Session Week #6

Session Week #6 Week number six of the 436th General Assembly of Maryland saw committee hearings and policy discussions covering several areas and is now in the books. The legislative session moves fast and we are expected to entertain over 3,000 bills this year. Leave it to Annapolis to think of 3,000 ways to change your life! During the hectic session we have found that a mix of social media and traditional media has been effective in reporting back to you. We update the facebook page often and encourage you to like it. Typically, we post any interviews that we have had with media outlets as soon as they become available. This week I was interviewed by both a radio and television station on different issues.       (Chicken Day in Annapolis! I was joined by Del. Steve Arentz and Sen. Addie Eckhardt, who again donned the chicken suit) On Tuesday morning, I was interviewed by Mike Bradley of 92.7. The discussion covered a wide range of topics including the “Poultry Litter Management Act” and efforts to stimulate manufacturing growth. Tuesday afternoon I spoke to Chris Weimer from WBOC about a transportation bill that could have bad consequences for local projects. If you'd like to listen to both interviews, here are the links: 92.7, WBOC. I’ve been asked a few times about the Poultry Litter Management Act. There are a number of reasons that the bill should not go forward. Our office has not heard an outcry from poultry farmers asking the state to intervene in their contracts with poultry integrators. Given that there is no issue being raised by farmers, this looks like an Annapolis solution looking for a problem to solve. However, even if we were to look beyond that, the bill is essentially a tax on poultry integrators. The bill, if it were ever needed (and I have my doubts), is entirely premature. After years of working on the phosphorous management tool (PMT), it was finally implemented in 2015. Instead of waiting for any results from the PMT, this bill seeks to create a law that we’re not even sure is needed- again at the expense of the poultry integrators. These kinds of bills are not helpful and create incentives for poultry companies to re-locate to Delaware from Maryland. Every river north of the Wicomico on the peninsula originates in Delaware. By pushing poultry companies from Maryland to Delaware, not only would we lose an essential component of our economic region, but our state would also lose the ability to have a seat at the table with the poultry companies to work together to solve issues.        (Four and a half hours into hearings and we had just begun the speed camera repeal bill. See the large stack of petitions on the witness desk?) In the interview with Mike Bradley, we briefly discussed one of Governor Hogan’s bills that would improve our efforts to create more manufacturing jobs in Maryland- including on the Lower Eastern Shore. The bill will be heard this coming Tuesday in the House Ways and Means Committee and I am a proud co-sponsor of the bill. The “Manufacturing Empowerment Zones” bill (HB450) will: Eliminate the state corporate income tax for a period of 10 years on new manufacturers in areas designated as Empowerment Zones, or areas where unemployment is highest. Empowerment Zones will include Western Maryland, the lower Eastern Shore, and Baltimore City. Individuals who earn less than $65,000 per year and are employed by new manufacturers in Empowerment Zones will pay no state income taxes. On Monday, the Wicomico County Delegation that I chair will be presenting a bill that would allow distilleries to open in Wicomico County (HB1359). Right now there are companies that have expressed interest in opening distilleries in our area. If this bill passes it will allow local people to start a distillery as well as outside investors to look at our county as a good place to open up shop. I am also co-sponsoring a transportation funding bill (HB723) that will be heard by my committee (Environment and Transportation) on Thursday. HB273 would give local governments stability in funding for roads. Since 2008, when the previous administration severely cut funding for roads to local governments, our towns, cities, and counties have struggled to keep up with road projects. The unstable funding has also made it difficult for them to budget for the projects, as the formula that gave budget stability has been largely abandoned. This bill would reinstate the formula and give the state a five year phase in period to reach full funding. The stable, incremental increases of the phase-in period would allow the state to continue to recover from the recession, while addressing the structural deficit. This is a bi-partisan bill and I am joined as a co-sponsor with several colleagues from both parties. Thank you for your support. I appreciate that you have taken the time you have taken to read our newsletter. Please contact our office with any ideas, issues, or concerns that you have. We’re here to work for you. Blessed to be your voice in Annapolis, Carl