Dear Friends,
Yesterday was crossover, the day by which a bill needs to pass in its house of origin to be guaranteed a hearing in the other house. Committees have been very busy and we have spent a lot of time on the Senate floor debating and voting on bills. Please scroll down for an update on which bills in my legislative agenda have crossed over.
As a member of the Budget & Taxation Committee, we have spent the past 60 days or so reviewing executive agencies budgets and crafting a budget which was passed by the Senate last week and is being considered by the House this week. This budget is built on the one sent to us by the Governor and works in tandem with the Budget Reconciliation Financing Act to maintain a balanced budget in 2026 and 2027. As the budget left the Senate, it leaves a cash surplus of $250 million and cash reserves of over $2 billion in the Rainy Day Fund. It invests in priorities that support our most vulnerable residents and in programs that will grow our economy. It will provide assistance to lower energy bills, expand the number of families who can participate in the child care scholarship program, invests in schools, housing and healthcare.
I’ve enjoyed chairing the subcommittee on Public Safety, Transportation and Environment where our small but mighty subcommittee has delved into the budgets of 47 different executive agencies and programs including the Departments of Transportation, Environment, Natural Resources, the Department of Public Safety, Correctional Services, and the Judiciary, among many others. We look forward to working with the corresponding House subcommittees in conference committee later this week to work out differences between the budgets.
As co-chair of the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee, I’ve also had the opportunity to work on a number of bills to ensure that our state agencies are addressing issues identified by the Office of Legislative Audits, particularly with regard to repeat findings. Bills have passed both houses that will create a more refined and prescriptive approach to ensure that we are holding our state agencies to high standards of accountability. In another bill, we focus on the qualifications of those providing financial leadership to our largest agencies, ensuring that they are being led by individuals who have the experience and expertise required to be effective stewards of our public resources.
As we enter the final weeks of session, we’ll be busy fine-tuning bills and the budget. Rest assured that my focus continues to be on bringing costs down and protecting Marylanders from the overreaches of the federal government. As always, please feel free to reach out if my office can be of assistance to you.
Shelly L. Hettleman
Senator, District 11
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