increases in the price of building and, consequently, renting an apartment. Current estimates reflect the costs between $15,000 to $20,000 per space to build a parking garage. Further, many of our residential parking garages are largely vacant so the parking spaces are not even being utilized. This pushes an exorbitant cost onto renters and buyers without a good justification. This bill does not ban the building of parking spaces; it just removes a mandated minimum. At a time when housing costs are inflating to unsustainable levels, we must think of creative ways to reduce them and incentivize further investment around our transit stations.
The paratransit service MobilityLink has had long-standing problems with reliability for riders. I was very happy to work with Disability Rights Maryland to introduce legislation that would require a study be completed on how to improve that service, namely, by investigating the effect of incorporating MobilityLink Drivers into the State workforce, as opposed to their status as third-party contractors. After deliberation with Delegates Guyton and Healy, the study will also include consideration of expanding the service to be eligible to cross jurisdictional boundaries and increasing the maximum distance threshold from a half mile to a three-quarter mile from an existing transit stop. Those two caveats to the original bill are so important. Making sure that users have access to medical facilities in other jurisdictions and ensuring that those facilities fall within the range of eligibility for service needs to be a top priority for future transit plans.HB836: Transportation & Climate Alignment Act of 2024This landmark legislation is the product of an incredible amount of work among stakeholders, legislators, advocates, and the dedicated leadership at the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). The Transportation and Climate Alignment Act of 2024 (TCA) would have mandated that MDOT conduct an environmental assessment of all major highway expansion projects to determine whether the project will result in increased greenhouse gas emissions, vehicle miles traveled, and induced demand. This has been my most complex piece of legislation yet. The bill passed the House, both committees in the Senate, and passed Second Reader in the Senate. It agonizingly did not have enough time for a Third Reader vote in the waning moments of Session. While I am disappointed that it did not pass this year, I feel confident that we can reintroduce it next year and get it across the finish line.
In the wake of the catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge, leaders in the House and Senate leapt into action to craft legislation dealing with the economic fallout. Senator Ferguson and Delegate Clippinger took the lead on this crucial legislation. I was able to assist in the final product from an Appropriations and District 46 standpoint since I have had significant involvement with the Port. The final product is a true team effort that will 1) set up a scholarship fund for the children of the victims of the collapse; 2) allow the Departments of Commerce and Labor to tap into the state rainy day fund in order to provide financial assistance to business and workers who are temporarily out of work due to the reduced operations at the Port; and 3) set up a structure for the Department of Commerce to work with major national and international customers of the Port to ensure that we retain their business relationships upon reopening the shipping channel and operations. The bill also ensures that the Maryland Transportation Authority has the resources it needs to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The passage of this bill was bipartisan, reflecting a shared commitment to the economic value of the Port to all Marylanders. In addition, it is important to note that the response to this crisis from all levels of government (federal, state, and local) has been nothing short of exceptional.
