March 2018 Newsletter
Dear Resident,
As the Chair of the Ways & Means Election Law Subcommittee, I have recently been featured in both the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post to highlight the efforts I have led this year to protect our elections from foreign influence.
In 2016, $1.4 billion was spent on online political ads. Facebook found ad buys totaling $150,000 linked to fake Russian accounts while Twitter found accounts controlled by Russians that spent $274,100 on ads in 2016. Maryland was specifically targeted by 262 Russian ads.
This year, I have proposed HB981 to make Maryland one of the first state’s in the country to require online platforms – such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google – to retain and disclose online political ads, particularly those purchased by foreign entities.
In addition to their online political ads, Russian hackers attempted to disrupt Maryland’s computerized voter registration system during the 2016 election cycle. State lawmakers and the public were not informed of this attempted interference until seven months later.
To address the cybersecurity vulnerabilities within our election systems, I have proposed HB1331 and HB1658 to ensure that lawmakers are immediately informed of any “security incidents” involving the State’s election systems. These bills also protect the privacy of online absentee ballots and ensure that hard records are maintained if hackers attempt to alter the online voter registration records.
In addition to these bills, I have also proposed 19 other pieces of legislation to improve public school facilities, increase transparency in our schools, expand access to affordable housing, and reform our criminal justice system. Please read below for more details about my 2018 Legislative Agenda or click HERE!
Sincerely,
-Alonzo
Alonzo T. Washington
Maryland State Delegate
Expanding Access to Affordable Housing
Right now, Prince George’s County only has 34.3 adequate and affordable rental housing units available for every 100 low-income renters.
I have introduced two bills to address the affordable housing gap in both the State and Prince George’s County. As new economic development continues, these initiatives will ensure that residents who are cost-burdened or living in areas experiencing market pressure continue to have access to long-term affordable housing options.
The first – HB1454 – will expand Maryland’s historic tax credit to fund the reuse of historic structures to create new affordable housing opportunities. The second piece of legislation – HB235 – will require that 20% of new development in mass transit and revitalization zones in Prince George’s County be designated as affordable housing. This requirement will ensure that low-income families in these areas are not priced-out by new development.
According a report issued earlier this year by the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, access to affordable housing improves economic mobility, reduces poverty and homelessness, positively impacts health outcomes and strengthens the economy. Put into real numbers, building 100 affordable rental homes generates $11.7 million in local income, $2.2 million in taxes and other revenue for local governments, and 161 local jobs in the first year alone.
The report also highlights the recent decline in federal housing and community development funding, which has dropped by 8.4% over the past 7 years.
We cannot let this national trend trickle down to Maryland.
As new economic development continues around our State, my bills will ensure that residents who are cost-burdened or living in areas experiencing market pressure continue to have access to long-term affordable housing options.
Establishing a PGCPS Inspector General
Last week, another allegation surfaced of mismanagement of funds within the Prince George’s County Public School System (PGCPS). A report from some members of the Board of Education claims that numerous PGCPS administration employees recently received unauthorized raises of 10-12% while teachers were denied a 4% raise last month.
At this point, I’m sure you are tired of reading negative news reports on PGCPS leadership – I know I am. To me, this issue is simple. You – as parents of PGCPS students and as County taxpayers – deserve more transparency and accountability in our schools. As lawmakers, who allocate $1.9 billion to our County school system, we deserve to know that this funding is spent efficiently and effectively.
Last week, the Prince George’s County House Delegation voted to approve my legislation to create an Inspector General to provide a layer of independent oversight within our schools. It’s time to put a stop to the waste, fraud, and abuse that has plagued our school system for decades.
As this legislation continues to move through the legislation process, I encourage you to contact your State Senator and the Governor to ask them to support transparency and accountability in PGCPS.
Reforming Public School Facility Evaluations
In 2017, 181 school facilities were inspected by the Prince George’s County Health Department for sanitation, maintenance, and food handling. 116 schools had “Critical Violations Observed” in their inspection results while 36 schools were “Out of Compliance” for rodent and insect inspections.
To reform how our school facilities are assessed and ensure that all students and teachers are working in a 21st Century learning environment, I have proposed HB1495 to require the State to complete a statewide assessment of all school facilities by 2020 and establish new criteria to evaluate and rank school facilities in the State.
Maryland’s Constitution affords all students in our State with the right to a quality education. Unfortunately, for too many Maryland students, this right is being infringed due to the condition of their schools. As we live in the richest state in the nation that spends over $6 billion on public education, there is no excuse for why thousands of students in Maryland are attending schools that are literally falling apart.
My legislation will address the current condition of all public schools in the State and take the first steps to create an objective method to evaluate and rank Maryland school facilities.