COVID-19 continues to drastically impact our lives in innumerable ways and Marylanders need relief now. Headed into the 2021 Legislative Session, the Maryland Senate and entire General Assembly knew that in this moment, stakes haven’t been higher and urgent action is needed now. The news about the Johnson and Johnson and Novavax (a Maryland company!) vaccines is encouraging, but Marylanders need a bridge to get them through the next few months as distribution and administration ramp up.
That’s why Senate leaders and I announced the Maryland Senate’s Recovery Now Amendment, a $520 million plan to provide immediate support to 192,000 of our State’s most vulnerable residents and 19,300 small businesses and organizations not captured by the Governor’s proposal. Governor Hogan’s proposed RELIEF Act is a good starting point, and the Recovery Now Amendment provides additional targeted relief.
- supporting food banks and volunteer fire departments;
- providing grants for businesses, restaurants, and nonprofits;
- erasing housing debt for 5,000 families;
- providing $1,000 per person for tens of thousands of Marylanders stuck in limbo in the unemployment insurance system;
- funding summer school or tutoring for 25,000 students; and
- establishing “wellmobiles” to administer doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as efficiently as possible.
The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee has already unanimously approved the RELIEF Act with the Recovery Now Amendment included and we hope to pass it through the full Senate chamber next week. For more details, I encourage you to watch Senate leaders highlighting major portions of the Amendment. As I said in my remarks, I believe that 2021 can truly be the year of rebuilding and recovery.
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More Centralized Vaccination Efforts |
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I still remain deeply concerned about preliminary data showing racial disparities in our State’s vaccine administration with Black and Latinx Marylanders receiving disproportionately low rates of the vaccine. The Vaccine Oversight Workgroup will continue meeting every Monday afternoon at 4pm throughout Session and we are committed to working with the Maryland Department of Health to ensure a more efficient, effective, and equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. You can watch the workgroup meetings through the link on the Maryland General Assembly website.
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Cautiously Positive COVID-19 Trends |
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At the same time, we need to remain committed to public health measures as new, more transmissible variants of COVID-19 have already been identified in the U.S. with the potential to bring about another surge in cases. Continuing to be vigilant about mask-wearing, social distancing, and handwashing will help prevent an uptick in the spread of the virus and minimize strain on our hospitals and health care system
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Reforming the Maryland Environmental Service |
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Since August, the Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight has been investigating the six-figure payout that Roy McGrath, former director of the Maryland Environmental Service (MES), received when he voluntarily left the MES to serve as Governor Hogan’s chief of staff. After numerous committee meetings during which Mr. McGrath and other current and former MES staff repeatedly declined to provide legislators with information, it is abundantly clear that MES is in dire need of reform so that the agency can truly serve its purpose of protecting Maryland’s environment with integrity and transparency.
Senator Cory McCray is sponsoring Senate Bill 2, the Maryland Environmental Service Reform Act of 2021, which would make much-needed changes to the agency, including prohibiting the type of severance payout for executives that Mr. McGrath benefited from; shrinking the board of directors to a seven-member board; requiring ethics, diversity, and harassment training for board members; and requiring the board to set policies on expenses. Senate Bill 2 was heard yesterday in the Budget and Taxation Committee, and I look forward to supporting it on the Senate Floor.
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Apply for YouthWorks 2021! |
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I am thrilled that YouthWorks, Baltimore City’s summer jobs program for young people, has opened online registration for the summer of 2021. The 2021 registration process will be conducted entirely online and is open through March 19, 2021. YouthWorks 2021 is scheduled to operate a largely virtual program from June 28 - August 6.
YouthWorkers will work four hours a day, five days a week and will be paid $11.75/hour. City residents ages 14-21 can visit youthworks.oedworks.com to register as a new or returning prospective YouthWorks participant, and employers interested in supporting the program or becoming a worksite are encouraged to visit this website for more information.
YouthWorks continues to be a vital opportunity for our young people in Baltimore City to work over the summer and gain critical work experience. I am grateful for our City’s organizations and businesses that partner with the government to support our youth. During the pandemic, programs like YouthWorks are more important than ever to provide opportunity.
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Sen. Sarah Elfreth is sponsoring Senate Bill 66 to address the digital divide, by establishing the Office of Digital Inclusion in the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to oversee a plan to ensure that Marylanders have sufficient access. Digital connectivity has become even more essential since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and bridging the digital divide is yet another issue of equity that must be urgently addressed.
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If there is anything we can do to help, please do not hesitate to contact my office via email, bill.ferguson@senate.state.md.us, or by phone, 410-841-3600.
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