March 29, 2024
Ready Report: Easter Reflections & Session Heading to Final Week
First, I want to wish you a wonderful Good Friday and Easter. This is a time of celebration and remembrance for Christians of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and, for me, knowing the fact that there is forgiveness and new life through following Jesus is a tremendous source of joy, strength and comfort even in extremely difficult times – like the one we find ourselves in now. I hope you and your family have a restful time together this weekend.
The 11th full week of the 2024 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Session has concluded. There is one more full week of Session, and then Sine Die on April 8th. Here is a brief update on what happened this week in Annapolis.
Weekly Video Update
Click the image below to watch this week’s video update from Annapolis.
Key Bridge Tragedy
We all woke up to an unspeakable tragedy Tuesday morning in Baltimore. My family’s prayers go out for the families of those who lost their lives. We are all extremely thankful and grateful There is a lot flying about what happened with the ship and what it all will mean but for now we pray for the life that was presumably lost, and the families of everyone who was involved.
The General Assembly and state agencies must now come together in the aftermath of the Key Bridge collapse to get the debris cleaned up, the Port of Baltimore re-opened, and eventually rebuilding a bridge. This is a unique challenge for our state and our region, but I am ready to do my part to
Continuing to Fight Against $1.3 Billion Tax Increase
Last week, I wrote to you about House Democrats passing their version of the budget bill, and the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA (“Bur-Fa”)). The BRFA is introduced every year as the budget bill’s “sidekick.”
This year, the Senate passed both their Budget and BRFA free of any tax increases. However, House Democrats have made it a priority to raise taxes by $1.3 billion through the passage of their version of the BRFA bill – which our Republican Delegates from Carroll County opposed. RIGHT NOW – the two houses have appointed “conference committees” where they are debating and discussing which version to pass or what amendments to make to compromise. It’s clear that we should NOT be raising the tax burden on working families, retirees and small businesses like the House of Delegates version of the BFRA (SB 362) does.
The two leaders of the House Republican Caucus, Senate Minority Leader Hershey and I released an OpEd sharing our thoughts on this radical tax increase, which you can read by clicking here.
Leadership Carroll in Annapolis
It was fantastic to see the 2024 Class of Leadership Carroll on Tuesday in Annapolis. This is a great program conducted by the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce. They were able to see floor debate on both houses and members of our Carroll delegation spoke with them at lunchtime. Here in the final two weeks a lot is happening on the floor, in committee meetings and behind the scenes that affects businesses, working families and economic opportunity. I’m thankful to be able to represent engaged constituents like these folks in the State Senate.
Open House for MD 97 – April 17
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration is planning potential improvements along MD 97 (Littlestown Pike) between MD 140 and MD 496 (Bachmans Valley Road). There will be an open house on Wednesday, April 17th, from 5 – 7 pm, in the Winters Mill High School cafeteria. Citizens are encouraged to attend to view preliminary concepts for the MD 97 corridor and participate in a new survey that will also be posted online the day of the public open house. There will also be an opportunity to give feedback and receive answers to questions from study team members. You can view the Project Portal by clicking here.
Senatorial Scholarships Available
If you are or know a high school senior or college student, please consider applying for a Senatorial Scholarship. For more information or to request an application, email Emily Van Horn at [email protected] and include your full address. Scholarships will be accepted up to April 15, 2024.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me anytime. My office can be reached by emailing [email protected], and my staff and I will do our best to get back to you in a timely manner. Have a great rest of the week!
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