March 13, 2022
Dear Friends -
As you can see from the calendar below, we now have about a week to go until March 21, the Opposite Chamber Bill Crossover date in the Maryland General Assembly. This date is the deadline by which both the Senate and House must send the other Chamber those bills it has passed favorably to guarantee a hearing in the opposite Chamber. What does this mean for my work? Committees are sending more bills to the House floor where we are engaging in more debates and casting more votes. I've included a selection of these bills (including two of my own) that moved forward last week. You may notice that I have covered some of these bills in past newsletters, but these are the major bills on which significant actions have been taken (sometimes after long and difficult debate).
While we are busy with legislation, please remember that my office also is always here to help you. If we can ever be of any assistance, do not hesitate to reach out: (410) 841-3453 or Sara.Love@house.state.md.us.
Take care,
Sara
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Week in Review: House Bills Moving Forward
Two of my bills passed the House this week and are now in the Senate:
HB 275 Environment – PFAS Chemicals – Prohibitions and Requirements (George “Walter” Taylor Act) passed unanimously (138-0) on Thursday, and is now in the Senate Health, Education & Environmental Affairs Committee. Its cross-file, SB 273, passed unanimously in the Senate on March 1, and is in the House Health & Government Operations Committee.This bill stops the use of toxic, "forever" PFAS in firefighting foam, food packaging, and rugs and carpets.
HB 52 Natural Resources - Wildlife Trafficking Prevention passed 126-13 on Thursday, and now is also in the Senate Health, Education & Environmental Affairs Committee. Its cross-file, SB 381, passed unanimously in the Senate on March 4, and is in the House Environment & Transportation Committee. This bill helps protect 17 endangered wildlife species including elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, and great apes by preventing the sale in Maryland of products made from them.
Other bills passed by the House include:
HB 1171 Protecting Women's Reproductive Health: Declaration of Rights - Right to Reproductive Liberty (sponsored by Speaker Adrienne Jones) and HB 937 Abortion Care Access Act (sponsored by our own D16 Delegate Ariana Kelly) passed the House after lengthy debates. HB 1171 would allow voters to decide whether to add the right to Reproductive Liberty to the Maryland Constitution, and HB 937 increases access to abortion care by extending who can provide abortion services, funding training for abortion care, and making the state’s existing abortion care coverage under Medicaid permanent. I am so proud of my colleagues who stood and shared their reasons why this legislation is important to them and to Maryland. You can see the debate here (at 1:11:00).
HB 425 Public Safety - Untraceable Firearms (Ghost Guns) (sponsored by Speaker Adrienne Jones, at the request of D16 resident Attorney General Brian Frosh, and Del. Lesley Lopez) also passed the House after lengthy debates. SB 387, the cross-filed Senate bill (sponsored by D16's own Senator Susan Lee), passed out of the Judicial Proceedings Committee with several amendments on Wednesday, headed to the Senate floor for debate, and now awaits final Senate vote.
In Other Legislative News...
SB 528 The Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 passed with amendments in the Senate on Thursday. The bill establishes two statewide goals: 1) for 2030, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% of those recorded in 2006, and 2) for 2045, reach net-zero emissions. The bill achieves this, in part, by requiring owners of large buildings to gradually reduce their buildings’ emissions by retrofits — such as insulating windows and installing heat pumps. It now heads to the House.
SB 279, Access to Counsel in Evictions Special Fund - Alteration, passed unanimously in the Senate on Thursday, and now is in the House Judiciary Committee. It is one of several measures intended to fund the state’s access to counsel program for low-income tenants facing evictions.
HB 1486/SB 1010, Gas Tax Pause: On Friday, the House & Senate introduced a bill to suspend the state's gas tax for 30 days, a day after Governor Larry Hogan, Senate President Bill Ferguson, and House Speaker Adrienne Jones announced that they would work together to provide some relief to Marylanders experiencing soaring gas prices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The bill could move quickly and go into effect soon.
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Councilmember Friedson's Community Conversation. Join District 1 County Councilmember Andrew Friedson in person on Wednesday, April 6, 7pm - 8:30pm, Bethesda Regional Center (4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814) for a Community Conversation.This is an opportunity to share your concerns, and discuss important local issues specific to District 1 (Bethesda, Cabin John, Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights, Garrett Park, Glen Echo, Kensington, Martin's Additions, North Bethesda, Potomac, Poolesville, and Somerset). Questions? Call 240-777-7828 or email Councilmember.Friedson@montgomerycountymd.gov. Click here for parking and public transportation information.
Donations for Ukraine. The situation in Ukraine has turned into a full-blown humanitarian crisis. An array of nonprofits doing great work to help can benefit from your financial donation. One of these worthy organizations -- founded by D16 resident Chef Jose Andres -- is World Central Kitchen (WCK). Immediately after the attack on Ukraine, Jose Andres and his team began working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland serving hot, nourishing meals. Now, WCK has expanded efforts to serve people across the region in Romania, Moldova, and Hungary, and is also partnering with restaurants inside of Ukraine to get hot meals to anyone in need. Click here to donate to current WCK relief efforts. You can find information on other organizations helping with everything from medical services and medical and non-medical supplies to emergency housing and long-term assistance here.
Maryland Supports Ukraine at Home. Our state and county have a number of ideas for supporting Ukraine locally, including a donation tax credit, ban on Russian vodka -- and renamed cocktails! Delegate Brooke Lierman, and Senator Sarah Elfreth called on the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System to immediately divest from Russian entities. Gov. Larry Hogan severed Maryland’s Sister State partnership with the Leningrad Region in Russia. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich ordered the county’s Alcohol Beverage Services stores to stop selling any Russian products. The retail chain Total Wine & More, which has a headquarters in Bethesda, has done the same, banishing Russian products. Caddies on Cordell, a bar and grill in Bethesda, stopped buying and serving Russian-produced vodka, renamed its Moscow Mule, White Russian, and Black Russian the Kyiv Mule, White Ukrainian, Black Ukrainian, donating some of the revenue from the sale of those drinks to a relief fund to help Ukrainian children.
MCPS Mask Mandate Ends. After weeks of debate, the Montgomery County Board of Education voted to end the Montgomery County Public Schools' mask mandate as of March 8. County Executive Marc Elrich still cautions all of us to stay vigilant, even though rates are dropping and mask mandates have been lifted. You can stay current on our County's COVID case statistics and vaccination rates on the Montgomery County Data Dashboard.
“A Letter to My Father/Father Figure” Short Film/Video Festival Submissions Due Soon. Encourage students, 1st grade through college undergraduates, to express themselves and their perspectives on positive relationships with their dads or father figures by creating and submitting short films or videos for the inaugural KIDS FIRST! Daddying Film Festival (KFDFF), which takes place June 13-20, the week leading up to and through Father’s Day weekend. Short-film and video submissions are due by April 15, 2022, and all STUDENT submissions are FREE. Find details here.
Public Service Reminder
Home Smoke Detector Laws: Changing your clocks for Daylight Saving Time is a great reminder to check your home smoke alarms. Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms are critical for the early detection of a fire in your home and could mean the difference between life and death. As of 2018, Maryland requires all homeowners to replace 1) BATTERY ONLY operated smoke alarms with sealed 10-year lithium-ion battery smoke alarms that have a silent/hush feature and 2) all smoke alarms (both hard-wired and battery-operated) when they are 10 years old. (It is never permissible, however, to remove required hard-wired smoke alarms and replace them with any type of battery-only operated device.) The law was adopted to address concerns from fire safety professionals about 9-volt battery-operated smoke alarms that chirp to indicate the need for battery replacement, often prompting homeowners to remove the batteries to stop the noise, and not to replace them.
Additionally, Montgomery County law requires placement of smoke alarms based upon the year the home was built. For a residential units constructed after 7/1/1997, at least one smoke alarm must be installed in each sleeping room, in the hallway or common area, outside of sleeping rooms and in the hallway or common area on each level of a residential unit, including basements and excluding unoccupied spaces such as attics. For homes built before this date, one is required on every level, including the basement, as well as one outside each sleeping area.
More information and specifics are available here.
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Calendar
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Tuesday, March 15, 7:30 AM, Bethesda Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club with candidates for Maryland Attorney General Congressman Anthony Brown and Former Judge Katie O'Malley. Email keller.johnw@gmail.com for the zoom link.
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Thursday, March 17 at 8:00 PM - Montgomery County Quiet Skies Coalition New Members Orientation. You can learn more about the group and how to join here. If you are interested in attending, email annekhollander@gmail.com.
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Monday, March 21, Opposite Chamber Bill Crossover Date in the MGA: Each Chamber (Senate and House) must send the other Chamber those bills it intends to pass favorably.
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Thursday, March 24, 8:00 PM, Montgomery County Quiet Skies Coalition will hold its next all-members meeting via Zoom. The link will be sent to members a few days before the meeting. You can learn more about the group and how to join here.
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Wednesday, March 30, 7:30AM, Bethesda Chevy Chase Democratic Breakfast Club will hear from Robert Bass and Max Uy, candidates for Sheriff. Email keller.johnw@gmail.com for the zoom link.
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Monday, April 4, Budget Bill Must Be Passed by both Chambers of the MGA. (Passing the Budget Bill each session is the only constitutional requirement for the MGA!)
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Wednesday, April 6, 7pm - 8:30pm, In Person Community Conversation with Councilmember Andrew Friedson, Bethesda Regional Center (4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814) for a Community Conversation.
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Monday, April 11, MGA 90th Day — ADJOURNMENT “SINE DIE”
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