Greetings friends, It's been a busy few weeks in Annapolis. This week we are having multiple floor voting sessions per day and long public hearings as we work through a record number of bills before the “crossover” date on March 16th. This is the date when the House and Senate swap bills -- each house considers legislation sent to it by the other house. Any bills that have not passed in one chamber and “crossed over” to the other by the end of the day are less likely to becom

This afternoon I was able to be in Ellicott City to see the reveal of all the secret work that’s been happening this magical week. I listened to Gordon Ramsay accurately describe our town, the town he said he now feels a part of. He said he knew right away there was some hurt still, but that overpowering this was hope and community. He talked about neighbors helping neighbors and I remembered back to the aftermath of both floods and how the whole county came to help. He talke

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nithin Venkatraman 443-896-7552 nvenkatraman@senate.state.md.us Annapolis, MD - [January 27, 2020] Members of the Maryland General Assembly introduced a number of bills on Monday aimed at combating the increasing risks of climate change and sea level rise that threaten Maryland communities. Senator Katie Fry Hester (D - Howard and Carroll), Senator Sarah Elfreth (D - Anne Arundel), Delegate Brooke Lierman (D - Baltimore City), and Delegat

2020 Session Agenda My agenda for the 2020 session will include working to help pass Maryland’s Blueprint for the Future (Kirwan Commission) recommendations to improve Maryland’s public education system. It’s clear that we cannot make all the recommended changes at once, so a plan to prioritize and implement the most beneficial recommendations given funding realties will be much discussed in the weeks ahead. I will be submitting the following bills as the primary sponsor. I w

News from the House In the past five months since her election, House Speaker Adrienne Jones has taken a steadfast and thoughtful approach to laying the foundation for her time as Speaker of the House of Delegates. She recently announced new leadership appointments. I am pleased to report that Speaker Jones has appointed me as Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus. I am grateful to the Speaker and excited about this new opportunity to serve my fellow delegates and the people

Thank you Indian Origin Network of Howard County, IONHoCo, for a wonderful celebration last night and for all of the good work you do in our county! #IONHoCo #EllicottCity #HowardCounty #Stronger9B

Many thanks to the friends, family and colleagues who came out to Glory Days Grill last night to celebrate spring and support Friends of Courtney Watson. We had a full house and all communities of Howard County, as well as regions of Maryland, were represented. I was honored to be joined by County Executive Calvin Ball, Speaker Adrienne Jones, Chairman Dereck Davis, Senators Guy Guzzone, Katie Hester, Clarence Lam, Cory McCray and Delegates Talmadge Branch, Luke Clippinge

Pleased to invite you to a Reception on June 5th at Glory Days Glory Days Grill in Ellicott City with our Special Guest, Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones from 5:30 -7:00 p.m. RSVP here See you soon! #working4u #EllicottCity #HowardCounty #CourtneyWatson #working4md #AdrienneJones

Introduction Much progress was made during the 2019 General Assembly Regular Session. This newsletter is a brief summary of legislation affecting District 9B, as well as a recap of selected statewide bills. Please contact my office with questions about any of the more than 2000 bills that were introduced and the more than 800 bills that were passed this session. A Note About Our Speaker The 2019 Legislative Session ended on a sad note Monday, April 8th with the passing the p

April 8, 2019 Phil Davis and Erin B. Logan Contact Reporter The Baltimore Sun Howard County officials are touting millions of dollars in state money directed toward cleanup efforts in Ellicott City, which suffered substantial damage to its downtown area after two major floods in two years. A funding bill that Del. Courtney Watson cross-filed alongside state Sen. Katie Fry Hester would bring sustained funding to mitigation efforts in historic Ellicott City. The House and Senat