By Liz Holland

Eastern Shore lawmakers who head back to Annapolis this week will be keeping an eye on funding for local projects and programs, as they navigate a path with an all-new administration as well as newly elected members of the Maryland General Assembly.

“It's a whole new ballgame,” said Delegate Carl Anderton, R-38B-Wicomico. “It’s going to be an interesting session.”

Among the new members of the House of Delegates is Tom Hutchinson, a Republican from Dorchester County, who replaces Johnny Mautz in District 37B. Mautz will now serve as the District 37 senator, after unseating Sen. Addie Eckhardt in the Republican primary.

The 90-day session of the General Assembly convenes Wednesday and ends on April 10. Members will be sworn in on opening day. The inauguration for the new governor and lieutenant governor will be Jan. 18.

After eight years with Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who was viewed as friendly to rural parts of the state, Shore lawmakers don’t yet know how their interests will fare under Wes Moore, the Democratic governor-elect.

“We need to be prepared,” said Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, R-38, who represents Worcester and Somerset counties and part of Wicomico. “It’s a time of great transition.”

Carozza said the Shore was lucky under Hogan, and lawmakers want to make sure their constituents will continue to get their fair share, particularly in the fishing, farming and forestry industries which are vital to the local economy. She also wants to make sure the tourism sector, which is an important economic driver for the local counties as well as the state, gets its share of state funding.

Anderton, who was recently appointed to the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said his new position will allow him to keep close watch on a $5 million budget allocation for a new hotel and conference center planned in Salisbury, as well as funding for the ongoing Pennsylvania Avenue revitalization project in Delmar.

Delegate Chris Adams, R-37B, who represents Dorchester and Wicomico counties, said he will be watching what approach Moore takes with the substantial budget surplus and rainy day fund accumulated under Hogan, especially as the economy is expected to soften.

Adams, who also will serve as this year’s chairman of the Eastern Shore Delegation, said he also will be watching efforts to speed up the implementation of a $15 minimum wage in the state. Currently, it is set to go into effect in 2025, but some lawmakers want to move up the date, which Adams opposes. The private sector has already addressed the issue, with most employers already paying $15 or more for entry level workers, he said.

Carozza, who is now in her second term in the Senate, said she will be focused on ways to address the workforce shortage. A top priority in her district is finding enough firefighters to cover stations. Currently, the Maryland Association of Counties and Maryland State Firemen’s Association are working toward better recruitment efforts, she said.

She also is working to increase apprenticeships in a cooperation between Wor-Wic Community College and electrical contractors, and also will seek a bill to better define the roles of physician’s assistants in an effort to address shortages in health care.

Local legislation

Lawmakers also are expected to introduce legislation at the request of the local governments they represent. Adams said he was still waiting for a formal request from Dorchester County officials, while Anderton has already drafted two bills on behalf of Wicomico County.

Following a discussion at a legislative breakfast last month hosted by Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano, county officials want to proceed with a plan to allow liquor sales in private stores.

Under a hybrid approach, the county-run dispensaries would remain open, but private business owners could apply for licenses to sell liquor, said Bunky Luffman, the county’s Director of Administration. The plan would allow for 10 new licenses – two in each of the county’s five election districts.

Wicomico and Montgomery are the only counties in the state to still have liquor dispensary systems. Somerset County last year closed down its dispensaries and issued its first liquor license to a private store in Princess Anne.

A second bill that is expected to be filed on behalf of Wicomico County is one that will enable the county to establish a Sanitary Commission, Luffman said. County officials for years have been looking for ways to offer public water and sewer services to outlying areas.

The problem has become urgent in recent years as septic systems in some older neighborhoods have failed, particularly along Salisbury’s eastside corridor which sits just outside city limits.

Establishing a Sanitary Commission would allow the county to work with municipalities to tie into existing wastewater treatment plants, or even build a new one, Luffman said.

Both bills will be discussed in a Wicomico County Council work session with the County Executive on Jan. 17. After that, they are likely to issue a joint letter of support, he said.

Anderton said he is anticipating more requests for legislation in the coming weeks.