Dear Friends,

November has flown by in a flash. I have been staying busy all month with site visits, conferences, meetings, and briefings. I am deeply looking forward to spending some quality time with my friends and family during Thanksgiving. 

To me, the holidays are always a reminder of how important community is, now more than ever. Take the time to check on your friends, neighbors, and the people in your local community. I have added many resources, community events, and more down below. Let us be thankful for one another this November, and celebrate what a beautiful community we have here in District 32. 

On Tuesday, members of the Finance Committee and I toured the Tradepoint Atlantic Logistics Center in Edgemere, Maryland. We toured their headquarters and discussed their impacts on the Maryland economy and workforce.  We toured the 3300 acres to see this amazing redevelopment.  All but 900 acres have been redeveloped into high-performing industrial sites.  This redevelopment of a “brownfield” is a testament to the vision of the amazing Tradepoint team.

We were able to specifically tour one of the sites at Tradepoint Atlantic, Amazon’s DCA1 Robotics Fulfillment Center. Amazon employs 23,000+ Marylanders, and it was incredibly exciting to tour one of the many locations where they are hard at work. We learned about how AI innovation is utilized in day-to-day work, explored their workplace safety measures, examined different types of robotic technology, and gained a deeper understanding of the facility's operations.

Thank you to Tradepoint Atlantic for hosting us!

On Wednesday, I had yet another site visit. This time, I visited TikTok’s Transparency and Accountability Center in Washington, D.C. We received an inside look at how TikTok regulates content and protects user privacy. 

Last week, I traveled to Orlando, Florida, for TechNet's Annual State Policy Conference. I discussed the issues facing tech innovation and economic growth with state legislators from across the US.

It was a privilege to participate in a panel regarding AI and its use in healthcare, including health insurance. This is an example of a modern policy issue we are seeing in the Finance Committee. It was an even greater honor to be recognized as a "Champion of Innovation". Thank you to TechNet and Margaret Durkin for all of the hard work that went into this amazing conference!

On November 17th, I had the pleasure of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the opening of Arundel Mills Mall. The 25th anniversary celebration was exactly 25 years to the day from the grand opening in 2000. Arundel Mills has proven to be an incredible asset to our local community and beyond. They created over 10,000 jobs and are the second-highest taxpayers in the County. I was delighted to honor Arundel Mills with a citation alongside the District 32 Team. Congratulations! 

Also on Monday, I was thrilled to join the Northern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce at their 40th Annual Community Safety Awards. It was an honor to support Corporal Donathan Epps of the Northern District Police Department and Ranger Nicholas Sherman from Recreation and Parks. Congratulations to all of the honorees, who are selected by their supervisors for demonstrating high performance and dedication to duty. 

On Monday, Governor Moore released a statement with an updated budget and planned schedule for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Here is an excerpt from the statement:

“The Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Port of Baltimore are critically important to our nation’s economy. Preliminary cost and project time estimates were made less than two weeks after the initial crash and before any engineering or design studies were conducted. Since then, national economic conditions have deteriorated and material costs have increased. At the same time, elevated costs have resulted from federal design and resilience standards — not discretionary state choices." 

Click here for the full release. 

The Maryland Department of Transportation is hosting a webinar on December 11th from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm to discuss the statewide efforts to keep the Baltimore region moving in the aftermath of the Key Bridge reconstruction project. Click here for more information and to register. 

My office remains open year-round to help you with issues and answer your questions. During the interim, my Chief of Staff, Nancy Lipin Crawford, and our Legislative Aide, Abigail Bento, will be in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday and working remotely on Monday, Thursday, and Friday.

The interim is busy; there are community events, meetings, committee site visits, task force studies, and oversight committee meetings to attend.

Thank you, District 32, for allowing me to serve as your State Senator. I am looking forward to seeing you out and about in the community.

Sincerely,

Pamela Beidle

Senator, District 32, Maryland General Assembly

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• Locations and Dates for AAC Food Bank Distributions (from 3 - 6pm, or until supplies run out)

  • Lula G. Scott Community Center – Tuesday, November 18th

    • 6234 Shady Side Road, Shady Side, MD 20764

  • Pascal Senior Center – Wednesday, November 19th

    • 125 Dorsey Road, Glen Burnie, MD 21061

  • Annapolis Senior Center – Thursday, November 20th

    • 119 S Villa Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401

   

  Additional Resources

  • AAC Food Bank Food Map: Click here

  • Food Access Warm Line: food-access@aacounty.org, 410-222-FOOD

Have you been denied insurance coverage for medically necessary care or had your emergency appeals denied? Call the MIA Emergency Hotline at 1-800-492-6116

“Maryland law gives Maryland consumers the right to appeal a decision that denies you coverage for medically necessary treatment. If your health care provider has determined that certain medical treatment is needed, but your HMO or health insurer does not agree, this law allows you to appeal. Under the appeals and grievances law, the Maryland insurance Commissioner has the authority to overturn your health plan's decision if your treatment is determined to be medically necessary.”

For more information, click here. 

Anne Arundel County will open several county facilities to provide warming relief as we near closer to the winter season. These facilities are meant to be utilized by community members seeking temporary relief from the cold weather during their normal business hours. Click here for scheduling and locations. 

For additional resources, such as shelter, special accommodations, or more, contact the AAC Warm Line (see end of newsletter).

Click here to be directed to our Unemployment Insurance Assistance Form. 

From Amazon’s Newsletter “Working on it!”: Amazon is creating 250,000 seasonal positions nationwide for the upcoming holiday season, including 6,500 jobs here in Maryland, over 3,000 of which will be in the Baltimore area. These roles offer flexible scheduling options with an average wage of more than $19 per hour. Interested candidates can visit http://amazon.com/localjobs for weekly job postings through December. 

Note: Open roles are posted throughout the holiday season and fill quickly, so candidates should check back often. 

The Anne Arundel Libraries have an abundance of exciting upcoming events. There are events for all ages, ranging from infants to adults. With it being National Deaf Awareness and Hispanic Heritage months, there are special events! Please see the link below to help you find your local library and events near you: https://www.aacpl.net/