The Senate Finance Committee has been working tirelessly, with 248 bill hearings already held and successfully passing 124 bills out of the committee. But we're not slowing down anytime soon - in fact, things are only going to get busier from here on out. The floor sessions and committee meetings have been longer, but we're determined to push through and make the most of the time we have left.
This week I had one bill hearing:
Tuesday was a very busy day! On the Senate floor, we heard a resolution that reaffirms Maryland’s commitment to the Equal Rights Amendment. I was happy to join the women of the Senate as we work toward urging Congress to act on this important constitutional amendment.
While I was on the Senate Floor, my Chief of Staff Nancy met with National Junior Honor Society Students from St. Phillip Neri Catholic School. It’s always great to see young people get involved in the legislative process. Thank you for stopping by our office!
On Wednesday we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Tiger Pride Advocacy Day. As a proud Towson University Alumni, I am delighted to see my fellow tigers on the Senate Floor.
Thursday morning, I had the pleasure of attending the Veteran’s Caucus Breakfast with Governor Wes Moore. I appreciate his leadership on supporting our veterans in Maryland.
The Senate Budget and Tax Committee is close to finalizing the fiscal year 2025 budget. However, there have been two surprises that will require a significant change in the budget as submitted by the Governor.
Together this is $500 million decrease in available revenue. Said another way, we are short a half of a billion dollars. I anxiously await the final budget! After the Senate’s projected budget is adopted it will go to the House for their review and passage. Maryland has a constitutional mandate to pass a balanced budget!
In 1999, Maryland moved to a deregulated retail energy market, bad actors have entered the market to take advantage of vulnerable residents. What was originally intended as a program to spur competition and reduce consumer costs has had the opposite effect. Instead, retail energy suppliers charged $.04 more per kilowatt hour than regulated electricity, the equivalent of a 50% increase in cost. As a result, 370,000 Maryland families paid an average of $483 more for electricity ($178 million statewide) in 2022 than they would have otherwise.
Suppliers, by design, have created a market that is exceedingly difficult for the average residential consumer to navigate with insufficient disclosures so ratepayers cannot make informed decisions. As a result, these companies are maximizing profits on the backs of low and moderate-income Maryland families, often targeting specific zip codes where there are lower rates of educational attainment and lower rates of English proficiency.
Senate Bill 1 creates necessary guardrails to reign in bad actors in the retail energy space while saving Marylander’s money on their monthly utility bills and strengthening choice for consumers willing to pay a higher rate for green energy products.