Two of my bills have passed third reader and will be on their way to the House:
You can track the progress and current status of the legislation I’ve introduced on my General Assembly page, under the "Legislation" section.
As we move forward, I encourage you to stay informed by regularly visiting the MGA website for updates and to view the latest legislation.
It was a privilege to recognize six exceptional social studies educators on the Senate Floor this past Monday as recipients of the Maryland Council for Social Studies (MDCSS) 2025 Teachers of the Year awards.
MDCSS is dedicated to supporting social studies teachers throughout Maryland by providing professional development and instructional resources, while also honoring excellence in social studies education at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
This week, I had the honor of welcoming Pastor Washington Johnson to the Senate Chamber to deliver the invocation before our daily session. Pastor Johnson’s words were truly motivating.
He currently serves as the Director of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries and is the Chair-elect of The National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF), which represents nearly 150 religious organizations that endorse military and Veterans Affairs hospital chaplains. Pastor Johnson is a great advocate in our community, and I appreciate all his work and advocacy.
On Tuesday, we celebrated Read Across America Day! It was wonderful to have my friend “Clifford” on the Senate Floor, reminding us of the importance of fostering a love for reading in our students. A special thank you to the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) for their unwavering commitment to promoting literacy and education for our children. Let’s continue spreading the joy of reading!
Wednesday marked the annual Towson Tiger Pride Day, I had the pleasure of meeting several Towson University students during the event. As a proud Towson University alum, it’s always a pleasure to welcome my fellow Tigers to the Senate Floor.
My office has been contacted by several constituents with concern regarding their rising energy bills. These concerns require immediate legislative action during the 2025 Legislative Session. There is an affordability crisis that is likely to get worse in the coming months and years without the State taking steps to ensure the affordability for our residents, reliability of our energy grid, and predictability within our regulatory environment. Outside of the legislature’s constitutional obligation to pass a balanced budget, nothing is more important than addressing these issues. That is why a leadership package of bills were introduced this Session to help bring down rising energy costs as quickly as possible.
Maryland is part of a 13 state plus D.C. regional grid that is managed by PJM Interconnection (PJM). The increase to the cost of energy itself is largely being driven by the capacity auction PJM operated in the summer of 2024. Due to an increase in demand for electricity largely driven by data centers and the onshoring of manufacturing, combined with a decrease in supply as coal and oil plants shut down because of market forces, there was an 800% increase in the price of electricity from the previous auction.
That increase is even more acute in the BGE service territory because of a private agreement between the Sierra Club and Talen Energy to shut down two coal power plants in Anne Arundel County, which the State nor PJM were involved in or consulted on in advance. That agreement took a huge amount of power out of the capacity auction which helped cause that auction price spike. Further, the premature closure of those plants would lead to grid instability, thereby requiring a federally-mandated Reliability Must Run (RMR) order to keep the plants online through mid-2029. As a result of that RMR, BGE customers will pay an average of an additional $4.33-4.47 per month for their electricity.
The most important thing we can do to drive costs back down is to increase the amount of in-state generated electricity as soon as possible, and we must make sure that new energy is cleaner than the energy we are using today. This is precisely what the General Assembly’s leadership energy package aims to do.
The Next Generation Energy Act (SB937) requires the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) to solicit bids for new, reliable energy generation and then expedite the permitting and siting for those projects to get them built in record time. Further, the Renewable Energy Certainty Act (SB931) removes unnecessary roadblocks to the construction of solar generation and battery storage projects in the State so that we can deploy these generation assets as quickly as possible. We must take an all of the above approach to new energy generation to bring down bills as we bridge to a zero-emission future.
According to a recent report by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), our State’s geography limits the amount of solar or land-based wind that can be constructed while offshore wind’s future is uncertain under the Trump Administration. Battery storage technology is developing quickly, but still too costly and inefficient to provide the requisite reliability and ratepayer benefits at scale to compensate for power plant retirements.
New dispatchable generation, likely natural gas and expanded nuclear, is the only short-term option for significant new generation that will allow the remaining coal and oil power plants to retire and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions. We will maintain our environmental commitments through requirements that any new natural gas plants be convertible to run on hydrogen when that technology is sufficiently advanced. The PSC must also prioritize projects with carbon capture and co-located renewable energy or battery storage.
Although dispatchable generation, like natural gas, is not preferable, it is the only available and affordable option that will allow Maryland to decrease its reliance on dirtier energy sources like coal and oil in the near-term future. For example, attempting to maintain the reliability of our energy grid to keep the lights on using only solar generation and battery storage is projected to cost 10x natural gas generation while utilizing more physical space than Maryland has available. At a time when energy bills are skyrocketing, forcing people to choose between keeping the heat and lights on versus feeding their families, that cost to our residents is untenable.
Both the Senate and House recognize we must do everything possible to lower everyday costs for Marylanders.
My office has heard from numerous federal employees expressing concerns about job security and the potential defunding of essential services they provide. In addition, many constituents have voiced worries about funding and their rights.
Yesterday, Congresswoman Elfreth hosted a town hall meeting with Maryland Secretary of Labor, Portia Wu, where they discussed unemployment insurance and other resources available to federal workers in the state. [[Click here to view the recording of the town hall meeting.]](https://www.facebook.com/RepSarahElfreth/videos/937479511884925)
To assist those affected by these challenges, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth has also compiled a comprehensive resource guide, which will be especially valuable to federal workers, immigrant families, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community during this period of uncertainty. Click here to view the guide.
Governor Moore has also launched the Maryland Public Servants Resource Website, which serves as a centralized hub for programs and resources to support Maryland’s federal employees and contractors impacted by federal workforce layoffs, firings, and changes to federal funding.
The website provides resources for impacted federal workers, including information on unemployment insurance, job search and career support, legal resources, and an index of key rules and regulations that govern the federal employment process.
The site includes resources for Unemployment Insurance, Career Support, Health Coverage, Legal Resources and more.
The website will be updated regularly as additional information becomes available.
The Comptroller of Maryland - Frozen Federal Funds Reporting. Recent federal actions have resulted in the freezing and/or revocation of federal loans and grants to some nonprofit organizations. The Comptroller of Maryland has been closely monitoring this situation, particularly given the potential impact on Maryland’s economy, workforce, and communities. To assist us in assessing the scope and impact of these funding cuts, we invite you to share information with us if you have had problems accessing federal funding.
Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation (AAWDC) helps residents reach success by working with them to connect to employment opportunities that not only match their passion, strengths, and skills but lead to long-term career growth and satisfaction. Every one of our customers is different so our Career Coaches start by working with customers to create a success plan that matches their wants, needs, and personal situation. AAWDC Career Coaches are at the Glen Burnie Library on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the Month from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm for their Pop-Up Career Center events. There is an AAWDC Federal Career Transition Hiring Event scheduled for March 20th, 4 pm to 7 pm at the O'Malley Senior Center, 1275 Odenton Rd, Odenton. Click HERE to register.
The Maryland Department of Labor (MD Labor) has prepared resources to support Maryland workers impacted by the federal government transition, including employees of the federal government and federal government contractors.