Good morning,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with their loved ones. There are now only a few days until the 2023 Maryland General Assembly Session kicks off. The first day of official business is Wednesday, January 11th. I wanted to update you on news from this week and some of my activities as we head towards the start of Session.
District 5 State Legislators Receive Committee Assignments
On Thursday, final committee assignments were announced by the Maryland House of Delegates, following an earlier announcement from the State Senate. Senator Justin Ready and Delegates April Rose, Chris Tomlinson and Eric Bouchat have all been placed on committees that oversee critical issues that face Carroll County and the state of Maryland as a whole. I will continue serving on the Senate Finance Committee, where he has been since the 2021 Session. Delegate Rose is moving to the House Economic Matters Committee. Incoming Delegates Tomlinson and Bouchat have both been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.
Here's my quote from the press release: “The District 5 Delegation is well positioned to have strong impact on behalf of the people we are fortunate to represent,” Senator Ready said. “From job creation and workforce development, health care, and labor regulations on the Senate Finance Committee to the same business issues with energy policy added on the House Economic Matters Committee to fighting crime, supporting law enforcement and protecting our 2nd Amendment rights on the House Judiciary Committee, our District 5 team will be on the front lines in the 2023 Legislative Session and beyond," Ready concluded.
You can read the full press release with information about Carroll County Delegation assignments by clicking here.
Carroll County Legislative Delegation to Hold Hearing on Public Bill Requests
The Carroll County Delegation will hold its annual local public hearing on proposed county-specific legislation on Friday, January 13, 2023 at 3pm. The hearing will take place in the Reagan Room of the County Office Building,225 North Center Street, Westminster, Maryland. This meeting is open to the public and also will be live-streamed.
The Delegation will be hearing and discussing Carroll County-specific bill requests made by local government entities, non-profits and other organizations for the 2023 Maryland General Assembly Legislative Session. These legislative requests are made by the County Board of Commissioners, local non-profit organizations, and other groups, as well as occasionally proposals by individual delegation members, although there are none of those at this time.
To see the agenda of the local initiatives and topics that will be heard on January 13, click here.
Swearing-In of Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker
On Tuesday, I was honored to attend Haven Shoemaker’s swearing-in as our new Carroll County State’s Attorney. Haven will do a great job fighting to keep our families and communities safe, pursue justice and support our law enforcement. One of the speakers jokingly said Haven was “born with a plastic spoon in his mouth”. He worked his way through college and law school, served in the Army National Guard and then provided affordable legal services to people in our county for over 30 years, in addition to serving in different part-time elected positions. I’m proud to call him a friend and now, our State’s Attorney.
Ready in the Community
This week I had the opportunity to speak with community groups previewing the 2023 Legislative Session. On Tuesday, I was part of a panel of legislators at the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce annual pre-session breakfast and then concluded the evening at the Carroll County Republican Women’s Club. On Thursday, I visited the Carroll County Agribusiness Breakfast to talk about the upcoming session and the impacts on agricultural and farming policy with the new Governor's administration coming in. I always appreciate the opportunity to hear from individuals and organizations throughout District 5, Carroll County and now southeast Frederick County about the concerns and ideas that they have to improve our state.
