The end of November and month of December are some of my favorite weeks of the year as neighborhoods throughout the 46th Legislative District come together to celebrate the holidays. The sense of community is palpable as each neighborhood association and tenant council organizes events showcasing the amazing assets of each unique community.
The evening before Thanksgiving, I enjoyed seeing old friends and kicking off the holiday during a visit to the Brooklyn Tenant Council Thanksgiving event which I was proud to support. The next morning, I started my Thanksgiving as I have for more than a decade, with friends and neighbors at the Cherry Hill Eagles Organization dinner giveaway for the residents of Cherry Hill. I’m grateful to the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters who partnered with my office and the Cherry Hill Tenant Council for a turkey giveaway earlier in the week.
Since then, I’ve bounced around the district for the countless neighborhood holiday lightings and association get-togethers ahead of the December holidays. The Winter Lights Celebration and lighting of the Patterson Park Observatory remains one of my favorite events of the year, along with the Highlandtown tree lighting, Fells Point Old Tyme Christmas, parade of lighted boats traversing from Canton to the Inner Harbor, and Washington Monument lighting in Mt. Vernon.
It is truly a blessing to represent such an incredible set of communities in Maryland. Although it’s impossible to make it to every holiday event and party in the coming weeks, I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible before the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
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Investing in Marylanders' Health
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On Monday afternoon, I joined Senator McCray and Kennedy Krieger’s President, Dr. Schlaggar, to announce $2 million in capital funding to increase access to critical healthcare services for children and young adults with developmental, behavioral, cognitive, and physical challenges.
The project seeks to expand and upgrade the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building by converting 16,000 square feet of existing administrative office space into care areas for medical and mental health services for children and adults with disorders of the developing nervous system. Funding will also support the creation of a world-class, Innovative Care Center that will integrate cutting-edge technology, compassionate healthcare practices, and a collaborative approach to ensure optimal patient outcomes.
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Schools in Baltimore and Statewide Making Progress
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The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) recently announced its rating for schools on a 5-star scale in what's known as the Maryland School Report Card. Schools are awarded ratings based on students' academic achievement, progress in achieving English language proficiency, graduation rates, and more. Based on data from the 2023-24 school year, I was heartened to see most Maryland schools earning three stars or more, an improvement from the prior year.
MSDE reported that 83% of schools earned three stars or more based on data from the 2023-24 school year, a 3% increase from the year prior. The improvements were even more pronounced in Baltimore City, where our public schools outpaced the rate of increased star ratings compared to the rest of the State.
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2025-2026 FAFSA Rolls Out Early
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As many of you likely experienced, last year’s rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) created immense challenges for students, families, higher education institutions, and the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Delays and flaws in the process at the federal level contributed to Maryland admitted students being left in the lurch as State scholarships were late in being awarded and distributed going into the 2024-2025 school year.
Thankfully, the 2025-26 form to apply for federal student aid is now available to all students and families. This year’s FAFSA was launched using a staggered approach to address issues that plagued the process last year. Changes were made to address glitches with the system, including better accountability and increased outside technical expertise. The U.S. Department of Education held listening sessions, engaged 300 organizations, and incorporated feedback from students, parents, schools, software vendors, state agencies, and other partners.
Application and completion rates are down across the country, including Maryland, where applications are down more than 12%. A bill to ensure the federal student aid form is available October 1 each year passed both the United States House and Senate with sweeping bipartisan support, providing critical predictability for families.
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Behavioral Health Workers Needed
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A new report, "Investing in Maryland's Behavioral Health Talent," reveals Maryland needs to increase the number of behavioral health care workers by about 50% to meet current demands. The report, commissioned by the Maryland Health Care Commission, resulted from 2023 legislation that created a fund to reimburse local governments or health departments for costs associated with educating and recruiting workers.
According to the report, in 2023, there were 34,613 people working in various areas of the behavioral health field in Maryland, which is 18,222 workers short of what is needed. That does not consider the additional 14,565 workers expected to be required by 2028 to meet the growing need for behavioral health care.
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Waterfront Partnership's 2024 Dumpster Dive
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Last month, over 100 volunteers came out for the Waterfront Partnership's 2024 Dumpster Drive to sort through a dumpster of trash collected by Mr. Trash Wheel. In just a few hours, 90% of the dumpster was emptied and sorted, finding an astounding amount of trash, including:
If you apply those numbers to the 160 dumpsters collected in 2023, that represents around 500,000 beverage containers and over 1,000,000 plastic wrappers. A healthy Inner Harbor and Chesapeake Bay are vital to a thriving natural environment for Maryland and our residents. In 2025 and beyond, the General Assembly will continue advancing policy that reduces waste in our waterways while minimizing costs for Marylanders.
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Rep. Raskin to Lead Dems on House Judiciary Committee
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Congratulations to Representative Jamie Raskin, who is in line to become the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee in the 119th Congress. Representative Raskin is a Harvard Law School graduate, a constitutional law professor at American University, and a proud former member of the Senate of Maryland.
The House Judiciary Committee has authority over federal agencies ranging from the Justice Department to the FBI. Representative Raskin will become the top Democrat of the committee in a Republican-controlled Congress as issues such as abortion, mass deportation of immigrants, and presidential powers take center stage.
I look forward to working with Representative Raskin and the entire Maryland congressional delegation to find ways to bolster infrastructure, transportation, and the critical protections that every Marylander relies upon.
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I was thrilled to get a behind-the-scenes look at improvements being made to M&T Bank Stadium in the Fightin' 46th District during a tour with Speaker Jones. Thanks to the Maryland Stadium Authority for improving the fan experience for the thousands of Marylanders who flock to Baltimore throughout the season to make lifelong memories!
The 20-year legal battle over the stalled redevelopment project at State Center ended last Wednesday with a settlement that will ultimately avoid further financial risk for Maryland taxpayers. The State’s settlement ends litigation with the developer, Ekistics, and opens a new path for redeveloping the area in Baltimore’s Midtown.
The City of Baltimore is leading the way among school districts nationwide that are stepping up to tackle the climate crisis through net-zero buildings—which aim to use less energy than they produce each year. This past year, the State's Decarbonizing Public Schools program funneled about $26 million to local districts, with another round of funding on the way. Baltimore leads the State in the number of net-zero school buildings, with two — Holabird Academy and Graceland Park/O'Donnell Heights — in full operation within the 46th Legislative District.
Last month, a small gathering celebrated something monumental—the launch of the Wells Fargo Trades Academy by the City of Refuge in Brooklyn. This initiative is more than just a pre-apprenticeship program; it's a lifeline to opportunity, a promise of $25-an-hour jobs by age 25, and a step toward a brighter future for Baltimore. Wells Fargo's support is an example of major entities recognizing that Baltimore City and its residents are worth every bit of investment.
Maryland farmers endured crop loss, impacts to livestock, and equipment fires this year due to extreme heat and lack of rain. Of Maryland's 24 counties, 18 received a secretarial disaster declaration for drought from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The designation automatically unlocks funding for affected counties, namely Allegany, Garrett, Washington, and Frederick counties. The Maryland office of the federal Farm Services Agency has given out about $900,000 through the Livestock Forage Disaster Program.
Maryland's Congressional leaders have proposed a set of conditions that could significantly affect the Washington Commanders football team's stadium search. Although the delegation would prefer the team stay in Maryland, their support of a plan to rebuild the Commander’s stadium at the RFK stadium site would be dependent on several conditions including if D.C. agrees to give the State one of its Air National Guard squadrons, a public statement from the Commanders about their preferred location for the next stadium, and assurances about what would be built in place of Northwest Stadium in Landover.
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