January 2019 Newsletter
Dear Resident,
Over the past several weeks, I know many residents in our District have been directly impacted by the federal government shutdown. With no end in sight, I know that many of those not able to work right now are faced with tough financial decisions. To provide some stability in this time of uncertainty, I have been proud to work with County Executive Angela Alsobrooks to ensure that federal employees in Prince George’s County can rely on their local government for assistance.
Some of the programs that County Executive Alsobrooks has announced include extended payment plans for residents who cannot pay their utility bills and additional financial aid to community college students who are affected by the shutdown. The County also announced a partnership with the United Way of the National Capital Area to create a $100,000 Emergency Assistance Fund, which will assist local nonprofits with providing food, rent, and other necessities. For a full list of shutdown services, click HERE.
To put the government shutdown into real dollars, the Comptroller’s Office released a report earlier this week to document its bi-weekly impacts on the State of Maryland. Every missed paycheck results in $778 million in lost wages, which translates to $57.5 million less in income taxes and a $2.1 million decrease in sales tax revenue. These losses are simply unsustainable and unnecessary. I join my colleagues in urging our federal officials to end this shutdown and reopen the federal government immediately.
PGCPS Launches 10,000 Meals Challenge Fund
Last Friday, PGCPS announced a partnership with the Excellence in Education to launch the 10,000 Meals Challenge Fund.
What began as an effort to ensure that any student impacted by the federal government shutdown got a hot meal grew into numerous offers of assistance. Through the generosity of local businesses, PGCPS has raised $15,000 to cover over 5,000 meals so far.
For those who would like to support this effort, click HERE. Donations will be distributed to schools with the greatest demonstrated need.
Reports uncovered last week indicated that the Purple Line is at least a year behind schedule and the delays could cost up to $215 million.
These reports obtained by the Washington Post said that the Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) told the state that residents would need to wait until February 2023 to ride the line, a year after the planned March 2022 opening date.
These conversations between PLTP and the state have been ongoing for several years without public involvement and despite promises that the project was on schedule. Reports state that PLTP and the state are both blaming each other for the project delays. PLTP claims the state has taken too long to review plans for environmental protection measures and has disregarded deadlines for purchasing rights of way. The state has said that PLTP took too much time to finish designs and other work that should have been completed long before construction began.
What is most concerning is that none of this information was shared with me or any of the other elected officials representing Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. Additionally, the public was never informed of the potential delays, particularly those communities that are directly affected by the ongoing construction. I can assure you that I am completely committed to the immediate completion of the Purple Line project and will do everything possible to prevent any future delays.
Sign Up for a New Community Solar Project!
I am excited to share news about a new community solar project in our County – Panorama Solar Project. Click HERE to subscribe to this project through Neighborhood Sun, a local community-based solar company!