Ready Report: Critical Waiver Granted to CCPS, Maryland Losing Key Companies due to Business Climate & More

May 2, 2025

Ready Report: Critical Waiver Granted to CCPS, Maryland Losing Key Companies due to Business Climate & More

I hope you and your family are enjoying some beautiful spring weather. Below is an update on what has been happening since the end of the 2025 Legislative Session, including some great news regarding the implementation of Blueprint in Carroll County Public Schools.

Carroll County Delegation Announces the Granting of Critical Blueprint Accommodation for Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS)

Throughout the 2025 Legislative Session, our Carroll County Delegation (myself and Senator West, and Delegates Tomlinson, Stonko, Bouchat and Rose) worked with several different decision makers and organizations to make a deal to create a waiver process which would provide the chance for CCPS to get some much needed flexibility on the implementation of Blueprint requirements.

This week we got great news – the Carroll County Delegation is pleased to announce that an agreement between The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability & Implementation Board (AIB), the Carroll County Board of Education, and the Carroll County Delegation has been reached. AIB approved the multi-year waiver. You can read more about this deal by clicking here. The immediate impact of this agreement will prevent an increase in classroom sizes for FY 2026 and FY 2027 with only partial implementation of Blueprint requirements in FY 2028 (which hopefully will be part of planned Blueprint re-evaluations in the 2027 Legislative Session) and present limited school-level teacher staffing changes. We are glad that this agreement will help avoid layoffs and preserve important programs in our school.

I am appreciative of the cooperation we’ve seen from everyone involved throughout these discussions. The General Assembly leadership, our Delegation, our local school officials and state and local unions worked with us to find a practical resolution that will allow our school system to continue achieving outstanding results and protecting our ability to continue meeting all our students’ needs regardless of geography.

Our entire delegation worked as a team on this and contributed to the conversations and negotiation to even make a waiver process possible. I want to give special thanks to Delegate Josh Stonko led our effort on the House of Delegates side, it would not have happened if we couldn’t get agreement on that side of the General Assembly.

Senate Republican Leaders Statement on Major Quantum-related Company Choosing Tennessee Over Maryland

We in the State Senate Republican Caucus were disappointed to hear an announcement that IonQ, a Maryland-based quantum computing company, will open its first “Quantum Computing & Network Hub” in Chattanooga, Tennessee – not in its home state of Maryland. We can not act shocked after the Democrat supermajority and Governor Wes Moore have spent years making our state harder and harder for businesses to operate. I did a short video on this exact issue here – Maryland, always a bridesmaid on private sector job creation – https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ek2gKZ1alG4.

Below is the press release Senator Hershey and I sent out on why this is a huge blow to the Moore administration’s rhetoric about Maryland’s economic future – and why we need to reverse course:

ICYMI: 2025 End of Session Wrap Up

Earlier this week, I, along with Delegate April Rose and Delegate Chris Tomlinson, wrote a comprehensive letter to constituents detailing what happened during the 2025 Legislative Session. This letter includes details about the Operating Budget, the Tax Increase package in the “BRFA” and the separate Capital Budget, some of the top legislative priorities that we were working on, as well as legislation from other members of the General Assembly relating to Energy & MPRP, crime, and the 2^nd Amendment. You can read the full letter by clicking here.

4^th Annual Carroll County Veterans Celebration

The Carroll County Board of Commissioners is thrilled to invite everyone to the 4th Annual Veterans Celebration of Carroll County. This family-friendly event will be held Sunday, May 4, 2025, from noon – 4:00 PM at the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster. A special day to celebrate all Veterans, military, and their families – everyone is invited and encouraged to attend!

The free event includes live entertainment, food trucks and vendors, children’s activities, military exhibits, crafters, face painters, balloon artists and more! The Westminster Municipal Band and Midnite Run will be on hand to entertain guests throughout the afternoon.

Whether you are a Veteran, in the military, know a Veteran, appreciate Veterans, or just want a fun day with good food and great entertainment, join the commissioners and the community for this wonderful event!

For more information about the event, visit the dedicated Veterans Celebration webpage, Facebook event page or contact the Bureau of Aging and Disabilities at 410-386-3800. For venue-related information, please contact the Farm Museum at 800-654-4645.

As always, feel free to reach out to my office anytime with any questions or concerns. Have a great week ahead!

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