My 2020 Session Agenda
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 welcome your feedback on these legislative initiatives.
1) Climate Resiliency and Flood Control - adding an option within the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund (Maryland Environmental Code Section 9) to allow funding from the CBRF to be used by counties to help finance flood control projects needed as a result of the increasing intensity of storms. Essentially, this bill would allow fees already paid by homeowners to help protect the Chesapeake Bay water quality, to also be used for flood control projects which inevitably affect water quality in the bay. This will enable Howard County to qualify for additional state funding for the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan.
2) Consumer Protection - “Sunset Island Act” - adding provisions in the law to prohibit developers from requiring non-disclosure agreements from condominium boards in order to complete repairs on warranty items. Several Howard County residents own condominiums in the Sunset Island development in Ocean City, Maryland, where this type of secret agreement bound unit owners to waive warranty rights without their knowledge.
3) Consumer Protection - Consumer Privacy, Right to Opt Out of Third-Party Disclosure - adding provisions to the law to allow consumers to opt out of having information obtained about them through their use of websites sold to third parties.
4) Consumer Protection Homeowners Insurance - adding a provision in the law which prohibits insurance companies from using automobile claims to increase the cost of homeowners insurance. If you have an accident in your car, it should not be used to increase the cost of the insurance you pay on your home.
5) Consumer Protection - Telematics - adding a provision to the law which prohibits information collected through recording sensors in vehicles to be used for anything but auto insurance rating - including a prohibition on selling this information to third parties.
