My Bills
Here are my 6 bills had hearings last week, 4 in the Environment and Transportation Committee and 2 in the Economic Matters Committee.

HB 109: Creates a task force of stakeholders to do a deep review and update of the Maryland Recycling Act (MRA). A leading piece of legislation when it was enacted in the 1980s, the MRA needs to be reviewed to ensure we are recycling and counting things that make a difference to our environment.

HB 284 (SB 222): Shifts the burden of the cost of recycling packaging from the taxpayer to the producer, and incentivizes producers to use less - and more recyclable - packaging.

HB 31: Ensures that only those plastic containers that are recyclable have the chasing arrows triangle or other labels that indicate recyclability.

HB 607 (SB 471): Requires that construction sites prevent sediment pollution or erosion downstream, implements rigorous grading and construction permit review for larger construction sites in sensitive areas, and establishes penalties for non-permitted construction activities.

HB 33 (SB 169):  Protects our biometrics, those unique physical characteristics such as fingerprints, face scans, and iris scans by preventing companies from collecting, using, and selling these without our knowledge or consent.

HB 807 (SB 698): Requires that businesses must tell consumers, prior to collecting a consumer’s information, what information it will collect, how it will be used, and the types of third parties it gives the information to and why. Allows consumers to opt-out of the processing of personal data for advertising, sale, or profiling as well as delete or correct any data inaccuracies.

Governor In The House...And Senate
This week, Governor Wes Moore testified before a House and Senate Committee on one of his legislative priorities, HB 546/SB 551, The SERVE ACT. (Earlier, Governor Moore testified in the House to support The Keep Our Heroes Home Act HB 554. It's quite a change from former Governor Hogan who never in 8 years appeared before the legislature to present one of his bills.) With both businesses and nonprofits invited to participate, youth within two years of high school graduation (or an equivalent degree or program ) can participate in an optional service year, working a 30-hour week and being paid $15 an hour. Upon completion of the program, they would earn a $3,000 stipend. 

“Not only does the service year provide a bridge for young people to the next stage of their lives, it will be a bridge between different groups in our society,” said Governor Moore. “The Service Year Program can bring people together in these divisive times and increase civic engagement and participation. I am proud to testify in support of my legislation that will change the way we approach pathways from education to employment.”

If you are interested in tracking these or other bills as they move through the Maryland General Assembly, you can do so automatically on the Maryland General Assembly website. If you haven't already, first set up a "MyMGA" Account and then "Bill Tracking Lists". It's fairly easy to do by watching the brief videos found here. You'll also find other useful, short "how to" videos to help you navigate the very informative MGA website.