Maryland Economy
In 2007, Brian
was named Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Banking, Economic
Development, Science and Technology and House Chairman of the
Joint Technology Oversight Committee. Brian believes that the
cornerstone of a strong Maryland economy is the existence of a
well-educated workforce, an effective transportation infrastructure, and
the presence of economically vibrant industries.
Brian believes that the biotechnology sector holds tremendous economic
potential for Maryland. With the presence of Johns Hopkins University,
the National Institutes of Health and the most educated workforce in the
nation, Maryland is already a leader in biotechnology research and home
to the nation’s second largest concentration of biotech firms. The
biotech sector offers high wages and is predicted to have faster job
growth than most other sectors of the U.S. economy over the next decade.
Unfortunately, Maryland lags far behind other states when it comes to
venture capital investment. To address this problem, Brian introduced
and gained passage during the 2005 session of the
Biotechnology Investment Incentive Act,creating
the nation’s first state tax credit program specifically targeted to
investing in early-stage biotechnology companies. This measure has
assisted many Maryland biotech companies attract necessary venture
capital. In turn, such capital will enhance the likelihood that the
businesses will survive, flourish, conduct promising research, pay state
taxes, and create high paying jobs for Marylanders.
In 2007, Brian introduced and gaining passage of legislation to provide
publicly sponsored business incubators around the state much needed
property tax relief.
In the coming years, Brian will continue to focus his legislative
efforts on assisting Maryland’s technology sector so that Maryland will
be a recognized technology leader in the competitive
international/global economy of the 21st century.
Consumer Protection
Brian has worked hard on numerous consumer protection bills. As chair of
the Banking, Economic Development, Science & Technology Subcommittee,
Brian piloted the passage of two significant consumer protection
measures to reduce identity theft during the 2007 session: a bill
allowing consumers to place a security freeze on their credit reports,
and a bill relating to breaches of security systems containing
individual personal information. Also in 2007, Brian introduced and
gained passage of a consumer protection measure to ensure that
warranties sold for auto theft prevention devices will be honored.
During the 2006 session, Brian introduced and gained passage of
legislation that extended certain rental protections-currently
provided to seniors and the physically handicapped- to
developmentally disabled individuals during a condo-conversion
situation. Brian believes that Government is obliged to provide a
certain level of protection not only to consumers but to the most
vulnerable members of our society.
Education
Brian knows that public schools
are the foundation of our children’s future. As the proud parent of a
13-year old son and 11-year old daughter who both attend Montgomery
County public schools, issues relating to the quality of our public
schools are not abstract theoretical issues for Brian but real and
personal.
Brian was endorsed by the
Montgomery County Education Association (i.e., the teachers) during the
2002 and 2006 elections and has taken that endorsement very seriously in
Annapolis. Brian voted to fully fund the “Thornton Commission”
recommendations, a proposal which translates into $150 million/year in
additional operational resources for Montgomery County’s public
schools.
During the 2005 session, Brian
supported a successful effort launched in the House of Delegates to
allocate $250 million to build and renovate schools statewide. This
initiative was an increase of $100 million over what was proposed in the
Governor’s budget. The momentum for additional school construction
dollars continued into the 2006 and 2007 sessions. In the 2007 session,
the General Assembly approved a record $400 million for school
construction statewide, translating into a record $52.5 million for
Montgomery County.
Another aspect of our K-12
system relates to our ability to attract and retain quality teachers. In
that regard, Brian co-sponsored legislation during the 2006 session that
improved pension benefits for our teachers. Strengthening our
teachers’ pension system will help Maryland retain good teachers and is
critical to keeping our K-12 public education system amongst the
nation’s best.
In 2007, Brian co-sponsored
legislation to address the issue of mold (along with its associated
health risks) in portable classrooms. The legislation mandates
the creation of statewide standards regulating air quality in portables.
Expanding higher education
opportunities for our citizens is equally important to Brian. During
the 2006 and 2007 sessions, Brian supported efforts which froze
tuition rates at Maryland’s public universities, thereby making them
more affordable to middle class Marylanders.
Transportation
As someone who commuted from the
Montgomery County suburbs to D.C. on a daily basis for over a decade,
Brian shares in the utter sense of frustration felt by most residents
with this region’s traffic gridlock. This is an issue that goes to the
heart of the quality of life enjoyed by our citizens and implementing
steps to address our transportation problems is one of Brian’s highest
priorities.
Brian has fought in Annapolis for
far better east-west links, including voting to support construction of
an environmentally sensitive Inter County Connector (ICC). At the
same time, Brian strongly believes that our region’s traffic congestion
problem is one that will require a comprehensive multi-faceted set of
solutions which includes far more than the construction of a single
project like the ICC. Brian strongly supports light rail expansion from
the Shady Grove Metro to Germantown and Clarksburg. This project is
commonly known as the Corridors Cities Transitway (CCT) and Brian
is a strong proponent of the project.
During the 2006 session, Brian and
his colleagues from District 15 responded quickly to an announced
pending closure of the MARC train stations in Boyds and Dickerson
by filing emergency legislation. As a direct result of that move and the
strong support of the impacted communities, those stations remain open
today. Brian strongly believes that the upcounty needs far more mass
transit options like CCT and MARC, not less.
Environment
Brian earned the
endorsement of the Sierra Club during the 2002 and 2006 elections and
his votes in the General Assembly to protect the environment since being
elected have earned him an almost perfect record by environmental groups
on conservation and environmental issues.
During the 2007 session, Brian co-sponsored The Maryland Clean Cars
Act to reduce car emissions that cause global warming and will
impact 800,000 Marylanders who suffer from respiratory ailments.
During the 2006 session, Brian co-sponsored The Healthy Air Act
and was instrumental in gaining its passage out of the House Economic
Matters Committee. This landmark legislation addresses long-overdue
upgrades to Maryland’s coal-fired power plants, including the Dickerson
plant located in District 15. The law limits the emission of nitrogen
oxides, sulfur dioxide and mercury in Maryland, where asthma is at
epidemic proportions.
During the 2005 session, Brian voted to support a Constitutional
Amendment to prevent the sale of parkland open space without legislative
approval. In addition, Brian supported efforts during the 2005 session
to restore more than $70 million in cuts to Program Open Space thus
protecting the State’s dwindling preserves.
Health Care
Our nation’s
health care system is clearly overburdened by inefficiencies and the
inequitable distribution of resources. Brian believes that all Americans
should have access to quality health care and he has consistently
supported legislative efforts to expand coverage, improve the quality of
care, and ensure appropriate reimbursement for medical providers.
Brian believes we must continue to invest in health care research so
that we can continue to make significant advances in research for
cancer, Parkinson’s disease and other serious diseases where the
research holds great promise. During the 2005 and 2006 sessions, Brian
voted for legislation to provide state funding to support stem cell
research and supported efforts to increase funding for the program
during the 2007 session.
Untreated mental illness lowers workplace productivity and results in
related physical illnesses. Many insurance plans still reimburse at
lower levels for mental health than for physical health services. The
Speaker of the House has appointed Brian to serve on the
Joint Committee on Access
to Mental Health
Services, a position that will enable Brian to effectuate
meaningful policy changes in the mental health arena.
Brian co-sponsored and worked for the passage of legislation which
allowed Shady Grove Adventist Hospital to develop a Germantown emergency
facility. For thousands of upcounty residents, the projected
completion of this facility in 2006 will address a critical health
care/access need.
Bringing Home the Capital Bond Money
Working with his
colleagues from District 15, Brian has successfully obtained funds for
several important capital projects in his district, including: $1.25
million over a two-year period for the Montgomery College’s
Germantown Business Incubator; $550,000 for a Germantown Boys &
Girls Club gymnasium; $500,000 for the Woodstock Equestrian
Center located on 800 acres of donated land that will include
innovative programs for disadvantaged and disabled children and adults;
$175,000 for restoration and preservation of the Loving Charity Hall
at the Warren Historical Site; $170,000 to upgrade facilities at the
Ivymount School for children with developmental disabilities;
$150,000 for construction of a Poolesville Town Hall; $150,000
for Red Wiggler Community Farm, an organization that provides
employment to developmentally disabled adults; $100,000 for the
Seneca Schoolhouse Museum, and $85,000 for the Barnesville Town
Hall.
Fiscal Responsibility
Prior to joining the U.S.
Department of Justice and later entering the private practice of law,
Brian was a CPA with Price Waterhouse, an international accounting
firm. As a result of that background and experience, Brian is extremely
mindful of the value of a dollar and the need to exercise fiscal
responsibility in the budgetary process. As a Masters Degree student in
Government at Johns Hopkins, Brian wrote a Masters Thesis that was
highly critical of the use of public funds to subsidize the building of
sports stadiums, particularly the astronomical amounts spent by the
State of Maryland on two new stadiums in Baltimore. Brian will continue
to fight to ensure that the citizens of Maryland do not throw away
precious tax dollars on fiscally irresponsible projects.
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