Budget limitations and potential federal challenges were top of mind for Montgomery County’s state legislators on Wednesday, the opening day of the Maryland General Assembly’s 447th legislative session in Annapolis.
“I’m seeing us as this first line of defense for what’s going on at the federal level,” freshman Del. Teresa Woorman (D-Dist. 16) told Bethesda Today in the Maryland State House chambers following Wednesday’s adjournment.
The Bethesda representative was referencing Democrats’ concerns that the incoming Trump administration could make federal budget cuts and policy changes that may affect the state.
“In 2017, when Congress and the president asked for very sweeping tax changes, that did have impacts that rolled down into Maryland because the tax code is directly tied to the Federal Reserve. So when they pass cuts for billionaires or for mega corporations, that actually does impact the revenues and our tax policies here in Maryland,” Del. Julie Palakovich-Carr (D-Dist. 17), told Bethesda Today in an interview Monday.
Palakovich-Carr represents Rockville and Gaithersburg and chairs the Montgomery County House delegation. “Thankfully, we do have a provision in state law that allows us to temporarily pause so they don’t go into effect immediately. But that is another big thing that we need to be monitoring.”
This concern is on top of a $2.7 billion state budget gap that legislators will be tasked with closing this session, Maryland Matters reported Tuesday. Democratic Gov. Wes Moore announced Wednesday morning that he plans to include at least $2 billion in cuts as part of his proposed budget, The Baltimore Banner reported. And county and state leaders have expressed growing concerns that the Trump administration could make cuts to federal funding that trickle down to the states.
“We can’t deny our difficult fiscal reality. But instead of talking about what our budget can’t do, I’d like to talk about what it can do,” House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Dist. 10), who represents Baltimore County, told her colleagues Wednesday. “Most importantly, our budget has the power to protect the most vulnerable Marylanders.”
Montgomery County has nine legislative districts, with 26 delegates and nine senators. The session runs for 90 days, adjourning on April 7.
Protecting MoCo
Palakovich-Carr said that considering the fiscal challenges, it is important to her to protect the programs and other county needs that are supported by state funding.
“We want to protect what Montgomery County has been getting, making sure that whatever solutions end up being on the table are equitable and aren’t going to disproportionately impact Montgomery County,” Palakovich-Carr said. “It’s about playing defensive about the existing funds that we’re getting in a variety of pots, especially transportation and education.”
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) told Bethesda Today in an interview Tuesday that he hopes the General Assembly will consider solutions for addressing the state financial deficit. One of Elrich’s frequent talking points is to emulate Northern Virginia’s special taxing districts, which allow taxes in those districts to fund transportation projects.
“I am hoping that once and for all, they [the legislature] give us the authority the Northern Virginia counties have. These taxes do not affect residential property,” Elrich said. “They raise a lot more money from commercial property, and they use that money to build infrastructure. And if we were in a similar place … we’d be able to build important transportation projects.”
Del. Joe Vogel (D-Dist. 17), who represents parts of Gaithersburg and Rockville, told Bethesda Today in an interview following the House adjournment on Wednesday that he is excited to sponsor several pieces of legislation that aim to make it easier for employees to unionize, crack down on rental housing junk fees and simplify the permitting process for small businesses.
One bill Vogel is sponsoring is inspired by the controversial closure of the Montgomery Virtual Academy, a program that allowed qualifying Montgomery County Public Schools students to take their classes online. The school system now offers a hybrid alternative to the program.
“I’ve met with many of those families [affected by the closure], and we need to have some sort of solution,” Vogel said. “The bill would set some requirements for virtual academies and make sure that we offer that option to students.”
Del. Aaron Kaufman (D-Dist. 18), who represents Chevy Chase and Kensington, told Bethesda Today [AO1] in an interview following the House adjournment on Wednesday that he is putting forward several bills to improve disability rights in the state.
“I’m planning to put forward two bills that impact people with autism who are involved in the criminal justice system in terms of a diversion program, because of the fact that people with autism are often less culpable for their crimes,” Kaufman said. “I’ve got some bills related to benefits exploitation, whereby people are told, ‘I’ll care for you, but you have to sign over your SNAP or SSI benefits,’ and then they don’t provide the care.” Kaufman was referring to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Supplemental Security Income program, which provides funding for some people with disabilities.
Another new bill, sponsored by Del. Lesley Lopez (D-Dist. 39), would create a state fund to support abortion services as well as practical support services, such as travel and child care. But the fund would not use tax dollars – rather, it would tap into unspent insurance premiums for abortion coverage. Lopez represents parts of Germantown and Montgomery Village.
Palakovich-Carr said she is working on a bill with Sen. Sara Love (D-Dist. 16) that would prevent landlords from using artificial intelligence-based software to illegally collude with other landlords when setting rents. According to Palakovich-Carr, use of this software is adding an estimated extra $112 per month to the average rent in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area.
She also is putting forward legislation to expand the vehicular noise camera program created by a bill she sponsored during the 2024 session. That program is being implemented in Montgomery County.
MoCo leaders in Annapolis
Woorman was the only new face in Annapolis representing Montgomery County on Wednesday, but Love officially moved into the Senate chambers. The Bethesda representative had served as a delegate for five years.
Del. Marc Korman (D-Dist. 16), who represents Bethesda, will serve a second year as chair of the House Transportation and Environment Committee. After House speaker and Senate president, committee chairmanships are considered the highest leadership positions in Annapolis.
For a second year, the role of House majority leader will remain with Del. David Moon (D-Dist. 20), who represents Silver Spring and Takoma Park, for a second year. Moon will lead the debate for the Democratic Party on the House floor.
Montgomery County leaders rounded out several other positions in the House of Delegates:
- Del. Jared Solomon (D-Dist. 18), was appointed deputy speaker pro-tem;
- Del. Emily Shetty (D-Dist. 18), chair of the House Democratic Caucus;
- Palakovich-Carr (D-Dist. 17) and Del. Charlotte Crutchfield (D-Dist. 19), deputy majority whips;
- Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Dist. 19), vice chair of the Health and Government Operations Committee; and
- Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Dist. 20), as vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee.
The General Assembly will reconvene Thursday to start discussing legislation.
