Dear Friend:
I’ve had a busy week in Annapolis, both overturning Governor Hogan’s vetoes of several bills from last year, as well as advancing important bills of my own.
I was pleased to cast my vote to override the Governor’s vetoes on several key pieces of legislation, and thus reinstate these good bills from last year. The Ban the Box legislation will ensure that people with a criminal record have a fair shot at employment, based on their qualifications, rather than their history. We also overrode the veto on the bill to repeal the Handgun Review Board; we will now have Administrative Law Judges considering appeals on handgun permits, rather than political appointees. The General Assembly overrode the Governor’s vetoes on bills to protect the Chesapeake Bay with oyster sanctuaries, ensuring that Maryland Dreamers can pay in-state tuition to state colleges and universities, and another bill improving state employee grievance procedures.
I introduced several important bills this week, including Community Choice Energy, Organic Waste Recycling, Crisis Intervention Team Center for Excellence, and Requiring the Public Service Commission to Consider Climate Change and Labor Standards. My website is being updated regularly and soon will have all of my bills on it for you to review. In addition, you can track the progress my, and all, proposed legislation by clicking here.
I was thrilled to be joined at the Community Choice Energy press conference by Senate Sponsor Pam Beidle, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, the Maryland Association of Counties, NAACP, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Food and Water Watch, Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, as well as many colleagues and grassroots supporters
My colleagues and I announced our Pathways to Zero Waste Package, which includes two of my bills. One will require large generators of organic waste to reduce or recycle that waste, rather than send it to landfill or incineration, thus building out the compost infrastructure in the state. The second bill removes incineration ash from being counted toward county recycling goals. My colleagues have bills to ban plastic bags, eliminate subsidies for waste-to-energy incineration, promote composting, and create more transparency in the state’s recycling data.
In addition, I was featured on the MD Dems Podcast. You can hear my interview here.
DELEGATE SCHOLARSHIPS As a Member of the House of Delegates, I am able to provide my constituents with academic scholarships. This scholarship is available to students who attend or are planning to attend a Maryland community college, a four-year university, or a graduate school during the 2020-2021 school year. Applications must be completed and submitted by May 13, 2019. Awardees will be informed by June 15, 2019. The application can be completed here.
As always, feel free to stop by my office in Annapolis any time – Room 226, Lowe House Office Building, 6 Bladen St. Annapolis, MD 21401. My phone number is 410-841-3423. Please e-mail constituent issues to lorig.charkoudian@house.state.md.us.
Onward,
Lorig Charkoudian