You can check the status of bills by logging on to the Maryland General Assembly website, then feel free to contact my office with feedback and questions. Email is the best way to contact us.

Senator Katie Frye Hester and I are so in sync, we even dress alike (but not on purpose).

SB0290 Budget Bill (Fiscal Year 2023) - passed both House and Senate

Maggie McIntosh, House Appropriations Chair, said the following when presenting the bill on the House Floor: "This budget maintains 2.1 billion in the Rainy-Day fund and keeps a 1.2 billion general fund balance, making the State well-positioned to continue to respond to rising costs and future uncertainties. It includes 1.4 billion to support State priorities plus $350 million in tax relief. The budget strives for balance of investment and tax relief for all Marylanders."

HB0089 - Child Care Stabilization and Child Care Expansion Grant Programs House Bill 89 prioritizes family childcare providers and providers most in need for the State's $50 Million stabilization grant. This legislation will allow family childcare providers most in need a better opportunity to take advantage of the grant this fiscal year.

HB0001 Legal Cannabis Constitutional Amendment House Bill 1 puts a referendum for legalized cannabis on the 2022 general election ballot. It would allow individuals 21 or older to use and possess cannabis.

HB0837 Cannabis Reform House Bill 837 addresses criminal justice and public health issues facing legalization while building the necessary foundation to create social equity in the recreational cannabis industry. It allows Marylanders to possess up to 1.5 ounces of recreational cannabis without penalty and automatically expunges the conviction of anyone previously found guilty of simple possession of marijuana.

HB1202 Local Cybersecurity Support Act of 2022 House Bill 1202 codifies the Cyber Preparedness Unit Emergency under the Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) to assist local governments to be prepared for and respond to security hack and other incidents. It requires local governments to report cyber security incidents to the local emergency manager, security operations center in DoIT and the MD Joint Operations Center.

HB0734 Maryland Student Investment Act House Bill 734 expands access to higher education. It makes college more affordable for Maryland students by increasing funding to the State's financial aid programs. It also improves the Guaranteed Access Grant so that grant recipients who become ineligible due to an income change will remain eligible for the full award under certain conditions.

HB1450 Blueprint Implementation Updates House Bill 1450 adjusts the Blueprint's implementation plan to better align with the formation of the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB). The bill extends the dates for when the AIB must adopt a Comprehensive Implementation Plan (CIP) for the Blueprint and extends the dates for when the plans should be approved. The bill also dedicates a certain percentage of sales and use tax revenues to the Blueprint's funding.

SB0158 Protecting Voting Rights - passed both House and Senate

HB0088 Electric Distribution Grid Support House Bill 88 works to leverage federal dollars to better support Maryland's electrical distribution grid. The bill puts the State on a path to help modernize the State's grid, meet the State's carbon reduction goals, create good-paying jobs, and save rate-payers money on their utilities over the coming decades.

HB0496 Commission to Implement Family and Medical Leave House Bill 496 lays the foundation for the implementation of paid family and medical leave by 2024. The House Appropriations Committee set aside more than $20 million in the budget to start building the program's framework beginning in July.

HB0006 Dental Coverage for Adults on Medicaid House Bill 6 expands access to dental Care by allowing adults with Medicaid to get dental coverage. This will expand dental coverage to the nearly 800,000 Marylanders without dental care.

HB0932 Require Landlords to Accept Federal Rental Assistance for Failure to Pay Rent House Bill 932 requires landlords to accept a check of federal rental assistance provided by a tenant to avoid eviction. During the course of the pandemic, the State has received hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (EARP) which has helped Marylanders pay their rent during these difficult times. This bill clarifies existing law by specifically stating that a landlord must accept EARP funds to stop an eviction just like any other allowed payment method.

HB0425 Ghost Gun Ban House Bill 425 bans unregistered, untraceable "Ghost Guns" and creates a plan for a system to register guns that can be sold in kits of loose parts and do not have a serial number.

The Howard County Board of Education will recognize Ying Matties with its prestigious Friends of Education Award during its meeting on Thursday, April 7, 2022.

Ying Matties founded the Community Allies of Rainbow Youth (CARY) organization. When she realized she could help more than just her own child and others in her school community, she reached out and built a network of caring individuals who want to ensure each student in Howard County Public Schools feels valued. Matties works tirelessly to help improve policies, practices and curriculum and make them more inclusive, accepting and relevant.

The Board will also acknowledge Friends of Education nominees Amanda Wang, Okinawan Karate Dojo and EnRich Minds for their contributions to the school system.

The process just kicked off with Spring Community Input Workshops where stakeholders could learn more about the process and provide input that will be used when developing plans. Additionally, stakeholders are able to view the presentation online and submit feedback through an online survey. More information about the process and timeline can be found online. Changes in school attendance areas as a result of this process will take effect beginning the 2023-24 school year.

Effective April 1, 2022, the minimum wage in Howard County will increase to $14.00 for employers and $12.50 for small employers.Introduced by the Howard County Council this past November and signed by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball on December 13, 2021, Council Bill (CB) No. 82-2021 establishes a series of local minimum wage increases for employees working in Howard County beginning April 1^st. This bill calls for the minimum wage in Howard County to rise (see table below) to $16.00 per hour by July 1, 2026, with increases set after that by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) starting in January 2027.

Those unable to attend this meeting who would like to view the plans and/or have questions, should contact Mr. Brian Cleary with the DPW’s Stormwater Management Division at 410-313-6455 or email bcleary@howardcountymd.gov.

The EC250 celebration moves west to Manor Hill Farm for the debut of the first in a three-part series of commemorative EC250 cans from Manor Hill Brewing. The hometown brewers signature Manor Hill IPA features a specially designed label to mark Ellicott City’s 250th commemorative year.

For more information, click here.

The phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK, will transition to 9-8-8 in July 2022.  

The easy to remember three-digit number will connect Marylanders and all Americans in need of supportive listening to trained hotline specialists, opening the door to healing and hope. The launch of 9-8-8 is anticipated to triple call volume to existing call centers who have done this life-saving work for nearly two decades. The current Lifeline phone number 1-800-273-TALK will always remain available, even after 9-8-8 is launched nationally.

courtney.watson@house.state.md.us,

The General Assembly has put together video tutorials on using the MGA Website, which can be found by clicking below. You will find tutorials about searching for and tracking bills, signing up to testify on a bill, and more. To follow my legislation, click here.