September 12, 2022

Dear Sharon,

September means back to school, first day of college for my daughter and stepson, first day of high school at Walter Johnson (Go Wildcats!) for my son, and mixed emotions as time is passing quickly!

I'm extremely grateful for teachers and administrators working so hard to address pandemic learning losses and deal with the emotional and social fallout from the pandemic.

Fall in an election year also means campaigns! I'm excited about our statewide Democratic candidates Wes Moore, Aruna Miller, Brooke Lierman. and Anthony Brown. This election is incredibly important for Maryland's future. These recent Baltimore Sun articles outline some of the key differences in our Gubernatorial candidates.

PUBLIC HEALTH UPDATES

COVID UPDATE

After avoiding COVID for more than two years, it finally caught up with me in August. Like many of you, I was sick for several weeks with much more than mild symptoms. However, I am feeling much better now and am extremely grateful for vaccines, treatments and the excellent healthcare available to me here in Montgomery County.

In good news, the current community transmission level for Montgomery County is just inside the low category and experts are hopeful that the new vaccine boosters recently approved will help us to avoid a fall surge in Covid cases.

The boosters, which were modified to provide additional protections against the Omicron variant, are available as of September 7 and appointments can be found by using the state's vaccine website, or at County health department clinics or by directly scheduling with with retail pharmacies and some doctor's offices. You can also call the county to schedule an appointment at 240-777-2982 or the state at 1-855-MD-GoVAX (855-634-6829).

Confused about your eligibility for a booster? You can check out your vaccine status on this website and as always, check with your health provider.

While the federal government suspended distribution of free COVID tests, Montgomery County continues to provide tests and masks free of charge at our local libraries. You can find the list of locations and timing for distribution here. The health department also conducts testing clinics and if you are a senior or disabled, you can request a free ride to the clinics by calling 240-777-2982.

MONKEYPOX

Did anyone else feel a sense of déjà vu last month when the Biden Administration declared a public health emergency based on the spread of monkeypox? Thankfully, we are more prepared to deal with another health crisis and cases across the country are slowing as a result of vaccine distribution and more widely available public information about the disease.

Maryland has a substantial number of monkeypox vaccines on hand and is distributing them based on risk and exposure protocols as recommended by the CDC. You can find more information on monkeypox from the MD Department of Health and Montgomery County at the links below.

Pedestrian and Bike Safety

I was devastated when the news broke of another bike related fatality in our community. The D16 team along with Councilmember Andrew Friedson hosted a community event on Friday, September 9th to discuss safety concerns on Old Georgetown Road and across the region.

Concerned residents and grieving family members joined State and County transportation officials to walk along one particularly dangerous stretch of road. We will continue to work together to make our community safer for pedestrians and bikers.

Bethesda Beat

Residents Call for More Safety Measures Along Old Georgetown Road

SUMMER RECAP

With Maeve and Irish

Senator Mark Daly

Enjoying time with Delegates Jared Solomon (D-18) and Stephanie Smith (D-45) at the NCSL Summit

Out and About

I was fortunate to visit Ireland this summer with my daughter and while there took time to visit with Irish Senate President Mark Daly who gave us a tour of the Irish Senate.

In early August, I attended the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Legislative Summit in Denver. I participated in three days of policy sessions and spoke at a forum on nursing scope of practice to share the advances Maryland has made to fully utilize the skills and training of our nurse workforce.

I was also able to meet with colleagues in the National Association of Jewish Legislators. Among the topics we discussed was growing Anti-Semitism and hate based speech, vandalism and violence faced by numerous communities. Unfortunately, D16 is not immune to this trend as we have seen from recent vandalism in our community. I was thankful that the County quickly cleaned up this vandalism.

I was joined at this national meeting of Jewish legislators by

Sen. Ben Kramer (D19), Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-17) and Delegate Jared Solomon (D-18)

District meetings

Here in D16, I enjoyed time with the residents of Somerset House discussing a range of issues including reproductive rights and long term care, and hearing from Imagination Stage in Bethesda on the great programs they are offering for children and teens. We've also been busy helping constituents navigate problems with state agencies - don't hesitate to reach out if you run into a problem or have a policy concern to share.

New Appointments

As Vice Chair of the Health and Government Operations Committee, I have several new assignments. I was appointed to the Maryland Medicaid Advisory Commission and attended my first meeting in July and the NCSL Health Innovations Task Force which met the day before the legislative summit to discuss challenges facing health care delivery.

REPRO UPDATE

As predicted, the Dobbs decision in June has had a devastating impact on healthcare in the US. Since the decision, 11 states have banned abortion and another 16 have moved to severely restrict and limit abortion services. Pregnant people are being denied care for routine reproductive care, clinics are closing in states across the country, and patients are having trouble obtaining medication for conditions unrelated to pregnancy.

Here in Maryland, Governor Hogan continues to refuse to release the funds to facilitate early implementation of my bill, the Abortion Care Access Act. But thankfully, just last week, Montgomery County Executive Elrich and the Montgomery County Council committed $1M to community-based organizations providing direct services that support the right to access abortion care in the County. As I told the press, this new source of funding is further proof that Maryland and Montgomery County are leaders in protecting access to reproductive healthcare.

My office is also working closely with the White House and the Reproductive Freedom Leadership Council, a project of the State Innovation Exchange, to coordinate state legislative responses to the fallout from Dobbs. In October, I will convene a workgroup of pro-choice state legislators from Maryland's neighboring states to discuss strategy and legislative options, and am in constant touch with my colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly. We are preparing several bills in response to issues related to the ruling. Stay tuned for more information on that legislation and other bills for the 2023 session.

Here's how to get involved:

Sign up to participate in the National Council of Jewish Women’s Abortion Access Week of Action
Read about Partners in Abortion Care, an all-trimester abortion clinic preparing to open in Maryland. Donate to help finance their medical equipment, full-time staff, and other opening expenses
Get involved locally! Join the Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force, or check out the Baltimore Abortion Fund & DC Abortion Fund, both of which are always looking for more volunteers and donations.

Meet Team Kelly Fall 2022

One of my favorite things about being a legislator is working with enthusiastic, passionate young people. My promotion to Vice Chair has resulted in a heavier workload, so this fall I brought on three additional staff members to help meet our policy goals. In addition, our summer high school interns will continue their work with us through the school year as their schedule allows.

My office offers internships for high school, college and grad students throughout the year, for more information send me an email.

Meet this fall's staffers:

Rachel Florman is our new Staff Assistant for Reproductive Rights. Rachel comes to our office after finishing a Fellowship through Avodah Jewish Service Corps working with HIAS to mobilize support for immigrants and refugees.

Isabelle Scholles - Young is a Junior at American University and a graduate of Richmond Montgomery High School. Isabelle is already familiar with Annapolis through their extensive work with Montgomery County Student Government.

Garsandra (Garsy) Presumey-Leblanc has a Masters in Medical Anthropology & Cross Cultural Practice from BU and is applying to medical school. Her research and work experience will be an asset to our efforts to support and improve the healthcare workforce.

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 13 - Delegate Kelly is speaking about innovative supports for infants, toddlers and their families at the Pritzker Children's Initiative National Convening in Baltimore

September 22 - Women's Caucus Webinar on Student Loans (see below)

September 23- Delegate Kelly to speak on panel about abortion and fertility treatments at UMD Department of OBGYN

September 29 - Delegate Kelly is moderating the Johns Hopkins Showcase Series discussing the work of Dr. Misha Zilbermint and Monique Sanfuentes around Diabetes Care in Montgomery Co. View here: https://hopkinsathome.jhu.edu/watch-now

October 22 - Potomac Day Parade 10/22 -Want to march with us in this fun event? Email our office -- Students welcome!

October 27 - November 3 - EARLY VOTING OPEN!

November 8th- ELECTION DAY

QUESTIONS ON STUDENT LOAN RELIEF?

The Women's Legislative Caucus is hosting a webinar on September 22 at 6 pm with Delegate Leslie Lopez and representatives from the Student Borrower Protection Center and the Office of the MD Attorney General to discuss the recent announcement from the Biden Administration about debt cancellation.

Click HERE to register for the event.

Maryland taxpayers who have at least $20k in student debt may be eligible for a Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit on Maryland state taxes. The deadline to apply for this credit is September 15, 2022 . Click HERE for more information.

It's a privilege to represent you in Annapolis. Please feel free to reach out to my office anytime to share policy concerns or if you need help with a state agency.

Best,