Yesterday—“Crossover Day”—is the day when rubber truly meets the road every session. It’s the day when a bill must have been passed by one chamber and “crossed over” to the opposite chamber in order to have a chance to become law this year.
I am thrilled many of my bills now appear to be well on their way to final passage. Here is a list of my bills passed by the House and now being considered by the Senate:
Utility Transparency and Accountability (HB 505): Increasing Transparency and Accountability for our Public Utilities
While not all my bills moved forward, I remain committed as ever to finding ways to make progress on issues such as modernizing our state’s unemployment insurance program, increasing wages, enhancing pedestrian and cyclists’ safety, and incentivizing the use of clean energy.
** To track the status of any bill, go to the “Legislation” page on my website.
Keeping Our Commitments
The House of Delegates has passed our FY25 budget package to fund the commitments we have made to improve our great state, including excellent public education for all students and a safe and reliable transportation system. We made tough choices about how to raise the revenue needed for those commitments.
The Senate has taken a different approach and in the coming weeks more decisions will be made about how we ultimately move forward. A more detailed discussion of the issue can be found here.
Going Solar
Are you thinking about adding solar panels? Aren’t able to add panels, but want to still benefit from solar? Want to learn about decreasing your energy usage? The City of Takoma Park recently hosted a meeting to discuss ways homeowners and renters can go solar—whether or not you live in Takoma Park. Watch the video here.
During the meeting, I spoke about my 2021 legislation that created a Community Choice Aggregation program in Montgomery County. It allows the county government to buy electricity from renewable energy sources for the entire county. Investor-owned utilities (e.g. PEPCO) would then still deliver electricity to individual customers and maintain the overall electrical grid. Community Choice is designed to lower costs, facilitate the transition to renewable energy sources, and boost the local economy.
Walk and Talk With Me in White Oak: Sunday, March 24th, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
My staff and I started these walks in local parks last year and found they are a wonderful way to give updates from Annapolis and hear about issues you care about. R.S.V.P. here.
Scholarships for College
As a Member of the House of Delegates, I am able to award scholarships to constituents pursuing higher education. This scholarship is available to students—including undocumented students—who are planning to attend a Maryland community college, four-year university, or graduate school during the 2024-2025 school year. Deadline to apply is Friday, May 10th and details can be found here.
Stay in Touch: Need help with a state issue? Please contact my office at lorig.charkoudian@house.state.md.us or leave us a message at (410)-841-3423.
Onward,
Lorig