Maryland House of Delegates District 44B

A: Maryland’s working families cannot bear any addition burden, especially when the cost of living is so high. But at the same time, cutting the services that Marylanders rely on would have a harmful long-term negative social and economic impact. We only have to look at recent changes in the federal government to see how harmful government cuts can be. For example, the DOGE cuts to Social Security have left field offices and customer service shorthanded, which leaves citizens with long wait times on the phone or in person when they need help. We must avoid cuts like that to Maryland’s state government to ensure that the agencies fulfill their critical missions and provide good service for Marylanders.

In order to adequately fund government, we need to make sure that wealthy Marylanders pay their fair share, and close corporate loopholes that allow large corporations to get away with paying little to no taxes. For example, Combined Reporting would prevent large, multinational or multi-state corporations from shifting their profits into tax havens and require they pay taxes on the profits they earn in Maryland. This would not impact Maryland’s small businesses. Twenty-eight other states and the District of Columbia require Combined Reporting.

A: 1. The cost of living is out of hand, particularly utility bills. During the 2026 legislative session, the General Assembly passed energy reforms that will provide short-term relief and bring down rates in the long term, including rate-setting reforms, preventing utilities from passing on discretionary costs, making sure data centers pay their share, and incentivizing data centers to bring their own clean energy.

We also prohibited dynamic pricing in grocery stores. As of this writing, the war in Iran continues to drive up the cost of gas and other necessities which continues to add to the affordability crisis. I will continue to do what I can as a state legislator to help bring down the cost of living for Marylanders. 2. Our healthcare system is failing too many people. Even people who have insurance often don’t get the healthcare they need. We need a healthcare system that ensures people can get the care they need when they need it. That’s why I’m continuing to fight for single-payer healthcare. 3. The Project 2025 policies coming from the Trump administration are causing massive harm in Maryland. I am committed to working with my colleagues to protect Marylanders from this extreme agenda.

A: As I mentioned in the previous question, we took steps during the recently concluded legislative session to reduce outrageously high utility bills and prevent dynamic pricing in grocery stores. We also took steps to address housing affordability. I will continue to fight for measures that will reduce the cost of healthcare, including universal, single-payer healthcare. I also introduced a bill this session, which unfortunately did not pass, that would have expanded the Homeowners Tax Credit and Renters Tax Credit. I will continue to try to increase eligibility for these tax credits to help reduce the overall cost of housing. Although some things are outside my control, such as the war in Iran which is driving up prices, if I am reelected I will continue to fight for policies that protect Marylanders’ pocketbooks from unchecked corporate greed.

A: We are only halfway through the initial, phased-in implementation period for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, and it is already working and making progress! Rolling it back now before full implementation would throw away all the work that’s been done so far and set education back years. We need to stay the course and find equitable ways to fund future years’ implementation. The blueprint is not just a funding program; the changes embedded in the blueprint are systemic and transformational. But it will take time to fully see the results; the children who were in pre-k and early elementary when the blueprint was first implemented will graduate from high school better educated and better prepared for career or college. And accountability is baked into the blueprint: the fifth blueprint pillar is “Governance and Accountability,” and there is an Accountability Implementation Board.

A: I love to hear from constituents, and I encourage anyone to reach out to me with concerns or feedback or catch up with me at a community meeting.