Today is Sine Die, the last day of the 446th General Assembly Session. I participated in a Press Conference with the Senate President and other Committee Chairs and had the opportunity to discuss the legislative highlights of the Finance Committee. You can see the Press Conference here.
My first year as Chair of Finance has been a very productive year, thanks to my committee members, hardworking analysts, and staff. We deliberated hundreds of bills and passed almost 400 bills.
In my opinion, the most important bill was the Data Privacy Act which will protect our data and how it is used and sold on the internet. We also passed the Kids Code to protect our children’s data.
The committee did a great deal of work in the health care arena to expand access to care and to increase the health care workforce; bills like our prior authorization bill, scholarships for health care workers including wrap-around services, and eliminating the additional steps to certify as a GNA. We increased the use the 340B federal pharmacy program, increased coverage for prosthetic devices for the purpose of athletic activities and legislated Assisted Outpatient Therapy. A new committee has been created to work on improving our Emergency Department Wait times and new regulations for the transfer of nursing homes.
The Committee passed collective bargaining for libraries, revisited issues concerning recreational cannabis, including licensing and zoning regulations. We added new opportunities for the local delivery of wine, beer and spirits and increased the agricultural products available to wineries.
We addressed issues with paycheck disclosure, misclassification of workers, and prevailing wage violations.
And as you know, this week we heard and passed the PORT Act.
As you can see, the Finance Committee had a very busy and productive year. Later this week, we will provide you with an overview of the session.
My office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm during the session to schedule appointments and provide constituent service. We are scheduling virtual and in-person appointments with myself or staff. 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.
I enjoy hearing all my constituent's thoughts and concerns. Please continue to stay in touch with me. I encourage everyone to be involved in government and have their voice heard.
Thank you to all of District 32 for allowing me to serve as your State Senator.