ANNAPOLIS - As a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee, I have been hard at work to amend the Fiscal 2023 Budget to be presented to the Senate. On Friday, the Senate passed the amended version of Gov. Larry Hogan’s FY23 Budget that reflects a $7 billion surplus thanks to federal COVID relief funds and higher than expected tax revenues. I wanted to highlight some areas of the budget:

Achieves Structural Balance: Ongoing general fund revenues exceed ongoing expenditures by more than $569 million in fiscal 2023 and by larger amounts through fiscal 2027.

Preserves Reserves: More than $3.3 billion in cash resources are preserved including $2.3 billion in the Rainy Day Fund and $1.1 billion in the General Fund.

Reserves Funds for Tax Relief: The budget plan allocates $350 million of general funds to provide tax relief.

Continues to Provide Vital Health Care Services: Medicaid funding totals $13.9 billion, allowing the State to provide coverage to over 1.5 million Marylanders. This includes $33 million earmarked to expend dental coverage to adults.

Funds Rate Increases for Providers Serving Vulnerable Populations: An 8.0% rate increase is funded for most health care providers including those serving the developmentally disabled and people with behavioral health needs.

Crime Prevention: Funding for crime prevention and victim services increases by nearly $110 million, including $8.9 million earmarked funding to support gun tracing efforts, scholarships for previously incarcerated youth, and violence prevention grants. Victim service providers are also kept whole with the use of $20 million in legislatively earmarked funds.

The budget now heads over to the House and its Appropriations Committee where they can make revisions. The final version of the budget must be agreed upon by both chambers and passed by April 4. Passing the budget is the only constitutionally mandated obligation of the General Assembly each year.

Next week, the Senate will take up the Capital Budget which funds infrastructure projects throughout the state, and it will follow the same process for final passage.

Sen. Eckardt’s Legislation

Crossover is Monday, March 21 – which is a deadline for each chamber to pass its bills over to the other, without having to jump through extra procedural hoops.

This week we have had longer and multiple floor sessions each day, with committee voting sessions scheduled in between. Members from both parties are working hard to pass their bills out of the Senate so that they can be considered by the House before the end of Session in April.

On Friday, SB 1010/HB1486 – the 30-Day Gas Tax Holiday - passed both the House and Senate and was signed by Gov. Hogan. This bill removes the 0.36 cent/gallon tax for one month to provide some much-needed relief at the pump. This action, which both the House and the Senate passed unanimously, Maryland has become the first state in the nation to enact an immediate suspension of the gas tax.

Monday was expected to be a long, busy day on the floor, followed by a quieter week while we begin working on House bills.

Rev. Schroeder provides invocation

On Thursday, March 17, Reverend Canon Bernie Schroeder from Christ Church in Cambridge was invited to provide the invocation to the Senate on the floor.

Rev. Schroeder served as chief of staff to a U.S. Congressman from Michigan, ran over 15 federal campaigns, served as vice president of governmental affairs for a Michigan utility, and concluded his secular career as president of an electric transmission company. After working in public policy for years, he became ordained and has devoted his life to the Episcopal Church and serving his community in any capacity he can.

Thank you for your dedication to the Eastern Shore, Rev. Schroeder, and thank you for a wonderful invocation!

Constituent meetings

Last week, our office met with a variety of constituents, departments and organizations to have conversations about legislation that could positively impact the Eastern Shore and Maryland. Some groups we met with include the University of Maryland Clinical Center for Adults with Neuro-Developmental Disorders, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, CXC Maryland, Families of Smithville Road and more.

Primary Election is July 19

The Maryland Court of Appeals has moved the 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Election to July 19. This is a result of the ongoing court challenges to the gerrymandered Congressional and Legislative District Maps passed by the General Assembly in December and January, respectively.

The trial contesting the Congressional maps began this week, and the trial addressing the legislative maps will begin next week on March 22.

The candidate filing deadline, which had already been pushed back to March 22, was delayed again until April 15.

Please contact the Maryland Judiciary’s Government Relations and Public Affairs, communications@mdcourts.gov, for questions.

Talbot library announces Story Recording Project

Everybody has a COVID-19 pandemic story to tell, and the Talbot County Free Library wants to hear and record those stories. The project started March 16.

Local residents can set up an appointment, for either a Tuesday or Wednesday, to tell their stories in the Frederick Douglass Meeting Room. For more information or to schedule an appointment to tell your story, call 410-822-1626 or visit tcfl.org.

Interviews will be done until June 29 at the main branch and will move to the St. Michaels branch in July. The statewide initiative will become a part of Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Digital Maryland and Maryland State Archives.

The Global Z Recording Project has partnered with the Talbot County Free Library as well as 14 other libraries across the state of Maryland. This project was made possible by a grant from Maryland Humanities, and through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Eastern Shore Delegation Meetings

Meetings of the Eastern Shore Delegation occur each Friday, beginning at 9 a.m. Legislators discuss a variety of issues and legislation pertinent to the Eastern Shore. These meetings can be viewed on the General Assembly website under the “Meetings” tab.

2022-2023 Senatorial Scholarship Application

Our office’s Senatorial Scholarship is currently accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year! Please reach out to our office at adelaide.eckardt@senate.state.md.us to receive the scholarship application packet.

If you have previously applied to the scholarship, it will automatically renew for a total of four years after applying.

Addie Eckardt represents District 37 in the Maryland State Senate.