Courtney Watson
House of Delegates
District 9B

Hello Friends,

Happy Lunar New Year! Also referred to as "Spring Festival," the Lunar New Year serves as one of the most celebrated holidays for the AAPI Community.

We welcome 2023 as the Year of the Rabbit. May we all embody the many great qualities said to belong to those born in Rabbit years - kindness, empathy, modesty, and patience.

The legislative session is well underway and I am enjoying my new assignment in Appropriations. Reviewing and approving how our tax dollars are spent, while holding state agencies accountable is an important responsibility. The mood is upbeat as we work in a bipartisan way to provide this oversight on your behalf.

Take good care,

IN THIS ISSUE:

  • Inauguration of Governor Wes Moore
  • Priorities for the Fiscal Year
  • District 9 Town Hall
  • Save the Date: OEC SpringFest 2023
  • Howard County Celebrates a Happy Lunar New Year
  • D9B Scholarship Opportunity
  • Howard County School Budget & More

Inauguration of Governor Wes Moore
Last Wednesday afternoon, Governor Wes Moore and Lt. Governor Aruna Miller were sworn in to represent their constituents for the next four years.

Following the inauguration, Richard and I joined many of my House of Delegates colleagues at the Inaugural Ball, where thousands of people gathered to celebrate. I look forward to working with the new administration over the next four years.
It's a New Day In Annapolis!

Under the Moore-Miller administration education, transportation, infrastructure, and mental health are being prioritized. The theme for this year's budget is "Leave No One Behind." We look forward to working with the Governor on this new budget and our policy priorities.
District 9 Town Hall

The D9 team will be hosting the first Town Hall of the 2023 Legislative Session on Monday, February 6th, at 6:30 PM. I am honored to work with my District 9 colleagues Senator Katie Fry Hester, Delegate Chao Wu, and Delegate Natalie Ziegler. We will continue working collaboratively to represent the interests of District 9 constituents in Annapolis.

You can sign up here to tune in and learn about selected legislation and the state's priorities. If time allows, we will have a question and answer period at the end. I hope you'll join us via Zoom!
SpringFest 2023
Save the Date - April 15th, 2023

Spring may still be a few months away, but I know many of us are eagerly anticipating its return. With warm weather comes Old Ellicott City's favorite Spring showcase featuring local retailers and musicians - SpringFest 2023. Food and artisan vendor applications are now available, so if you are an OEC business owner, make sure to register here today!
Happy Lunar New Year!

We honored the occasion on the House Floor on Friday, January 20th and at Howard County Executive Calvin Ball's celebration at the Columbia Mall on Saturday, January 21st. The artistic performances were mesmerizing, and we are so fortunate to have such a vibrant community!
D9B Scholarship Opportunity
Meet Audrey, one of District 9B’s scholarship recipients. She is one resilient young woman, and will start at Towson University this week after working this past semester to pay for her education. Audrey visited to say thank you, and she inspired everyone in the office! Our future is bright because of students like Audrey.

Our scholarship application will be available in March. Sign up here to be placed on the notification email list. Call us anytime with questions about the process.
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball on the School System Budget
 
"No priority is more important in Howard County than creating the best teaching and learning environment for all through an excellent public school system, and our community has always come together to achieve this goal," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. "The funding plan we secured for the current school year contains the largest single-year education increase in at least two decades, with $84 million more in resources from State and Local sources."

"We now have teachers with the highest starting salaries in the Baltimore-Washington region, while also funding 150 new special education teachers and more."

We value our educators, and we are working on the state level to provide the resources and support needed to implement the Blueprint for Maryland's Future - a once in a generation investment in our public school system. You can find the Board of Education's budget hearing schedule by clicking here!
On January 31st at 7 PM Delegates Chao Wu and Natalie Ziegler will be hosting a special virtual info session on property assessment and taxation. The past few years, Howard County residents have witnessed significant increased assessments.

This is a great opportunity to hear from a panel of professionals and ask any questions you may have. You may sign up by clicking here.
Moment of the Week

We honored Molly Sampson on the House Floor this week. You may have heard about the 9-year-old fourth grader who found a 23 million year-old tooth from a prehistoric Megalodon at Calvert Cliffs on Christmas Day.

The tooth was especially rare because it was in perfect shape. Imagine our surprise to see Molly's Dad pull it out of his pocket! Molly had asked for waders for Christmas and couldn't wait to put them on and go fossil hunting. She wants to be a paleontologist when she grows up. Molly charmed the entire House of Delegates and I'm quite sure her star will continue to rise.
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.

Delegate Courtney Watson
Howard County District 9B
Member, Appropriations Committee
Vice-Chair, Energy and Transporting Subcommittee
Deputy Majority Whip, Democratic Caucus

Maryland House of Delegates
6 Bladen Street, Room 214
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-841-3077 / 301-858-3077