Letters from Lorig

Gearing up for General Assembly v. 2022

D20 Team Kicks Things Off!

My Priorities: Clean Energy and Constituent Service

As summer comes to a close, here are some highlights from my recent activities:

Power in the Park proved to be a huge success! I organized this outreach event to connect community residents with programs for energy efficiency and solar energy that can help save on utility bills and save our planet. If you missed the event, you can find out about some of these programs here.

As the deadline for the Governor to sign, veto, or allow bills to go into law without his signing them has passed, I want to update you on the final outcome of my legislative work. I am so proud of the work my colleagues and I did to craft progressive policies. We took on some of the most vital issues of the day—the economy, climate change, education, justice—and found ways to make meaningful and positive improvements.

Vaccine access and utility assistance.

The 2021 Legislative Session of the Maryland General Assembly has adjourned! Our work took place amidst tumultuous change—as we continue to grapple with the pandemic, an economy in turmoil, shocking police brutality, growing racial and social justice movements, the disruption around the Presidential election, and shameful assaults on our democracy.

This year’s legislative session is rapidly coming to a close. While we have already made tremendous progress—$1.5 billion in COVID-19 relief, a transformative blueprint and funding for educational reform—the final shape of several major pieces of progressive legislation will be determined in the next two weeks. I will be closely tracking and championing several bills, including ones to improve our Unemployment Insurance program, address police reform, and respond to climate change.

With just one week before “Crossover”, on March 22nd, things are moving fast! That’s the date when a bill needs to be passed out of at least one chamber in order to be considered in the other chamber and ultimately voted on by Sine Die (Adjournment). My District 20 colleagues and I will be holding a Crossover Update Zoom Town Hall, on Thursday, March 25 at 6:30pm. Please join us and have your questions answered by registering here.

The 2021 legislative session is now well underway. My colleagues in the General Assembly and I are working full tilt to respond to the current crisis and to continue making progress on the broader challenges we face here in Maryland. Although we can’t be in Annapolis together, I want to make sure you know what’s going on as we conduct the “people’s business.”

Thank you to everyone who was able to join, in person and in spirit, my Re-Election Campaign Kickoff Fundraiser. What a joy to celebrate my successful first three years as a State Delegate and to renew my commitment to building a more Just and Inclusive Maryland!

I am inspired every day to be involved with efforts making a powerful difference in people’s lives, in our communities, and for the planet. Here are just two recent highlights...

Last week, after a month of legislating remotely, the House was back on the Floor! Or, rather, back on several Floors. To allow for social distancing, we spread out on the Floor of the House Chamber, the Gallery, and in the Annex. We have a video feed between the State House and the Annex to allow Delegates to speak and vote. While there are some technical glitches and parts of the work become more challenging, these changes are crucial to allow us to keep everyone healthy and continue the important work of the General Assembly.

Things began to pick up in the second week of this year’s Maryland General Assembly. Governor Hogan submitted a proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2021. Legislators have introduced over 700 bills (so far!), hearings are being held, and individuals and groups have begun to lobby for their causes. I have begun updating my website with the legislation I am introducing. The page is still a work in progress, so check back regularly for updates.

As I begin serving in my third session of the General Assembly, check out this piece in the Washington Post, for which I was interviewed, on how we must take the momentum of this moment to build a new—and better—way forward.

We are officially one week into the 441st Session of the Maryland General Assembly. We began with the historic election of Adrienne Jones as Speaker of the House. It was an honor to cast my vote for such an incredibly talented person, and the first woman and first African American Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates.

The 2020 Legislative Session of the Maryland General Assembly has adjourned. It started in a historic fashion with two new presiding officers, House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson. It ended historically with an abbreviated session due to COVID-19, after an intense 71 days of work on behalf of the people of Maryland.

Dear Friend,
As you’re aware, there have been many changes in the past few days as the State is making decisions on how to best combat the spread of coronavirus. Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson have decided to take the unprecedented, but necessary, measure to adjourn the 2020 Legislative Session Sine Die on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. The General Assembly will likely reconvene in May for a special session to address any additional urgent legislative matters. In these final few days of Session, the General Assembly has prioritized completing our constitutional obligation of passing the budget as well as passing emergency legislation to protect Marylanders during this emergency.

After weeks of monitoring the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, we are now seeing the virus affect our state and communities. The Maryland General Assembly, the Governor and all state agencies are unified in the effort to keep residents safe in the wake of this public health threat.