January 29, 2024

Dear Friends,

 

The start of the 446^th Session of the Maryland General Assembly has been busy, as usual!  

On the first day of session, I took on a new role and title when the full House of Delegates elected me to the position of Speaker Pro Tem. I greatly appreciate their vote of confidence in me, and I am honored that Speaker Adrienne Jones chose me for the position. Pictured with me below is my wife, Margaret, and son, James. 

While no longer Vice Chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee, I am still Chair of the Environment Subcommittee and will continue working on environmental, transportation, housing, and community issues.  

A key new development is that on January 16, I and 19 other Jewish members of the legislature announced the creation of the Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus (MJLC).  District 11 Senator Shelly Hettleman and District 18 Delegate Jared Solomon (Montgomery County) were elected co-Presidents of the caucus. The MJLC was formed in part because of the large rise in antisemitic and other hate crimes in the State. 

 

The MJLC creates a structure for members to advocate for the incorporation of the perspectives and needs of Jewish communities, for protecting and advancing the civil rights and religious freedom of all, for improving security measures for organizations predominantly serving Jewish communities and other vulnerable communities, and for celebrating Jewish culture and heritage in Maryland. The Caucus will also serve as a liaison to local, statewide, and national organizations serving Jewish communities.

With the reduction in pandemic-related federal aid, the State faces a growing structural deficit.  The Governor’s budget closes the FY 2025 deficit with cuts in several areas and avoids tax increases.  Key points include:

• Overall spending in the operating budget decreases by 1.7% to approximately $63 billion

• Revenue cuts:
  • $64 million to support for private colleges/universities
  • $23 million to support for community colleges

• Spending increases:
  • $350 million for state personnel salary increases, including a 3% cost of living adjustment
  • $449.7 million increase in K-12 education funding

• Most health care providers will receive a 3% rate increase, including those serving Medicaid enrollees, the developmentally disabled, and people with behavioral health needs.

2024 is going to be the year of the Maryland consumer! Several bills introduced last week will provide greater protection for Maryland’s consumers in the retail energy market and when purchasing tickets for their favorite shows. Legislation will also provide consumers with more protection for their online data and for children using the internet.

 

Electricity and Gas - Retail Supply - Regulation and Consumer Protection (SB1/HB267): These bills balance electricity choice with tighter electricity-supplier licensing regulations to protect customers from dishonest business practices, such as confusing variable rates and unwanted, automatic renewals.

 

Commercial Law – Consumer Protection – Sale and Resale of Tickets (SB539):  This legislation requires ticketing platforms to implement all-in-ticketing (to allow consumers to see the total cost of a ticket upfront); prevents tickets from being resold for a large profit; caps ticket reseller fees at a reasonable rate (10%); and ends the sale of speculative tickets.

 

Maryland Online Data Privacy Act of 2024 (SB541/HB567):  These bills give consumers more protection and control over their personal data; require companies to keep collected data safe; and add extra layers of protection for sensitive data.

 

Consumer Protection - Online Products and Services - Data of Children (Maryland Kids Code - HB603): This bill would require tech companies to design their online products with kids’ privacy, safety, and wellness in mind. This means not collecting or selling kids’ data, setting high privacy standards by default, and avoiding manipulative design.

I am sponsoring 18 bills this year, many having to do with environmental legislation.  I will highlight them in the coming weeks.  Below are descriptions of a few of my bills. 

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES (HB 68)

This bill, which will be heard by the Health and Government Operations Committee on Thursday,  adds transparency to Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) by requiring the Department of Aging to collect and report on grievances filed at CCRCs and by requiring CCRCs to establish an orderly process for refunding entrance fees.

 

PETS AND HOUSING

Nearly three-fourths of all renters have pets, but affordable rental housing that accepts pets is hard to find--a problem made worse by restrictions such as breed, weight, and number limits that create unnecessary barriers for pet-owning tenants.

This legislation would require landlords of buildings that benefit from low-income housing tax credits to allow pets in their apartments. Landlords could restrict the number of pets but not place arbitrary restrictions on the size or type of pets.

 

The Baltimore Banner published an excellent story on this issue earlier this month:  “How Bad is Maryland’s Housing crisis? Check the Animal Shelters”.  

ELECTRONIC RECYCLING

Most of Maryland’s electronics (TVs, computers, cell phones) – which have many recyclable components - are not recycled and end up in the dump, which creates pollution and takes up landfill space.  My bill will create a mechanism for funding electronics recycling and build on existing measures.

In 2022, I sponsored a bill requiring the Department of Natural Resources to identify “irreplaceable natural areas” in Maryland-- areas providing habitats to support unique natural communities or a plant or animal species that is threatened or endangered.  The regulations were approved last fall and I was excited to find out that Soldier's Delight Natural Environmental Area in Owings Mills was listed among 13 irreplaceable natural areas in Baltimore County. This will provide additional protections for Soldier's Delight and its 39 rare, threatened, or endangered plant species. 

The applications for my H. Allan Lipsitz Memorial Legislative Scholarship are now available at  www.danastein.com

 

Students who received my scholarship last year need to re-apply for the 2024-2025 academic year. Download the application from my website.

 

Students can get additional information about state financial aid - including how to navigate

the new FAFSA process - by going to the   Maryland Higher Education Commission website. To be considered for state financial aid, you must file FAFSA by June 1, 2024. To be notified of scholarship eligibility for Maryland Scholarships, you are encouraged to file by March 1, 2024.

Sincerely,

Dana Stein

Delegate, District 11B, Maryland General Assembly