Legislative Work

Highlights

Pending Legislation Education Housing Criminal Justice Reform Equity Small Businesses Health & COVID-19

Pending Legislation

• Bill 5-24, Child Investment Fund :  Councilmembers Will Jawando and Gabe Albornoz are sponsoring the Child Investment Fund (CIF), to invest in Montgomery County’s young people, who are the future of our community .  Each year, based on the number of babies born in Montgomery County, the County will allocate funds that grow in an interest-bearing account over time. Once a child turns 18 years old and is a resident of the county, they are eligible to withdraw from the fund to support vocational or educational expenses, investment in a business in the county, purchasing property in the county, or retirement investments. Payments will be made progressively based on wealth and income at the time of application.  The bill would encourage young people to build their future in Montgomery County, thereby investing in the county and addressing the racial wealth gap. This small investment has an exponentially positive impact for years to come.
  • View Bill 5-24 details
  • Download Child Investment Fund Policy Brief
• Bill 2-24, Police – Traffic Stops – Consent Search of Motor Vehicle and Data Collection  (“Freedom to Leave Act”) :  The U.S. Fourth Amendment gives all people the right “to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.” Consent searches create a power imbalance that has produced few results while impacting communities of color greatly, including in Montgomery County. Councilmember Will Jawando introduced the Freedom to Leave Act to ban consent searches during traffic stops and enhance Montgomery County’s data collection related to traffic enforcement. This Act is an opportunity to strengthen public trust in law enforcement and improve data collection transparency related to traffic stops.
  • View Bill 2-24 details
  • Download Freedom to Leave Policy Brief.
• Bill 42-23, Menstrual Products Access & Equity Act : Councilmember Jawando introduced Bill 42-23, the Menstrual Products Access & Equity Act to ensure persons who menstruate can access period products in public restrooms.  Menstrual products are basic hygienic necessities like toilet paper and soap .  Across the world, period poverty, or the lack of access to over-the-counter products to manage menstrual bleeding, isolates people who menstruate. In the United States, access to products is limited in public spaces.  Ensuring free access to sanitary products in all bathrooms accessible to the public will improve gender and health equity and help reduce the stigma associated with menstruation.
  • View Bill 42-23 details
  • Download Menstrual Products Access & Equity Act .

Education

• Visiting Schools Across the County (2023) -  As Chair of the Education & Culture Committee, I plan to visit every high school cluster to listen to students, parents, and education providers about their needs.  Learn more at our Education Tour webpage.

• Funded Restorative Justice Training in Schools (2021) -  School Resource Officers (SROs) disproportionately harm Black, Latino, and disabled students. I joined many community organizations like the NAACP and MoCo Against Brutality in  advocating for the removal of SROs. To promote safety in schools, I  allocated $750,000 for restorative justice training in MCPS.   Learn more at this myMCMedia interview.

• Met With Students to Promote Wellbeing (2021) - For too long, students’ wellbeing needs have not been met in the county. I helped convene the Student Wellbeing Advisory Group (SWAG), a task force of students, education providers, mental health professionals, and more to provide recommendations on equity, mental health policy, and mentorship.   Learn more from this WUSA9 article.

• Funded Safer Routes to School (2021) - All MoCo residents deserve access to good education, and one of the first steps is ensuring they can get there safely. Hearing concerns about unsafe paths to school, I doubled funding for our  Safe Routes to Schools Program through our Capital Improvements Program and Fiscal Year 2022 Operating Budget.   Learn more from this Sentinel article.

• Hosted Virtual Storytime for Kids During COVID (2020) - As the former Lead for Libraries on the Education & Culture Committee, I held over 100 virtual storytimes for kids during the pandemic. I enjoyed reading some of my favorite children’s books to help fill the gap in early childhood education.  Learn more from this County Council Cable video.

• Visited Libraries Across the County (2019) - As the former Lead for Libraries on the Education & Culture Committee, I visited every library in Montgomery County to better understand how we can meet the needs of our residents.

Housing

• Ensured Permanent Rent Stabilization (2023) - Housing is a human right. Yet I’ve heard from too many community members that rent increases have made staying in their homes unaffordable.  Though my first solution, the  Housing Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) Act did not move forward, I am proud that after much collaboration and compromise with colleagues and community members, we passed the  Rent Stabilization Act, which would cap annual rent increases at 6%.

• Protected Tenants from Extreme Housing Situations (2020) - In extreme cases, tenants are forced to move out because of uninhabitable housing conditions through no fault of their own. They deserve adequate resources to move to a new home.  The Relocation Expenses Act, which requires landlords to pay their tenants a relocation payment in these situations.  Learn more from my remarks on the final vote.

Criminal Justice Reform

• Mandated Equitable Police Trainings (2022) - We must ensure that every MoCo resident, regardless of their background, feels safe. The  Community Informed Police Training Act would require MCPD to partner with local educational institutions to recruit police that reflect the county’s diversity. They would also need to design mandatory training that covers racial equity and social justice, policing history, conflict resolution, and more.  Learn more from the Council's press conference on this bill.

• Ensured Open Data in Policing (2021) - Police officers hold a lot of responsibility - transparency must come with it. The  Community Policing Act mandates that all police incidents, including the race, ethnicity, gender, and other demographic details, of those involved are publicly reported. 

• - The murder of George Floyd in 2020 accelerated a worldwide call to end police brutality and reimagine public safety. The  Use of Force Policy Act is a small step towards achieving both, by requiring MCPD to limit its use of deadly force.  Learn more from this WUSA9 article.

• Ensuring Trust and Transparency in Policing (2019) - Historically, when a tragic police-involved death occurred in MoCo, the event was internally investigated by the Montgomery County Police Department. This not only leaves opportunity for bias, but also breeds distrust between the police and the community. The  Law Enforcement Trust and Transparency Act mandates that officer-involved deaths are independently investigated and that a final report is made public.  Learn more from this bill signing video.

Racial, Gender, & Socioeconomic Equity

• Co-created the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program (2021) - Too many MoCo families are living in poverty. The  Guaranteed Income Pilot Program offers a direct, monthly cash payment of $800 to 300 low-income families for one year. The money, provided without strings attached, gives residents the autonomy to create financial stability and end cycles of poverty.  Learn more from the MoCo BOOST website.

• Ensured More Equitable Employment Processes (2020) - Formerly incarcerated residents, especially those of color, are often discriminated against in the job application cycle. The  Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Act promotes equity in the workforce by prohibiting background checks until after a conditional job offer has been extended.  Learn more from my remarks on the final vote.

• Reducing Sexual Harassment in Workplaces (2020) - No person should have to experience sexual harassment, including at work. Historically, the bar to seek legal justice has been almost insurmountable. The  Workplace Harassment Act strengthens county law definitions of sexual harassment and lowers the bar to seek justice.   Learn more from my remarks on the final vote.

• Creating More Equitable Workplaces (2019) -  Policies prohibiting protective hairstyles like braids, afros, and more, have been used to discriminate against people, especially women, of color. The  Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act bans race-based hair discrimination, moving us a small step closer to an equitable society.  Learn more from this County Council Cable video.

Small Businesses Support

• Supporting Marginalized Businessed-Owners (2022) - Business owners who identify as BIPOC, identify as female, and/or live with disabilities face greater systemic hurdles to starting and growing their businesses. Along with my colleagues, I allocated $789,000 towards programs that support these residents.
• Helping Small Businesses Pay Rent (2021) -  Maintaining and growing a small business, especially after the pandemic, is hard work. In partnership with the  Latino Economic Development Center, I spearheaded a one million dollar rental assistance program. Through this, small businesses can apply for grants to pay their rent.  Learn more from this myMCMedia video.
• Expanding Support for Small Businesses (2020) - Both of my parents are small business owners, and I have seen both first-hand and heard from community members that it’s no easy feat. This bill expanded on  The Local Small Business Reserve Program by including non-profits, which make up 13% of our economy, and increasing the minimum percentage of contracts that must be awarded to small businesses.  Learn more from this Sentinel article.

Health & COVID-19

• Helped Renters During the Pandemic (2020) - The pandemic made it difficult for many residents to keep up with rent, let alone any increases. The  COVID-19 Rental Relief Act prohibited residential rent increases, which I later  expanded to provide greater support.  Learn more from this MoCo 360 article.

• Declared Racism a Public Health Emergency (2020) - Systemic racism has exacerbated health inequities in our county. As a result, BIPOC residents experience lower levels of health insurance, higher mortality levels, and much more. Thus I am proud to have spearheaded this resolution  declaring racism a public health emergency, reaffirming our County’s commitment to racial equity.  Learn more from this Fox 5 DC video.

• Funded Food Security (2020) - One of the most fundamental tenets of health is ensuring everyone has access to food. That is why I helped allocate $10.5 million to create a  Food for Montgomery fund that supports food insecure residents, food banks, restaurants, farmers, and more.

Full Record

Year	Bills	Resolutions
2024	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored
2023	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored
2022	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored
2021	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored
2020	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored
2019	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored	Sponsored |  Co-sponsored