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Courtney Watson
House of Delegates
District 9B
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Hello Friends,
This has been a busy two weeks in Annapolis. In the Appropriations Committee, we heard several bills, including HB-546, the Service Year Option Program, for which Governor Wes Moore and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball both testified in support. This bill has the potential to transform young lives by providing a structural work experience in the first year after high school.
The program will begin as a pilot with 200 students, which the Governor hopes to grow to 2,000 within three years.
I have presented eight of my eleven bills to committees and the first one (HB-72 Charitable Contributions) was voted out of its House Committee unanimously on Friday. I will present the last three bills this week. After presentation to committee, we must track them, appear at subcommittees if requested, and work to get them on the House floor for a vote.
A pleasant surprise this week were the cherry trees in bloom in front of the State House. Spring is just around the corner!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- News from the County Executive
- Ellicott City Safe and Sound
- Guilford Park High School
- District 9 Town Hall
- Howard County Public Schools - Volunteers Needed
- Moment of the Week & More
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Thank you to members of the House Appropriations Committee, Vice Chair Mark Chang, Delegate Julian Ivey, and Delegate Jazz Lewis (and son) who toured Ellicott City with me Saturday morning to better understand the importance of the North Tunnel to the Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan.
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Howard County Project Funding Update:
On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, the Board of Public Works considered the following requests made on behalf of District 9B.
District 9B: A request to enter into grant agreements for the following non-matching grants to the County Executive and County Council of Howard County:
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$500,000 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of the Caplan’s Department Store Façade Restoration project (Item 6 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
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$500,000 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of a building located on Main Street in Ellicott City (Item 8 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda);
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$175,000 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of four vehicle drop arm barriers in Ellicott City (Item 9 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda); and
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$126,230 for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of Tiber Park, including landscaping, a walking path, park amenities, and lighting (Item 20 of the Department of General Services’ Office of State Procurement Agenda).
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(Click on the image above to watch video clip) |
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Ellicott City Safe and
Sound Update
We cut the ribbon on the Quaker Mill Pond on February 13. This is the second Safe and Sound project completed and it will hold a football field of water 7.5 feet high! We had the Maryland Secretary of Environment, Serene McIlwain on hand who is brand new, but committed to our Safe and Sound project. This clip explains what Katie Fry Hester, Maryland Senate D9 and I did to get funding for Executive Calvin Ball, who has been steadfast in his support of historic Ellicott City. The state funding of $2.1 million for this project came directly from our efforts in our very first year in office - 2019.
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HCPSS High School #13 is
Now Guilford Park High School
Howard County’s 13th public high school now has a name: Guilford Park High School. The name was approved by the Howard County Board of Education at their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, February 9, 2023. The high school, located on Mission Road in Jessup, MD, will open in August 2023.
The approval of the name is the culmination of an extensive process, following Policy 6050 – Naming and Renaming of Schools. The process included receiving stakeholder input and the creation of a comprehensive naming committee, which made a recommendation to the Board after considering over 1,000 name options.
School administrators have begun working with incoming students to establish a school mascot. More information about Guilford Park High School can be found online.
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Volunteers Needed - Practice Job Interviews
On Thursday, March 16th from 8 AM - 12 PM, the Howard County Public School System will be hosting a Workforce Development Program - Passport to the Future. HCPSS is conducting practice job interviews for high school students.
The Howard County Public School System puts together these amazing programs to make sure our students are prepared for the future. If you or someone you know may be interested, please sign up to provide valuable career training for our student body.
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OEM Seeks Feedback on
Howard County Mitigation Plan
The Howard County Office of Emergency Management is in the process of updating its Hazard Mitigation Plan to cover the years 2024-2029. The rough draft will be posted for public comment on their website by February 28th. Please share your comments, critiques, and suggestions using the feedback form on their website.
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Doing Business with the Maryland
Transportation Authority (MDTA)
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) is offering a Development Workshop with the Division of Civil Rights & Fair Practices (CRFP) to take place on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 from 9am to 1pm.
This is a great opportunity to network with Primes, MDTA Procurement Officers, and MDTA CRFP Compliance Officers and learn about resources to assist in growing and strengthening your business.
The event will take place in the Harry Hughes Conference Room at MDOT Headquarters (7201 Corporate Center Drive Hanover, Maryland 21076).
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District 9 Town Hall
District 9 will be hosting our second town hall of the 2023 legislative session. Our bills are still in the works, and we have some great legislation making its way through committee. If you missed the last town hall or have questions about any of the bills we are sponsoring, then please join us on March 6th at 6:30 PM.
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(Click on the image above to be taken to the application.) |
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Cleaning Up Litter with
Operation Clean Sweep Maryland
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration has launched Operation Clean Sweep Maryland, a continuous effort across the State to remove litter along Maryland's roads.
Beginning this week, the State Highway Administration team began initial sweeps through highly traveled areas to perform litter pickup and started reaching out to local jurisdictions to coordinate clean-up efforts. Motorists should pay close attention and reduce speeds and distractions when traveling near work crews to help make sure everyone makes it home safely.
You can help out by reporting issues of litter and high grass on state roads online or by calling 410-545-0300.
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So great to have one of our fabulous students from Centennial High School as a page in Annapolis last week. Maya will be back for her second week in March.
I love seeing our Howard County students involved in public service. Can't wait for her to join us again in March!
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Moment of the Week
County Executive Calvin Ball had a moment in the hall with Governor Wes Moore before they both testified before the Appropriations Committee in support of the Student Service Option bill.
We want to hear from you this session. Share your opinion on state or local bills and come visit us, too. Tyler Michels from my office can even help set up a tour of the State House.
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CONTACT MY OFFICE
Your thoughts are always welcome. Please contact me by email (see below). Please include "constituent" in the subject line when requesting help for constituent matters.
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Delegate Courtney Watson
Howard County District 9B
Member, Appropriations Committee
Vice-Chair, Transportation and the Environment Subcommittee
Deputy Majority Whip, Democratic Caucus
Maryland House of Delegates
6 Bladen Street, Room 214
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-841-3077 / 301-858-3077
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