Ready Report: Fighting for Kirwan Flexibility, Cracking Down on Fentanyl & Constituents in Annapolis

February 21, 2025

Ready Report: Fighting for Kirwan Flexibility, Cracking Down on Fentanyl & Constituents in Annapolis

The seventh week of the 2025 Legislative Session has concluded. Below is an update on what happened in Annapolis.

Click the picture below to watch my Weekly Video Update for Session Week 7 including more on Kirwan Blueprint flexibility efforts and legislation to give Fentanyl dealers real jail time:

District Night Recap

We had an incredible turnout Monday evening at our District 5/Carroll County Night in Annapolis. Thank you to everyone who came down, listened and gave feedback throughout the evening. Also, thank you to our caterers Outlaw BBQ and Rocco’s Italian Market & Deli in Hampstead for their fantastic dinner and desserts.

Our Carroll County Delegation is working closely together on issues from raising taxes, to state budget deficit, fighting MPRP, reinvigorating energy production in Maryland while halting foolish energy policies and fees to bring down costs for consumers and addressing the Kirwan Blueprint fiasco that is putting our school system and many others in a terrible bind. That last issue can be fixed with adjustments to provide common sense flexibility paired with accountability for results. If you want to see a video that really explains the situation in Carroll County and statewide with Kirwan Blueprint, please click here to see an excellent breakdown by District 42C Delegate Josh Stonko: https://fb.watch/xUC6ncIc–/

We look forward to keeping everyone updated as we move ahead into the 2nd half of the 2025 Session.

Ready in the Press

Last week, I introduced SB 657 & 661 in the Senate JPR Committee which seek to provide additional financial and legal protections to property owners who face eminent domain proceedings and would establish a 350% valuation on top of land value for Agricultural land taken by eminent domain. These bills are a response to the MPRP power line which threatens Carroll Countians’ way of life.

Yahoo News wrote an article about these bills, which you can read by clicking here.

Constituent Visits in Annapolis

This week was full of meetings and wonderful visits from Carroll County residents. Below are some pictures with those groups:

Senator Ready meeting with Carroll County student pages, Keira and Faith

Senator Ready meeting with students from Carroll Christian Schools

BGE High Bill Resources

My office received an email from BGE this week explaining ways they are trying to help customers who are receiving higher-than-expected energy bills. BGE is offering the following steps to help customers:

Waiving late payment fees for January and February 2025.
Suspending disconnections for nonpayment in February 2025.
Offering payment arrangements to pay current charges over 12 months or longer and extending due dates on bills, if needed.
Streamlining their process to get any customers who were already disconnected back in service sooner.

You can visit https://www.bge.com/my-account/customer-support/bill-help for ways to manage your bill, use energy more efficiently, or access energy assistance. This includes:

BGE’s self-service Assistance Finder, which provides simple and personalized recommendations.
Financial assistance through state programs and the Fuel Fund of Maryland.
Pay your current high bill over 12 months or extend the due date to receive more time to pay by using the following self-service options: Payment arrangement and due-date extension. For extenuating circumstances needing payment arrangements beyond 12 months, please call us at 800.685.0123.

Budget billing information and online self-serve sign-up for customers who prefer a predictable monthly bill that spreads energy costs throughout the year.

In case you missed it, I sent out an email recently explaining how our state has gotten into this energy crisis, as well as some of the legislation that I am working on to get us back on track. You can read that email 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, 2025.

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 week ahead!

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