Public Schools - High School Sports Officials - Payment and Fees, Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. During last year’s interim, a contingency of Anne Arundel County high school sports officials brought to my attention a very concerning pay parity issue. Officials refereeing men’s high school sports were being paid more than officials refereeing the same women’s high school sports. This disparity was extremely troubling, and showed a value judgement our school systems were making between the efforts of men and women high school athletes. During the interim, my office and I worked to develop a solution that would prevent this statewide. SB 923 will ensure that moving forward, our school system’s provide equal pay for equal work, and our female athletes know that their efforts are valued just as much as men.

State Disaster Recovery Fund - Transfer of Funds, Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. As the impacts of climate change worsen, disasters have become more extreme and more localized. Our community is disproportionately impacted by these local disasters. In recent years we have seen severe flooding, and the 2021 EF-2 Tornado that devastated Parole. Marylander’s need effective and swift support when disaster strikes.

In 2023, I passed a law that created the State Disaster Recovery Fund, which created a fund to provide the sorely needed localized disaster relief we needed. This bill, HB 865, ensures the State Disaster Recovery Fund will have the necessary available funds to swiftly respond when Marylanders need it the most.

Oyster Shucking House Loan Program Alterations, Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. The Maryland Oyster Shucking House Loan Program was established to help finance the cost of eligible seafood processing projects, including historic oyster shucking facilities, and to facilitate an increase in the amount of oyster shells retained in the State and returned to the Chesapeake Bay. HB 397 makes two changes to the loan program that will lower barriers and make existing funds more accessible to small businesses. This legislation eliminates unnecessary red tape and makes the program more efficient. Ultimately, supporting small businesses and returning more oyster shells to the Bay!

Child Care Centers - Assessment of State-Owned Facilities, Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. Maryland is in a child care crisis. Many families lack child care altogether, and those that do have child care pay exorbitant monthly rates. This causes significant economic harm to Maryland families - especially women - who are not able to access or can’t afford it. In a recent “Child Care and the Economy” report from Comptroller Brooke Lierman, she highlighted that one of the key components causing the crisis is a lack of providers. This bill, HB 1344, helps to address this supply problem by identifying existing State buildings that could be utilized by a child care provider.

Anne Arundel County - Child Care Center - Property Tax Credit, Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. As discussed above, Maryland’s child care crisis is severely impacting families. We need to do everything we can to address it, and this legislation, HB 1343, provides the County with a tool to incentivize more providers to come to the County. More providers increase supply, lowering costs, and helping to get parents back to work.

Anne Arundel County - Supermarkets - Property Tax Credit, Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. This legislation, HB 598, cross-filed with Senator Simonaire, provides Anne Arundel County with a tool to combat food deserts. Food deserts are urban areas or rural towns that do not have readily available fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Unfortunately, there are 17 areas of the County that the USDA defines as food deserts. This legislation will help eliminate those deserts and ensure every county resident has access to fresh and affordable food!

Bicycles on Sidewalks (Jay’s Law), Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. Bicycle and pedestrian safety is a top issue for District 30. Many of our neighbors rely on commuting by bicycle to school or work, but recent tragic accidents show that our roadways are not always safe for bicyclists. HB 375 will simply allow bicyclists, unless prohibited by local law, to ride on the sidewalk provided they yield to pedestrians. This will allow our children and bicycles to be farther away from traffic and better utilize our infrastructure. This legislation was supported by Bike Maryland and Bike Anne Arundel County, and I was proud to partner with this on this traffic safety legislation!

Election Judge Compensation Revisions. HB 586 expands on my work supporting local boards of elections in the vital work they do facilitating our democracy. In past years, my legislation has raised the minimum compensation for elections officials, provided an increase for returning election officials, and provided pay for training as an election judge. This legislation alters the payment structure for training so that it is distributed only after a judge serves during the election. This will save local boards thousands of dollars and prevent bad actors from wasting resources.

The Freedom to Read Act: Passed and on the Governor’s Desk - One of the First in the Nation. Statewide, Maryland has seen significant increases in book challenges in our school and public libraries that are only rivaled in states like Florida and Texas. Last Spring and Summer I met with countless librarians, media specialists, parents and teachers who made clear that the time was now for Maryland to take action to protect our library collections and the librarians who curate them. I am so proud to have sponsored and passed the HB 785, the Freedom to Read Act, making Maryland one of the first in the nation to take a stand to protect literature, libraries and librarians.

I want to thank the countless librarians, parents, teachers, advocates and constituents who helped me with this effort, and express my immense gratitude to Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones for her courageous support, co-sponsorship and inclusion of HB 785 in her Decency Legislative Agenda. This crucial and timely legislation will safeguard our libraries, librarians, and literature from becoming the next frontier of censorship and protect the freedom for readers to choose for themselves.

Waterway Incident Notification System: Passed Unanimously, on the Governor’s Desk. Anne Arundel County is home to over 533 miles of shoreline and Maryland totals nearly 3200 miles of shoreline. HB 256 works to develop an innovative emergency alert system for Maryland’s waterways, helping to improve safety for all on the water!

Income Tax Subtraction Modification for Diaper Donations: Passed Unanimously, on the Governor’s Desk. HB 490 is an extension of my original bill in 2021 which established a subtraction modification to encourage donations of diapers and other hygiene products. Donations encouraged by this bill will help ensure every mother, child, and person in this state has access to the essential hygiene products they need to lead safe, healthy, and dignified lives!

Firefighter and EMS Retention and Recruitment: Passed with Overwhelming Bipartisan Support, on the Governor's Desk. HB 899 will bolster the recruitment and retention of Maryland’s firefighter and EMS workers to fortify our state’s emergency response capacity. Continuing education is a critical part of an emergency responders’ career, and this bill helps reduce education costs that can be a barrier to recruiting and retaining our cherished first responders.

Public Schools Student Telehealth Appointments Policy and Access, Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. For two years, parents, teachers, students and advocates have come to me asking how to address the issue of telehealth access in our public schools. Currently, the policy is that students must be signed out of school by parents in order for them to access their telehealth appointments. This arrangement is inequitable, unnecessary, and reduces seat hours. In response, I introduced HB 522. After hours of deliberation and compromise with stakeholders, it passed! This bill paves the way to provide Maryland’s students equitable and efficient access to telehealth providers. Nothing should be a barrier to our students getting the healthcare they need.

Vineyard and Wineries Grant Modifications, Passed Unanimously and on the Governor’s Desk. HB 914 makes small fixes to an existing grant program that will have a big impact on Maryland's wineries and vineyards! By making existing capital funding more accessible to their small businesses, this bill is budget wise and greatly increases efficiency!

Firefighter (Professional & Volunteer) Innovative Cancer Screening Technologies Program - Funding, Passed Unanimously and on the Governor’s Desk. The second bill in my legislative package to support first responders, HB 1472 will increase funding for cancer screening tests for Maryland’s professional and volunteer firefighters. Cancer is the #1 killer of firefighters, and this increased funding will go a long way to catching cancer early!

Election Judge Revisions, Passed with Bipartisan Support and on the Governor’s Desk. Expanding on my legislation from last year that increased the minimum compensation of election officials, HB 700 helps make it easier for our localities to recruit and retain election judges. The bill requires the State Board of Elections to develop and implement a recruitment marketing campaign for localities, develop standardized onboarding paperwork, and requires local governments to allow employees to take administrative leave to serve as an election judge. Election judges are truly the backbone of our Democracy, and I’m proud to pass legislation supporting them!

Human Services - Individuals With Disabilities and Service-Disabled Veterans Boating Fund, Passed with Bipartisan Support and on the Governor’s Desk. District 30A is home to numerous amazing organizations that provide truly transformative on the water experiences for our intellectually disabled and service disabled communities. HB 773 establishes a fund that will expand capacity for these programs and allow more people to experience and enjoy accessible boating activities that empower them to lead better lives!

Judges Retirement System Special Death Benefit, Passed Unanimously and on the Governor’s Desk. Last fall, Maryland was shocked and heartbroken when a Washington County judge was murdered at his home in a targeted attack based on his ruling in a divorce proceeding. This tragedy exposed a gap in the judge retirement system that a line of duty death benefit was not established for the surviving family. HB 768 fixes this omission and makes revisions to Maryland’s State Pension System to equally apply existing line-of-duty death benefits to our judges.

Shellfish Aquaculture - Harvest Hours, Passed Unanimously and on the Governor’s Desk. In May of last year, I was appointed by Speaker Adrienne Jones as the House member of the Aquaculture Coordinating Council. HB 857 is a result of my work on the council, and will allow harvest hour flexibility for Shellfish aquaculture in Maryland, helping to make Maryland open for aquaculture!

Education - State Library Resource Center - Funding, Cross-file Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. Every day, the Maryland State Library Resource Center provides a wide range of services and bolsters the impact our local libraries have in our communities. This legislation increases funding for the SLRC and will allow them to continue to provide valuable resources and thousands of hours of training across the State.

Election Administration – State Administrator, Local Boards, and Election Directors, Cross-file Passed and on the Governor’s Desk. Will ensure accountability of the State and local election administrators, increase oversight and communication between the SBE and local boards, and develop security stands for our election equipment.

Library Funding: PASSED Unanimously & on the Governor’s Desk. The library system is a core part of communities across the State, HB 276 will ensure that library funding continues past FY 2027, and safeguards that our libraries are supported with the resources necessary to adequately provide the services that our residents need and deserve.

Tax Relief for Disabled Federal Officers: PASSED Unanimously & on the Governor’s Desk. For two years, I have worked tirelessly with my constituents to expand property tax credits to our disabled Federal Law enforcement officers, and I am proud to say HB 508 has passed and is on the Governor's Desk. This bill will require a county or municipality to define who is a disabled law enforcement officer or rescue worker to expand an already existing tax credit to disabled federal officers. It shows our intent on retaining these brave men and women in Maryland as neighbors, community members, and heroes.

City of Annapolis - Art Establishment Alcoholic Beverages License: Passed Unanimously, on the Governor's Desk. I was proud to sponsor HB 520, which creates an “Arts Establishment” beer and wine license for our non-profit arts organizations in Annapolis – this will save our cherished art establishments, like Maryland Hall, staff time and money which will allow them to host more programming and events for our community.

State Disaster Recovery Fund: Passed and on the Governor's Desk. I’m proud to have worked with the Governor's Office and my partner Senator Elfreth to pass HB 789/SB 650, which creates a disaster recovery fund under the Maryland Department of Emergency Management that will allow City & County Emergency Management to respond more efficiently & rapidly to local disasters. The critical need for this legislation became clear when an EF-2 tornado tore through the district and dozens of businesses sustained devastating damage.

State Administrator of Elections - Term, Vacancy in Office, and Removal From Office: Passed Unanimously and on the Governor's Desk. At present, the State Board of Elections Administrator is appointed to a lifetime term. This arrangement lacks the fundamental accountability needed for any important public office - and is the only office that benefits from a lifetime appointment. I am proud to have partnered with Senator Kagan to sponsor HB 899/SB 863 that reforms the terms of removal for the State Board of Elections Administrator to establish that no one has a lifetime appointment in Maryland, and can be held accountable.

Election Judges Minimum Compensation: Passed with Bipartisan support, on the Governor's Desk. For multiple elections cycles, we have seen counties across the State struggle to find the required amount of election judges needed to properly run our Democracy. HB 1200 strengthens the backbone of our elections by raising the minimum compensation for our election officials. Considering the significant responsibility and importance of our State’s election judges, we must do better to incentivize and retain them.

Student Telehealth Appointments Access: Passed House, but ran out of time in the Senate. Over the summer, teachers, students, parents, and advocates all came to me asking how to address the issue of telehealth access in our public schools. Currently, it is the policy that students must be signed out of school by parents in order for them to access their telehealth appointments. This arrangement is inequitable, unnecessary, and reduces seat hours. In response, I sponsored HB 878, which ensures our middle and high school students are able to access telehealth services in schools, improving mental health and increasing instructional time. I was thrilled to see this bill pass the House, but unfortunately ran out of time in the Senate. I am looking forward to introducing this critical bill again next Session.

Road Safety - Bicycles, Play Vehicles and Unicycles: Passed House, but ran out of time in the Senate. Tragically, bicyclists continue to be at serious risk on Maryland roadways. Just recently, our community heard the devastating news that a local grandfather died when he was struck while riding his bike home from work. To help address this issue, I sponsored HB 519 that amends State law to allow bikes to ride safely on our sidewalks, unless prohibited by local authority - thus, protecting our children and bikers from these common, preventable, and often deadly accidents.

Disaster Relief - PASSED into Law

My bill, HB 386 expanded and streamlined the ability of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to distribute relief money to small businesses and nonprofits who are in need after a natural disaster. The critical need for this legislation became clear in 2021 when a EF-2 tornado tore through the district and dozens of businesses sustained devastating damage. Unlike the response to the floods of October 2021, there was not a State of Emergency declared. Therefore, Maryland was unable to receive FEMA assistance and counties were not able to distribute certain relief funds. HB 386 fixed the problems seen in the aftermath of the tornado by allowing the Anne Arundel Small Minority and Women-Owned Business Account (SMWOBA) fund manager to issue grants in the case of a *local* emergency declaration - rather than just in Federal or State.

Family Budget Boosters - PASSED UNANIMOUSLY & Signed by Governor

In 2022, Speaker Adrienne Jones, Majority Leader Eric Luedtke, and Chairwoman Vanessa Atterbeary, announced the Family Budget Boosters tax relief package to help bring relief to Maryland families. I sponsored two of the six bills in this package; My bill HB 282 exempts diapers from sales taxes while, HB 288 for whom I partnered with Delegate Brian Crosby, exempts baby car seats, bottles & baby bottles accessories from sales tax. This package of bills for which I was the co-sponsor on the remaining four, saved Marylanders $300 million over the next five years in targeted tax relief.

School Bus Driver Wage Study - PASSED into Law

For years, local school boards have struggled to recruit and retain an adequate number of school bus drivers to ensure our students have reliable transportation to school. Many have felt the impact during the school year when school bus drivers leave their jobs for higher-paying positions with companies like Amazon and UPS. In response, I introduced HB 753 to alleviate the challenges of hiring qualified bus drivers. This bill has helped local jurisdictions identify issues related to school bus driver wages so they can make more informed decisions about how to attract and retain these desperately needed employees, and helped ensure all students have access to safe and reliable transportation to and from school.

Strengthening Campaign Finance - PASSED into Law

HB 340 would strengthen our campaign finance laws and give prosecutors the tools they need to hold politicians and contributors who maliciously break the law accountable.

Protecting Student Data Privacy - PASSED into Law

HB 769 strengthens protections for student data privacy collection.

Diaper Donations - Tax Deduction - PASSED

HB711 incentivizes the donations of diapers for children and infants and personal sanitary products by creating a tax deduction of up to $1,000 for donations. This bill passed both the House and Senate UNANIMOUSLY. From working with food donation lines throughout my district, I know firsthand that diapers and other hygiene products are often the first to run out. Food banks and diaper pantries did not have the supply to keep up with demand which COVID has escalated.

Tax Study & Government Transparency - PASSED

HB 712, a simple bill to improve government transparency and efficiency, has passed! Since 2007, the Bureau of Revenue Estimates has conducted a “Tax Incidence Study,” which identifies where Maryland’s tax burden lies and helps legislators, like me, make informed decisions. This bill would expand the scope of this study to use a wider range of data to make it as comprehensive as possible. This will further help lawmakers create informed and effective policies.