October 1, 2021
In This Issue:

  • Improving Safety Protocols for Carroll County Students

  • New Laws Effective October 1, 2021

  • Carroll County Delegation Holding Public Hearing on Municipal & Non-Profit Funding Requests - Wednesday, October 6th

  • MD Retailers Association recognizes Delegate Krebs as the 2021 Legislator of the Year!

  • New Small Businesses Grant Available

  • COVID Updates & Resources

  • AmeriCorp Grants Available

  • Census Data Released for Redistricting

  • Do You Want To Learn More About the Legislative Process?
I have been working closely with the Carroll County School Board and the Maryland Department of Health to insist on reasonable interpretations and guidelines from our local health department with regard to student and staff quarantine and contact tracing. Our current guidelines are unacceptable and go directly against Governor Hogan’s directive to get our students back to “in person” learning.
 
Carroll County has the highest per capita of students quarantined than any other Maryland county. Many healthy students are missing days of school because of unreasonable protocols put in place by our local health department unlike any other school system in the state.
 
Our Carroll County Board of Education members, principals and school staff met with our local health officer, Ed Singer, to express the real world challenges and disruptions our schools are facing under the current policies. Mr. Singer pledged to review the guidance and our Board of Education has proposed a realistic plan to keep our students safe while maximizing “in-person” instruction.
 
The teachers and staff of Carroll County Public Schools deserve a big thank-you -for the efforts they make every day to get our children back in school and learning, despite many challenges every day.
New Laws Effective October 1st


To be clear - many of the new laws that are taking effect I voted against for a multitude of reasons, which I will not reiterate here.


Multiple anti-police bills were passed by Maryland legislators in the wake of nationwide protests and focus on police conduct. These laws will go into effect Friday, October 1, 2021, there will now be:
 
  •   Public access to police disciplinary files- founded or unfounded,
  •    Limits on when police can use no-knock warrants in their investigations,
  •    Further restrictions on the use of surplus military equipment by police,
  •     Disregard for appropriate due process against law enforcement officers,
 
These laws known collectively at the Maryland Police Accountability Act have the potential to further erode police morale, community relationships and public confidence. These bills will further damage recruitment and retention efforts throughout the state. It is Police Reform gone too far - all in an effort to address ongoing problems that have occurred in Baltimore City. 
 
I support some police reforms, including increased training, but it must be reasonable and balanced. There is no disagreement among us that police brutality is wrong and we recognize there are bad cops, but painting all police officers as problems and removing the protections and due process that every other profession gets, is unfair. 
Improving Emergency Management. As a member of the Commission to Advance Next Generation 9-1-1-Across Maryland (NG911). One of the bills I sponsored goes into effect October 1st. The Establishment and Transfer of Maryland 9-1-1- Board upgrades the MD Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to a Cabinet-level Department and transfers the 9-1-1 Board from the Department of Corrections to this new department. This move will better align our Emergency Management systems throughout the state.
The COVID pandemic impacted everyone, but older adults were particularly vulnerable. While not every bill is relevant to COVID, I do want to highlight new legislation that will impact older adults. 

Financial Exploitation of Susceptible Adults and Older Adults (Maryland SAFE Act) - This law expands protections for older and vulnerable adults. This law adds definitions for “susceptible” and “older” adults and prohibits broad categories of financial exploitation.
 
 
New legislation will incorporate information and training regarding cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia in outreach programs, CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and RSA (Residential Service Agency) training and continuing education programs.
 
 
 
 
Nursing Homes - Transfer of Ownership - Surveys This will require the MD Department of Health to conduct a full survey and an unannounced on-site follow up survey if the ownership of the nursing home is transferred to a person that does not own or operate another nursing home in the State at the time of transfer.
Other legislation that negatively burdens small business or is unnecessary:

Leave with Pay — Bereavement Leave - Maryland’s Flexible Leave Act, which applies to employers of 15 or more employees, permits employees to use any employer-provided “leave with pay” to cover an absence occasioned by the illness of a child, spouse or parent. The new law expands the Flexible Leave Act by allowing employees to also use their earned paid leave for bereavement following the death of a child, spouse or parent. Significantly, while most employers limit paid bereavement leave to a week or less, there is no limit on the amount of an employee’s accrued paid leave that can be used for bereavement purposes under this law.
 
Employment Discrimination — Time for Filing Complaints - This law increases the time that an individual can file a complaint with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR) alleging any unlawful employment practices other than harassment. Currently, employees have only six months to file a complaint with the MCCR. Under the amended law, employees will have up to 300 days to file a complaint.
 
Financial Institutions — Security Questions and Measures - If a financial institution requires a customer to provide an answer to a security question to verify the identity of the customer in connection with the provision of any account, the financial institution must allow the customer to choose from at least two security question options to satisfy the required security verification step.
 
Licensing of Non-depository Institutions — Elimination of Paper Licenses - This law seeks to streamline the licensing process for non-depository financial institutions, such as collection agencies, credit services businesses, mortgage lenders and originators, sales finance business, and money transmission businesses.
 
Landlord and Tenant — Residential Tenants — Access to Counsel - This law seeks to increase residential tenants’ access to legal counsel in connection with eviction proceedings.
 
Landlord Tenant — Nonrenewal of Lease — Notice Requirements - Requires specific notices by landlords in situations where the landlord does not intend to renew a residential lease.
 
Whistleblower Reward Program and Statute of Limitations for Tax Collections -This creates a whistleblower reward program to be administrated by Maryland’s comptroller and extends the statute of limitations for tax collections to 10 years, applied retroactively.
 
Requires changing facilities suitable for changing the diaper of a child and providing personal care for an adult be installed in certain public restrooms in certain public buildings by October 1, 2022.
Good news for consumers of RX:

Pharmacists - Required Notification and Authorized Substitution - Lower-Cost Drug or Device Product - Requires a pharmacist to inform a consumer of the availability of a therapeutically equivalent brand name drug that is the lowest cost alternative to the originally prescribed drug or device.
Other unnecessary legislation or head scratchers:

Family Law - Marriage - Licenses and Records Removes the terms "Husband" and "Wife" from marriage licenses and replaces them with "Party 1" and
"Party 2."
 
Correctional Services and State Board of Elections(SBE) - Centralized Booking Facility - Ballot Drop Box Requires Baltimore City's centralized booking facility to provide a secure, designated ballot drop box for incarcerated eligible voters and to monitor the ballot drop box 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Funds will be provided to nonprofit organizations to establish or expand mobile laundry services for the homeless.

Prohibition on Releasing a Balloon Into the Atmosphere No more intentionally releasing, or causing to be released a balloon into the atmosphere.
To read the complete list of Maryland Legislation
effective October 1, 2021 - Click Here.
Carroll County Delegation Holding Public Hearing on Municipal & Non-Profit Funding Requests for Maryland FY23 Capital Budget


Wednesday, October 6, 2021
7:00pm
Carroll County Office Building Reagan Room
Each year the Maryland Retailers Association recognizes an elected official for their outstanding public leadership and support of the mission of the Maryland Retailers Association. I am honored to be presented with 2021 MRA Legislator of the Year Award. Thank you! Susan
SMALL BUSINESS GRANT AVAILABLE!
BGE Energizing Small Business

Eligible businesses located in BGE’s service area can apply for a $20,000 BGE Energizing Small Business Grant.

This grant program is part of BGE's comprehensive Customer Relief and Energy Infrastructure Investment Plan, designed to help the state’s economic recovery from the pandemic.


Applications accepted now through October 13th.
COVID-19 UPDATES


Maryland has one of the highest vaccination rates. As of September 30th, 83.6% of the state population age 18 and over has at least one dose. There is a considerable body of evidence world-wide that suggests vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe illness and death from Covid-19. Read More.
900,000 MARYLANDERS REMAIN UNVAXXED: While Maryland’s COVID-19 vaccination metrics are better than that of most states with about 84% of residents partially vaccinated and about 60% fully vaccinated-significant outreach and education must be a continued priority as about 900,000 Marylanders still are unvaccinated, 
AmeriCorps State Grant Application Process
Now Available!

The Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism announced the opening of the AmeriCorps state grant application process for the 2022 – 2023 service year. 

These federal grants are funded by AmeriCorps and administered by the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism. The purpose is to support AmeriCorps members who meet a wide range of community needs, and serve as teachers, environmentalists, mediators, or community leaders through local organizations.

In order to receive an AmeriCorps state grant, organizations must raise a minimum of 24 percent in matching funds.
Qualifying organizations for the grant include: 
  • Nonprofits, 
  • Faith-based organizations, 
  • State or Local government agencies, and 
  • Institutions of higher education.
Organizations interested in applying for an AmeriCorps State grant must submit a concept paper by 5 p.m. on October 12, 2021.

2020 Census Data for Maryland Released
7% Increase in Maryland's Population

The full data released by the USCB for Maryland can be found here.

The process of redistricting occurs every 10 years following the decennial Census. For more information: Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission
Legislative Process

We are providing a link that gives our constituents access to "tutorials" located on the Maryland General Assembly website. These tutorials will aid you as a citizen to navigate bill tracking, find a legislator, understand a bill page, as well as instructions for witness sign up for a specific piece of legislation. We hope this will give you a better understanding of how our legislative process works. 




During the interim, the best way to contact my office is to email, Susan.Krebs@house.state.md.us
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