Dear Friend:

This week began with Crossover Day– the unofficial deadline for bills to move from the Senate to the House (or vice versa) if they are to be guaranteed a hearing in the opposite chamber.

Below are some quick updates as we approach the final weeks of our 90-day session.

Crossing Over

While a bill passing out of its original chamber doesn’t mean that it will reach the Governor’s desk, it’s one step closer to the finish line. A number of my key legislative priorities are now being considered in the House, including:

• SB4: Ensures that Maryland nonprofit organizations remain nonpartisan by codifying the “Johnson Amendment,” maintaining the same protections that federal law has provided for the past 72 years. Following debate on the Senate Floor, I agreed to amend the bill to exclude religious organizations. This passed the Senate 32-13.
• SB114: Creates a first-in-the-nation statewide 3-1-1 system using Artificial Intelligence to lighten the load on our 9-1-1 Centers. The Senate passed this unanimously.
• SB148: Aligns retirement benefits for 9-1-1 Specialists with those of other First Responders. This passed out of the Senate without opposition again this year.

Powering Up Reforms

I’m often described as “high energy” (I was once described as the Energizer Bunny!)– but when most people think of “high energy,” they think of their skyrocketing electricity bills.

House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk and expert witnesses testified before my Committee on the RELIEF Act (HB1532). This proposal would reduce energy bills by at least $150 per year; hold utility companies accountable; and require data centers to pay their fair share for the energy they consume.

With astronomical gasoline prices as a result of Donald Trump’s war in Iran, the Senate is intently focused on affordability. In addition to the RELIEF Act, we are working to:

• Fight Trump’s policies that attack renewable energy by investing $100 million in clean energy production in Maryland;
• Protect working families by streamlining energy assistance programs; and
• Fund the Public Service Commission’s new Limited Income Discounted Rate program, which will save eligible low-income customers up to $1,400 per year.

The details of these proposals still need to be negotiated between the Senate and House.

Supporting Local Infrastructure

Among the local highlights, the Senate passed both the Operating Budget and Capital Budget. Your District 17 Team– Delegates Palakovich Carr, Vogel, Spiegel, and me– requested State funding for local priorities. The process is not finished; the House must also debate and pass the bills, after which a conference committee will reconcile the two versions.

I’m delighted that many of the projects in our area have been included:

• Funding Montgomery College;
• Building a new headquarters and community arts hub for Young Artists of America behind Congressional Plaza;
• Renovating Ring House in Rockville;
• Modernizing the Montgomery College Theater Arts Building in Rockville;
• Transforming the Montgomery History Center;
• Refurbishing the historic Lincoln High School in East Rockville;
• Updating pedestrian bridges in Twinbrook and Dogwood Parks in Rockville; and
• Finishing the new Gaithersburg Municipal Complex.

D17 legislators and the mayors of Gaithersburg and Rockville visited Young Artists of America.

Follow me on Facebook (@CherylCKagan), Twitter/X (@CherylKagan), and Instagram (@CherylCKagan) for photos and posts. My website has a portal to request help with challenges you’re having with State government or communicate legislative opinions. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify to be alerted to new episodes of my “Kibbitzing with Kagan” podcast. And, you can always send me questions or comments via email.

Best,

Cheryl

Cheryl C. Kagan
State Senator, District 17
(Gaithersburg & Rockville)
Vice Chair, Education, Energy, & the Environment Committee

410-841-3134

PS: Yesterday was Maryland Day, which commemorates English colonists settling in St. Mary’s County on March 25, 1634. In 1903, the State Board of Education officially recognized it as a day to celebrate our State’s diverse history.