Committee Hearings

Hearings in the Environment & Transportation Committee generally follow a pattern: Tuesdays we hear bills on housing and real property; Wednesdays we hear bills on the environment, natural resources, agriculture and land use; and Thursdays we hear bills on transportation and motor vehicles. You can see all the hearings (both live-streamed and on YouTube) here.

HB 18 - similar to my Container Deposit bills for bottles that I have introduced in previous years, this bill would establishing a Paint Stewardship Program. The program would provide for the the management of postconsumer paint by (1) reducing its generation; (2) promoting its reuse and recycling; and (3) negotiating and executing agreements to collect, transport, reuse, recycle, process for resource recovery, and dispose of postconsumer paint. The program must also provide for convenient and available statewide collection of postconsumer paint. The House has passed this bill several times; hopefully the Senate will pass it this year!

HB 141 - this bill would establish the Commission on Transportation Equity within the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). Beginning July 1, 2023, before announcing or proposing any service change that would exceed specified transportation equity thresholds, MDOT, in collaboration with the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), must: conduct a transit equity analysis; perform a cost-benefit analysis; consult with members and leaders of affected communities; and take specified actions based on the results of these activities. The bill also expands existing transportation plans, reports, and committees to include transportation equity issues.

HB 157 - this bill prohibits stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle in a designated “plug-in electric drive vehicle charging space,” unless that vehicle is a plug-in electric drive vehicle that is plugged into charging equipment. The bill establishes requirements for signage for these designated vehicle charging spaces. This bill made it through the House and Senate last year, but differences between the two chambers were not reconciled in time for the bill to pass.


My Bill Hearings

HB 223 - this bill would close a loophole in our law to protect minors. Currently our law prohibits a person in authority - a family member or an employee of a school - from engaging in sexual acts with a minor. My bill would expand this definition to include others who are in a position of authority with our children, such as private tutors, music teachers, and sports coaches. These people, just like school teachers, should not use their position of authority to exploit minors.