2025 Legislation Passed
HB1316: Primary and Secondary Education - Youth-Centric Technology and Social Media Resource Guide requires the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine to develop and publish a technology and social media consumer product guide to help caregivers and teachers better understand the technology and social media platforms our children are using and how those products impact their wellbeing. We have to do better by our kids and this guide will help us do that. It will be ready for the 2027 school year.
The Maryland Workforce Retention, Recruitment and Reentry Act, has started a serious conversation around job-sharing. This bill was folded into the Joint Chairmen's Report of the Budget Bill and requires the Department of Budget and Management to conduct an in-depth feasibility study on how job-sharing can be implemented within the State’s Executive Branch to fill critical vacancies in a way that meets employer needs while making the workforce more inclusive (offering part-time work opportunities to caregivers, seniors, individuals with health concerns, etc). Job-sharing is also a great tool to employ people during times of mass unemployment. The report is due back to the General Assembly by December 1st and I will review that in advance of the 2026 Legislative Session to inform my next steps on this issue.
HB1193: The Maryland Housing Data Transparency Act requires counties with more than 150,000 residents to share housing data with the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP), including data on housing type, location, construction costs, and timeframes. It also allows for municipalities to voluntarily report this information. MDP will then make this information centrally and easily accessible to all on an interactive and searchable website. Stakeholders (residents, advocates, builders, etc.) can then better understand Maryland's housing needs and be equipped to propose informed, data-driven solutions that can be implemented with a broad coalition of support.
HB0910: The Property Tax - Exemption for Blind Individuals - Alteration increases the property tax exemption for blind individuals and their surviving spouses from $15,000 to $40,000. This amount had not changed in the last 25 years, so the increase serves to keep the tax exemption consistent with the inflation we’ve seen in the housing market and ensure blind individuals continue to receive a proportional level of support.
HB0458: University of Maryland, College Park Campus – TerpsEXCEED Program – Funding permits the Governor to allocate $350,000 in the budget to fund the TerpsEXCEED program at the University of Maryland, College Park that provides educational and employment opportunities to students with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
2024 Legislation Passed
HB1103: Miriam Kelty Aging and Senior Social Connection Hub and Spoke Pilot Program named in honor of my late neighbor, District 16 champion of the Village Movement, Miriam Kelty. This bill creates a pilot within the Department of Aging providing $240K over three years to the Montgomery County Village Consortium (the Consortium). Villages are volunteer-led grassroots organizations that provide seniors services and social connections so that they can age in place. Seven villages have formed the Consortium to test out a “hub and spoke” model in which administrative tasks are centralized so that village volunteers are freed up to work directly with seniors. At the end of the pilot, the Consortium will provide a report to the Department of Aging on best practices that can be leveraged state-wide for other villages interested in setting up a hub and spoke.
HB0811: Financial Wellbeing Pilot Program (HB0811) creates a two-year pilot position at both Morgan State University and the University of Maryland, College Park for a Financial Well-being Coach who will provide students with support to handle the technical and emotional challenges of financial management so students have the tools to prosper in college and later as working adults.
HB0901: Part-time Senatorial and Delegate Scholarships-Alterations allows students with documented disabilities to request a waiver to the 6-credit minimum eligibility requirement for Senatorial and Delegate scholarships, thereby making the scholarship more inclusive for residents of Maryland.
HB1013: Paid Sick Leave- Certificate of Illness or Disability Signed by a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor adds licensed clinical professional counselors to the list of providers who can certify illness for state employees’ request of extended sick leave. This bill ensures employees do not face delays in obtaining leave for mental illness and reinforces the State’s commitment to supporting the mental health of its employees.