Lorig’s 2023 Legislation

Legislation sponsored by Lorig for the 2023 Legislative Session

More details and exact bill language coming soon!

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Climate Justice: 

“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.”  Those words from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the recent climate change summit in Egypt echo in my ears and motivate my work.  In the 2023 session I have three bills aimed at starting to put our foot on the climate brake by:

 

• significantly increasing the development of OffShore Wind off our coast, which will be critical to meet our emission reduction targets–all while creating good union jobs,

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• fully investing in energy efficiency for low and moderate income housing (this bill passed in both chambers last year, but was vetoed by Governor Hogan), and

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• making state roads safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to build more inclusive and climate-friendly communities.

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Economic Justice:

Closely related to the climate crisis is the crisis of inequality. The income and wealth gap in this country and the world have reached unconscionable and immoral levels. To help achieve greater economic justice, I am bringing bills:

 

• modernizing our Unemployment Insurance system, with livable benefit levels and greater equity in the funding model,

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• requiring corporations to report their effective tax rate to increase transparency and public accountability,  

 

• ensuring prevailing wages and benefits are paid for work done on our electric grid,

 

• making our Safety Net services—SNAP, energy assistance, and Medicaid—easier to access with one streamlined application process for all benefits, and

 

• continuing to address medical debt so people don’t become destitute because they get sick.

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Food Justice:

I have long believed our current food system is both harmful to our health and destructive to the planet.  COVID-19 further revealed the weaknesses of our supply chain and showed just how vulnerable our food system really is.  To build a healthier, more sustainable and just food system, I will be working toward:

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• incentivizing removal of invasive species from the Chesapeake Bay–and serving them as a protein in our state-run institutions(!), 

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• protecting pollinator corridors, and

 

• making the Food System Resiliency Council a permanent state organization.

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​Compassionate Care for Kids in Our Community:

Finally, so many of us continue to struggle with the horror and heartbreak caused by the pandemic.  This is especially true for our young people.  Research studies and many stories I have heard while traveling around the district show the serious and unprecedented mental health challenges our children are facing.  I will therefore be offering a bill:

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• ​increasing funding for school-based mental health services to meet children where they are and nurture and support them.

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