Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe we are half way through the 2023 General Assembly Session! The Committee hearings are going into evening hours and the voting list is getting longer.
This week, I had a few bill hearings.
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SB0355 Occupational Safety and Health - Public Buildings - Indoor Air Quality was heard on February 23rd. This bill requires the Commissioner of Labor and Industry to adopt a comprehensive indoor air quality standard for public buildings. The standard must include specified requirements for public employers and be developed in consultation with the Secretary of the Environment, Secretary of Health, and Director of the Maryland Energy Administration. The Commissioner must also establish a technical advisory committee to make recommendations, as specified.
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You can track and view this year’s legislation on the 2023 Maryland General Assembly Website here. You can also view bill hearings or voting sessions on the website. I recommend all constituents submit testimony for any bills they have thoughts on. I appreciate hearing your thoughts and positions on certain bills this session in my office. Please continue to call and voice your opinion!
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Women's Caucus Breakfast with Governor Moore and First Lady Moore |
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On Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending the Women's Caucus breakfast hosted by Governor Moore and First Lady Moore, where we discussed mutual legislative priorities. Thank you Delegate Lesley Lopez, President of the Caucus for your leadership.
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Meet our Maryland General Assembly Session 2023 Legislative Team. I am so proud to work with this group and have them represent the District 32 community and all Marylanders! |
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Ash-Lynn Randolph: Legislative Aide
Ash-Lynn Randolph is working with Senator Beidle as a Legislative Aide this session! Ash-Lynn is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, earning her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. She will be attending graduate school at UMBC in the fall, pursing a specialization in Public Policy. Ash-Lynn is passionate about issues regarding environmental health, human rights, and public health.
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Nancy Lipin Crawford: Chief of Staff
Nancy Crawford is presently serving as Chief of Staff for Senator Beidle. Nancy is a native of Anne Arundel County and has deep roots in District 32, growing up in Glen Burnie where her family was active in GBIA and supporting the Big Glen Burnie Carnival. While attending college, Nancy started working for the AACO Board of Elections and was the Director of Elections before relocating to Austin TX in 1997 with her family. Shortly after returning from Denver in 2004, Nancy was Chief of Staff for Senator Jimeno, before joining Senator Beidle when she was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2006. She currently lives in Annapolis with her husband Charles and their Goldendoodle Max.
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Zoey Nichols: Intern
Zoey Nichols, one of our interns, is a senior at Severna Park High School and has been recently accepted to American University, where she will continue her education as a Political Science major and Journalism minor. Zoey hopes to go into government administration on the federal level or to work as a political analyst for a news station, such as CNN. Helping those who need assistance and fighting for social change are some of Zoey’s greatest passions. When she is not in the office, she enjoys crochet, reading, drawing, and spending time with family.
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Ama Addo: Intern
Ama Addo is our newest intern. She is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, earning her B.A. in Communication Studies. She's a big advocate for social media and its power and influences in the marketing and business fields. She has quite a few platforms on which she has the opportunity to be a micro-influencer, TikTok being the largest. Ama’s experience and passion assists her in implementing strategies that deliver results.
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DISTRICT 32 SENATORIAL SCHOLARSHIP |
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Applications Available Online Now! |
Mail all applications to
Senator Pamela Beidle Scholarship Committee
11 Bladen Street Suite 202, James Senate Office Building Annapolis, MD 21401
by the April 7th, 2023 deadline.
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You must attend a Maryland School.
Click here for the application.
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Operation Clean Sweep Maryland |
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I am excited to share that the new Secretary of Transportation, Paul Wiedefeld, is making the clean-up of litter on our roads a priority. As the Chair of the Executive of Nominations, I was not alone when I requested the Secretary pay attention to the condition of our roads. He was just confirmed last Friday and this press release arrived today!
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STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION KICKS OFF ‘OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP MARYLAND’ TO BEAUTIFY ROADWAYS THROUGHOUT THE STATE
Crews Increase Litter Removal Efforts on State Roadways;
Maintenance Budget Increases 30% for Litter Removal, Mowing
(February 24, 2023) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration today launched “Operation Clean Sweep Maryland,” a new initiative that will nearly double the frequency of litter pickup and mowing efforts along Maryland roads. The program is beginning in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. regions.
“Maryland’s highways connect us to friends, family, schools, jobs and recreation, and serve as the welcome mat for visitors to our state,” said Acting Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld. “We can’t allow litter to destroy the beauty of our communities and threaten our safety and the environment. We need the help of everyone to tackle this problem, and our state highway crews are prepared to lead the way.”
Litter finds its way into drainage systems and ultimately into Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay tributaries. Litter removal is critical to perform mowing operations safely and efficiently. In addition to hindering mowing and landscape efforts, trash severely impacts roadside drainage facilities, causing rain and snow melt to pond on the roads. This creates a major safety hazard for the traveling public.
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Due to a mild winter, State Highway Administration crews anticipate roadside mowing will be required earlier than usual. This week, State Highway Administration crews and contractors will begin sweeps through highly traveled areas to perform litter pickup operations, and litter removal cycles will nearly double throughout the mowing season to keep up with litter issues.
The State Highway Administration will reach out to local jurisdictions to coordinate additional cleanup efforts. Citizens can help by reporting issues of litter and high grass on state roads by clicking here or call 410-545-0300.
The State Highway Administration has increased its annual maintenance budget more than 30% compared to last year to nearly $30 million to accommodate additional litter removal and mowing efforts. Operation Clean Sweep Maryland will include hiring additional state employees to increase the frequency of litter pickup. The State Highway Administration also will purchase additional mowing equipment and develop contract resources to maintain increased mowing and litter removal cycles.
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“We recognize more needs to be done to keep Maryland’s roads well-maintained and litter-free,” said State Highway Administrator Tim Smith. “We’re increasing our efforts, but we need the public’s help as well. We ask that everyone put trash where it belongs: in a trash can.”
The State Highway Administration spent approximately $39 million over the last five years collecting and disposing more than 26,000 truckloads of litter along state roads. Annually, the agency collects approximately 5,300 truckloads of trash at a cost of more than $7 million.
Litter crews work directly adjacent to traffic. As Operation Clean Sweep Maryland gets underway, motorists should pay close attention and reduce speeds and distractions when traveling near work crews. Move over whenever possible when you see crews working on the shoulders, and help make sure everyone makes it home safely.
Operation Clean Sweep Maryland supports the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Be a Superhero! Put litter in its Place campaign, which offers people of all ages educational materials to learn about the devastating effects litter has on Maryland’s economic development, tourism and quality of life.
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The Governor's Office
of Small, Minority & Women Business Affairs
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invites you to attend our procurement connections webinar |
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Maryland is a great place
to do business!
If you are interested in doing business with the State of Maryland,
you'll want to join us for this informational webinar.
The Ready, Set, GROW! Procurement Connections Webinar connects vendors with buyers from several state agencies. Each will share what they are looking to buy right now, what is in the pipeline, and how to connect with them directly.
Participants will gain insights on how our small, minority, women, and veteran procurement programs work and learn strategies for mining public data to help with their business development efforts.
Our guests for this procurement connections webinar are:
Who should attend?
Small business owners, including firms owned and
operated by minorities, women, and veterans, who are interested
in doing business with the State of Maryland as a
prime contractor or subcontractor.
When:
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
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Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund |
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From the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development:
You may not need assistance to stay in your home, but you may know someone who does. The Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund can provide mortgage relief, weatherization, housing counseling, and legal services.
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My office is continuing to receive inquiries about Unemployment claims. If you or anyone you know needs assistance with their Unemployment Insurance claim, please click the link and fill out our Unemployment Insurance Assistance Form. We will contact our District Liaison regarding your claim.
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Anne Arundel County Public School News |
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AACPS Board of Education
Public Workshop on Redistricting
Interactive Redistricting Website Launched
An interactive web tool is now available online for members of the public to review and comment on a pair of potential redistricting scenarios developed in the first phase of a comprehensive redistricting initiative that will span the next three years. WXY Studio, which was hired by the Board of Education last year, has worked for months to create the potential scenarios. In addition to drawing boundaries for Old Mill High School West and West County Elementary School – both scheduled to open in the 2024-2025 school year – the scenarios reflect ways to better balance enrollments at schools in the Chesapeake, Glen Burnie, Meade, North County, Northeast and Old Mill clusters.
The web tool can be accessed through a link HERE. Users can see school assignments for their residence and how they may be impacted in either scenario. A dropdown in the upper right corner allows users to translate the entire page into Spanish.
Comments on the potential scenarios will be accepted through May 31, 2023. Dr. Bedell and his staff will examine and consider all comments before Dr. Bedell delivers his recommendation to the Board of Education in July 2023. The Board will then select an option or options to take to public hearing in October 2023 before adopting a plan for Phase 1 in November 2023. Comments to be considered must be left on the redistricting page, not on other social media pages.
The plan adopted by the Board will go into effect in August 2024. The Board has the authority to develop options other than the scenarios presented by the consultant or any recommendation from Dr. Bedell.
The full press release can be found HERE.
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Redistricting continues to be an ongoing issue in our county. If you have any questions or concerns, listed below is the contact information of your elected Board of Education Representatives. |
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Board of Education Contact Information |
Robert Silkworth:
AACPS Board of Education Member, District 2
(443) 534-5766
Gloria Dent:
AACPS Board of Education Member, District 1
(410) 991-5133
Melissa Ellis:
AACPS Board of Education Member, District 4
(410) 533-7940
Board of Education General Contact Information
BOE Office: (410) 222-5311
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Severn Center Grand Opening- Save the Date |
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Anne Arundel County Animal Care and Control is Over Capacity |
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If you are interested in becoming a foster parent for Anne Arundel County Animal Care & Control, please complete the Foster Application and email it to accfoster@aacounty.org or send it to 411 Maxwell Frye Rd. Millersville MD 21108
Please contact (410) 222-3892 or email accfoster@aacounty.org if you have questions in regards to the foster program.
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Anne Arundel County Veterans Commission |
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By March, the Veterans Affairs Commission, Anne Arundel County, expects to have the opportunity to fill up to five Commission vacancies.
If you have served in the US Armed Forces (including the Coast Guard) on active duty, the Reserves, or in the National Guard, received an honorable discharge, and live in Anne Arundel County, this is your opportunity to serve Anne Arundel County and your fellow county veterans.
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If you are interested in joining this commission, please click this link to be directed to the website and attend one of the monthly meetings (second Wednesday each month, 6pm; March 8th), then share your resume with Mr. Pete Hill for his review.
Mr. Hill is the Liaison between this Commission and the County Executive. Subsequently, the Commission will review your DD-214 and resume, and make a recommendation to the County Executive.
Contact Mr. Pete Hill (exhill21@aacounty.org). Office phone number (410) 222-1550. Cell phone number (410) 271-5576.
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General Assembly Office Schedule |
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My Chief of Staff, Nancy Lipin Crawford, Legislative Aide, Ash-Lynn Randolph, and Interns, Zoey Nichols and Ama Addo will be working Monday through Friday to respond to any Constituent concerns.
I have enjoyed hearing all of my constituent's thoughts and ideas on legislation. Please continue to stay in touch with me. I encourage everyone to be involved in government and have their voice heard.
I will be taking virtual and in-person appointments this session. You can schedule by calling or emailing the office at pamela.beidle@senate.state.md.us or 410-841-3593. We are always happy to assist you.
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Thank you for allowing me to serve as your District 32 State Senator!
Pamela Beidle
Senator, District 32
Finance Committee
Chair Executive Nominations
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