Issues

Unfortunately, Covid has taken some attention away from the opioid epidemic that threatens our communities. Far too many of our friends, neighbors and family members have been taken from us by this epidemic.

That is why I have sponsored bills like HB 869 which has become law- This legislation requires the Department of Health, for the first time in this state’s history, to provide a publicly available list of state certified and accredited treatment centers for substance abusers. This will help them, and their families make an informed decision on the resources they can utilize to help ensure a full and speedy recovery.

I believe that, together, we can end this plaque on our communities!

I firmly believe we must completely eliminate the state tax on retirement income. I have and will continue to sponsor, co-sponsor or support legislation that completely eliminates state taxes on all retirement income. 

I am proud to have co-sponsored legislation, that is now law, that doubled the state tax deduction on the income of retired military personnel. 

I also proudly voted for legislation in the 2022 session that increased the State Tax deduction amount for all retired Marylanders.

We must keep Marylander's in Maryland!

I continually sponsor and will always fight for legislation that would increase the annual state tax deduction toward the purchase of long term care insurance to $500. Currently, Maryland only gives a one time $500 deduction for the purchase of long term care insurance.

Giving an annual deduction towards the purchase on long term care insurance would help to reduce the cost of healthcare and give many in our community, especially our elderly the ability to age at home. This gives these vital members of our community and their families, much deserved peace of mind.

As a local veteran business owner, I know first-hand how difficult it is to own and operate a small business in Maryland. The liberal controlled legislature in Annapolis regularly puts forth legislation that increases costs, regulation and actively penalizes businesses. As Delegate, I have worked hard and been successful at stopping legislation that would stifle small business growth and employment opportunities. I will continue to work with local business owners, our partners at National Federation of Independent Business, MD Restaurant Assoc, MD Retailers Assoc and our State and Local Chambers of Commerce to develop legislation that provides incentives for business owners to grow and provide career long term jobs.

I will also work with the Board of Education to develop job training programs for our high school and community college students as these are springboards that can provide a direct career path to jobs right here in South County.

I will always fight to reduce the burden of government on our local business owners!

Our children are our future heritage. We must maintain a high focus on safety, classroom size, school construction budgets, maintenance programs and the voices and concerns of parents.

We must continue to strengthen a curriculum that better prepares our students for long term jobs once they have completed high school and or community college. I believe that our blue-ribbon schools need to be continually re-evaluated to ensure that the high level of academics they were providing when they received the award remains in effect. 

Keeping the safety of our students in mind, I have continually voted for any additional spending that would be spent directly on upgrading school safety and security equipment.

I firmly believe that our School Resource Officers are vital to our students' safety. That's why I have continued to be a strong advocate for keeping Resource Officers in our schools.

The environment is imperative to our community. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in our nation. Unfortunately, the revenue derived from the Chesapeake Bay has been reduced to embarrassing levels for our state. The state must continue to lead by example by cleaning and repairing its failing infrastructure and updating its pollution practices. As your delegate in Annapolis, I was proud to support many legislative initiatives that did just that. Voting for legislation that lock boxed Bay Restoration Funds and ensuring that those funds were prioritized for projects that enhanced water quality and clarity, were some of the first actions I took in Annapolis.

I have always said that the rural nature and beauty of South County is our gift to Maryland. As your Delegate, I will fight to keep it that way!

Our state and local elected officials must focus on efficiency and effectiveness when spending our tax dollars.

As your Delegate, I remain focused on efficiency and effectiveness when spending our tax dollars. I will always fight to stop the stealing of dedicated funds to balance the operating budget. These funds are only to be used for the intended purpose our citizens supported. That's why I was proud to work with Gov. Hogan and vote for legislation that stopped the "redirecting" of transportation funds, Bay Restoration Funds and revenues from casinos that will help, and were promised to, our schools.