Dear Friends,

Happy back-to-school! Be sure to enjoy the final moments of summer break with your friends and family. It has been an eventful August, and it is not done yet! 

I spent the beginning of August at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Boston, Massachusetts, and this past week I was in Providence, Rhode Island, for the annual meeting of the Council of State Governments (CSG). 

Now that the conferences have wrapped, I am ready for a weekend spent with my own family and friends here in District 32.

NCSL was a great success! I met many changemakers from all steps of the legislative process, from legislatures across the country. The information provided during the various panels at NCSL has helped expand my knowledge of the Finance Committee subject matter. I attended panels regarding AI in medical devices, women's safety, key trends in healthcare, and much more. I am so grateful to have been allowed to attend such an informative conference. 

CSG was the 64th Annual Meeting of the Council of State Governments, and the theme was "Housing: The Policy Cornerstone". Housing is an incredibly complex and important issue that is at the forefront of many Marylanders' minds, including mine. While housing may not be commonly discussed in the Finance Committee, it is not an isolated issue. At CSG, the seminars explored policy areas such as agriculture and rural development, education and workforce development, energy and environment, the Council on Communities of Color, fiscal, health, territorial relations, Canada/U.S. relations, and transportation. These are all issues that impact each other, and it is important that we recognize their intersections.

I specifically attended a seminar on nuclear reactors, where the Federal Energy Administration participated in the conversations. This seminar solidified that nuclear energy is the future of clean energy. It is time to make changes as to where our energy is coming from!

I also attended seminars on healthcare and education, and it was very exciting to hear that Maryland is rankly highly in both! We are doing a great job lowering the costs of healthcare in the state, but we are not done yet. 

The conversations had at CSG were incredibly enlightening, and I look forward to returning in the future!

Back-to-school season is upon us here in District 32. Here is a link to the calendar for the 2025-2026 school year at Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

Please review these safety tips from the Red Cross to ensure a safe back-to-school season:

1. If your student is younger or going to school for the first time, teach them:

   1. Their phone number, address, instructions on how to contact their parent/guardian while at school, information on how to contact another trusted adult, and guidance on dialing 911. 

   2. Not to talk to strangers or accept rides from people they do not know. 

2. If your student walks to school, teach them to:

   1. Walk on the sidewalk. If no sidewalk is available, walk facing traffic.

   2. Stop and look both ways to see if cars are coming.

   3. Cross the street at a corner, obey traffic signals, and stay in the crosswalk.

   4. Never run out into the street or cross between parked cars. 

3. If your student takes the bus to school, teach them to:

   1. Arrive at their bus stop early and stand away from the curb while waiting for the bus.

   2. Board the bus only after it has come to a complete stop and the driver/attendant has instructed them to enter. 

   3. Only board their bus, never an alternate one. 

   4. Stay in clear view of the bus driver and never walk behind the bus. 

4. If your student rides their bike to school, teach them to:

   1. Always wear a helmet.

   2. Ride on the right in the same direction as the traffic is going.

5. If you drive your student to school, teach them to:

   1. Always wear a seat belt. Children should use car seats or booster seats until the lap-shoulder belt fits properly (typically for children 8-12 and over 4’9’’), and ride in the back seat until they are at least 13 years of age.

6. If you have a teenager driving to school, make sure they:

   1. Wear seatbelts.

   2. Do not use their cell phone or eat while driving. 

   3. Know the dangers of drinking and driving.

You can review the official checklist from the American Red Cross here.

This past session, the MTA developed a Rider Code of Conduct. You can see the official release here. The Code of Conduct is intended to inform riders about what behaviors are encouraged and accepted, which are prohibited, and what the consequences may be for engaging in prohibited behaviors. See the breakdown below:

Courteous Conduct:

• Every day, respectful behaviors contribute to a safe and comfortable environment for all passengers and employees. These include keeping seats accessible, speaking at a low volume, using headphones when consuming music/digital content, being mindful of others, and more. 

Prohibited Conduct:

• Actions not permitted on buses, trains, or in and around stations include smoking, vandalism, carrying concealed weapons, sexual harassment, or other disruptive behaviors. 

Bannable Conduct:

• Any type of assault (physical, verbal, threats, sexual harassment, fighting, etc) against an MTA employee, passengers, or anyone else on an MTA service or property is illegal and will result in a ban. 

Any rider who experiences a safety concern while using transit is encouraged to report it

immediately to the operator or station attendant onsite or Maryland Transit Police at 410-454-

7720. 

The State of Maryland offers taxpayers with student loan debt a tax credit that could help save them a significant amount of money. The Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit is an excellent benefit available to eligible Marylanders to reduce their student loan debt. 

How does the credit work?

• The credit is claimed on your Maryland income tax return when filing your Maryland taxes.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Be a Maryland resident for the 2025 tax year

• File Maryland state income taxes for the 2025 tax year

• Have originally incurred at least $20,000 in undergraduate and/or graduate student loan debt

• Hold a minimum outstanding student loan debt balance of $5,000 at the time of the application

• Certify that the entire amount awarded was directly applied to eligible student loan payments

Please note there is an application deadline of SEPTEMBER 15th. 

For more information and the application link, click here. 

Chapter 632 (Senate Bill 664) of the 2025 legislative session requires the Comptroller’s Office to study the process by which its Field Enforcement Bureau enforces requirements for Miscellaneous State Business Licenses (e.g., traders, promoters, restaurants, chain stores, etc.) under Title 17 of the Business Regulation Article. Along with various stakeholders, the Comptroller must issue a report by December 1, 2025, that includes recommendations on how to:

• Ensure the Field Enforcement Bureau can properly identify and contact the owner, operator, or responsible party for a miscellaneous State business license;

• Ensure citations related to the license enforcement are only issued to the business owner, operator, or responsible party; and

• Effectively issue citations related to the license enforcement when a business owner does not reside in Maryland.

The work group intends to propose recommendations for legislation that would address and prevent situations like that of Georgianna Tolliver, who, as reported by The Baltimore Banner in an article published February 25, 2025, was issued a citation for operating a business without a State business license, despite only being an employee of the business, and not the person responsible for ensuring the business was properly licensed. We have begun meeting as a group this summer, and I look forward to all we will accomplish!

By the 2025 Next Generation Energy Act (SB937), the Public Service Commission will be distributing a one-time electric bill refund called the “Legislative Energy Relief Fund”. Funds will be disbursed in August 2025 and January/February 2026. 

The amount of individual refunds will be based on the average customer's electricity usage over a year. The estimated refund amount for both phases would be an average of about $80 per customer, depending on the utility service territory. 

Lower usage customers would see lower credits, and higher usage customers would see higher credits. To be eligible for the first round of credits, the customer must have an active residential electric account as of June 1, 2025. They must also have recorded electricity usage during the 12-month period ending March 31, 2025 (to cover impacts of this past winter’s heating season), and must be an active account holder during the billing month in which the credit is applied to the customer’s bill. 

With further questions, please contact the Maryland Office of People’s Council (1-800-207-4055).

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 new 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

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

Events for Preschoolers and Kids:

• Lego Club (August 28th at 6:30pm)

  • Take on a challenge and build a masterpiece! Creations will be displayed after the program.

Events for Adults: 

• Cook the Book: Breakfast for Dinner (August 26th at 6:30pm)

  • We’ll celebrate the end of the season with a burst of whimsy! Bring your favorite breakfast food for our celebration of the most important meal of the day. 

• Adult Book Club (August 23rd at 11am)

  • What’s better than diving into a fantastic new book? Discussing it with other readers afterward! August’s selection is Erasure by Percival Everett

Events for Adults and Teens:

• Dungeons and Dragons in the Library (August 23rd at 1pm and August 25th at 6:30pm)

  • For beginners and seasoned dungeon crawlers. Make new friends and adventure together into the Forgotten Realms and beyond. 

Use this link to sign up for events and find more details. 

Unsubscribe from future updates