July 19, 2024
Ready Report: MPRP Latest, Gov. Moore Spending Cuts That Weren’t & More…
It’s been a week since the attempted assassination of President Trump but the first time since then I’m emailing an update. I am very thankful that he survived and is ok. However, it is absolutely tragic that Corey Comperatore, a patriot and first responder, lost his life protecting his family from bullets raining down on them. My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family as they mourn their loss, along with those who are still recovering from being wounded. We pray for President Trump and his family’s safety as well as all our national leaders.
More on Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project:
Last weekend I sent an extensive update regarding the fight against the announced 70-mile electric line project being proposed for Northern Baltimore, Carroll & Frederick Counties. If you missed that please click here for a lot of information including background, next steps and how you can make your voice heard to the Maryland Public Service Commission.
Since last week, I’ve been engaged in a number of calls, meetings and research on MPRP, including coordinating with the rest of our Carroll County Delegation and County Commissioners on next steps and working on additional resources to provide people who could be impacted so that they can take action. We want to stop this entirely but it is going to be a long battle. We also really want to give the community an opportunity to express concerns and talk together on what we all can do. To that end…
Save the Date: August 22nd – Community Meeting on MPRP:
So to that end – we are going to be holding an open Public Meeting on MPRP on Thursday, August 22nd at 6:00 PM at the Carroll County Ag Center. Please consider this a “save the date” – I will be sending more specifics on this as we confirm it. This meeting will be for the community and our local elected officials to come together, we’ll also invite other guests from the state and federal level.
In addition, we are still working to confirm a second community meeting with PSEG – but this one has to be one where you can offer comments and ask questions in a public setting, not just an informational “science fair” format. More on that soon.
Organizing to Stop MPRP:
Finally, I’ve had so many folks reach out to me wanting to know how to best organize and collaborate with neighbors and also people from the other affected areas. Good news – there is an organization that has been set up – Stop MPRP – with board members from Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Counties all working together. I’d suggest visiting their website https://stopmprp.com/ to connect, get on the email list and learn more. I know there may be several groups organizing so if you have information you want to share with me, please reply to this email. However, the people with Stop MPRP are already sprinting ahead with plans and opportunities to get involved so I wanted to pass this along to you.
Non-MPRP News:
Moore’s “Spending Cut” Hides Medicaid Funding Snafu & $190 Million Spending Request
Earlier this week, Governor Moore and the Maryland Board of Public Works approved $150 million in “budget cuts,” and got favorable media coverage for it – however, our Senate Republican Caucus’ research showed this was merely just well orchestrated budgetary trickery for headlines. Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey and I as Minority Whip released the following press release which explains this further:
Vacancy on Carroll County Public Schools Family Life Advisory Committee:
Carroll County Public Schools is seeking individuals interested in serving on the Family Life Advisory Committee for the 2024-2025 school year to fill several open seats for the second year of the two-year term (the commitment will only be for a one-year term). The Family Life Advisory Committee reviews and provides feedback on CCPS Family Life curriculum, as well as recommends materials for adoption to the CCPS Board of Education. Interest forms should be submitted by Friday, July 26, 2024. Selected candidates will be approved at the August 14, 2024, Board of Education Meeting.
Link: Family Life Advisory Committee Interest Form
Supporting Local Volunteer Fire Department Carnivals – Two Left!
There are still two more carnivals hosted by local volunteer fire departments in Carroll County this summer. This is a great opportunity to show support for the men and women who will run into a burning building to save people they do not even know. Below are a list of the final two summer carnivals coming to Carroll County:
7/29 – 8/03 Mount Airy Fire Company
8/05 – 8/10 Hampstead Fire Company