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Legislative Work
Highlights
Pending Legislation Education Housing Criminal Justice Reform Equity Small Businesses Health & COVID-19
Pending Legislation
- Safety and Traffic Equity in Policing (“STEP” Act): I introduced the STEP Act to focus on roadway safety for all. The bill would prohibit traffic stops based on certain non-safety related traffic violations, limit when consent searches are permitted, and provide for more robust data collection related to traffic enforcement. The bill would address racial disparities in traffic enforcement, and it would also free up law enforcement to conduct additional enforcement on the key drivers of roadway fatalities, such as speeding, reckless driving, DUI, and driving without seatbelts. I look forward to continuing the conversation with my colleagues and the community about this bill. To learn more, please see https://apps.montgomerycountymd.gov/ccllims/BillDetailsPage?RecordId=2787&fullTextSearch=12-23.
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.
- 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.
- Limited the Use of Force in Policing (2020) - 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.
- 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.
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
- 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.
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