Maryland Senate District 46

A: Maryland must take a mixed approach to solving the state’s projected budget shortfall, like the General Assembly did when we tackled a nearly $3.5 billion deficit during the 2025 Legislative Session. Two things are true: First, wealthy Marylanders and corporations must pay their fair share for the services they and their employees benefit from. Second, there is a tipping point at which taxation becomes so burdensome that those individuals and entities move to other, more competitive states as they are uniquely mobile and state revenues actually decrease instead of increase. The General Assembly is constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget each legislative session, and we must take a strategic approach to doing so. I am proud of our commitments to core services like Medicaid, SNAP, and childcare scholarships, and will not waiver when it comes to their funding. To ensure sustainable revenue for those programs into the future, Maryland must grow and diversify its economy, especially in the midst of the ongoing attacks at the federal level by the Trump administration. The Senate advanced a Growth Agenda this year with that specific aim in mind, focusing on core industries of the future like healthcare, quantum, and aerospace.

A: 1. Creating a world-class public education system

2. Protecting Baltimore and Maryland from a lawless Trump administration

3. Lowering the cost of energy, housing and healthcare

A: Energy: We must (1) increase the amount of newer and cleaner in-state generation; (2) expedite our ability to bring in energy from surrounding states to eliminate the reliability must run payments to retiring coal plants; (3) ensure data centers pay for the energy they are consuming and infrastructure upgrades they require; and (4) support our most vulnerable residents while prices remain elevated.

Housing: Reducing the cost of housing means increasing the number of new units being constructed and reducing the cost of doing so. To that end, the state must (1) continue its efforts to reform zoning and density restrictions, specifically around transit-oriented development; (2) provide clear, predictable standards so approved developments can move forward without local jurisdictions changing the rules midstream; (3) further encourage multi-family housing and mixed-use development throughout commercial corridors; and (4) invest hundreds of millions of dollars per year from the state budget to pay for rental housing programs, the renovation of vacant houses in Baltimore City and across Maryland, and homeowner incentives. Healthcare: Maryland must do everything possible to protect our total cost of care model, and empower our Prescription Drug Affordability Board to limit the cost of medication for our state’s residents.

A: It is absolutely critical that Maryland modernize our tax system to reflect a 21st century economy, including through efforts like the first-in-the-nation digital advertising tax on big tech companies to help pay for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Investing in our public schools is what motivated me to run for office after serving as a Baltimore City public schools teacher, and passage of the blueprint in my first year serving as president of the Senate is a crowning achievement of my career in public service.

The blueprint is a decade-long plan to create a world-class system of public education, and any implementation effort of that magnitude must go through constant evaluation to ensure its efficacy. An interim report is due to the General Assembly in December and should guide our work in the years ahead so our state investments are targeted to the services and interventions that are best serving kids, families and educators. Raising revenue is likely to be a necessary piece of solving the overall budgetary situation Maryland will face in the coming years, but it must be done with great intention and progressivity to avoid impacting residents who are already struggling with inflation.

A: My legislative record is one of delivering for the 46th Legislative District and Baltimore City.

Through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, city schools are receiving hundreds of millions of dollars more in state funding every year. Through the 21st Century Schools Act and Built to Learn Act, the city has seen 45 new school buildings built or renovated in the last 15 years, with 13 of those within the 46th District. Through the PORT Act, we supported local businesses, union workers, and families in the wake of the Key Bridge collapse. And, through countless initiatives, I have led the charge to hold BGE accountable to bring down energy prices, ensure big tech pays their fair share, and protect Marylanders from the Trump administration’s worst impulses. That’s a record of success I’m proud to have constituents evaluate.

A: Maryland’s “structural deficit” is largely a policy choice: giving a break to corporate handouts and costly road expansion projects rather than a break to working people. To close the gap while lowering the cost of living for working families, we need bold reforms.

First, we must implement Worldwide Combined Reporting. This stops multi-state giants from using offshore tax havens to dodge Maryland taxes, finally leveling the playing field for our local small businesses that can’t use those accounting tricks. Next, we end “corporate welfare.” No more blank checks for massive developers. We should redirect those funds into a Small Business Payroll Credit for local shops that pay a living wage. To directly lower the cost of living, we need a Luxury Surcharge on private jets and $2M+ estates to fund a permanent State Child Tax Credit. We should also establish a State Public Bank to fund affordable housing and transit, cutting out the Wall Street middlemen who profit off our public debt. By taxing the top and investing in the bottom, we fund the blueprint for education and fix our infrastructure without taking another dime from working people. The money is there, it’s just in the wrong pockets.

A: 1. Affordability: While BGE rakes in record profits, families shouldn’t have to choose between heat and food. Bobby will fight for utility rate caps, ending the multi-year rate plan, and ending property tax breaks handed to wealthy developers. Housing must be a human right, ensuring teachers, nurses, and workers can actually afford to live in the city they serve. That means rent stabilization and property tax reform for homeowners.

2. Livability: Our neighborhoods are hollowed out by an establishment that prioritizes developer deals over schools. We need real environmental justice to end Zip-code disparities in life expectancy and a public transit system that actually connects workers to jobs. A city should be built for people and clean air, not just for-profit developers.

3. Accountability: Annapolis is broken by a “pay-to-play” system where lobbyists write the laws. I take zero corporate PAC money because my loyalty is to you, not the donor class. We need radical transparency for backroom deals and mandatory community oversight on every major project that relies on state funding. We must protect voting rights by adopting ranked-choice voting, open primaries, independent redistricting, and public financing for campaigns.

A: Beyond what I have already mentioned, we have to move past small, half-measure “fixes” recently passed in Annapolis, like the limited utility relief and narrow grocery pricing bans.

First, we need to seriously entertain the idea of moving toward Public Power. I will fight to enable jurisdictions to municipalize their energy systems into cooperatives or publicly owned utilities. Energy should be an affordable, guaranteed right, not a luxury subject to corporate profits. Second, we must ban corporate bulk-buying of single-family homes. We cannot allow Wall Street hedge funds to turn our neighborhoods into speculative assets that cut housing availability and affordability. By prohibiting large-scale institutional acquisitions, families won’t be forced to compete against billion-dollar funds for a place to live. Finally, I will fight for LLC Transparency. Landlords and data centers shouldn’t hide behind anonymous shell companies. We need full public disclosure of the “real human owners” to hold accountable and who to send the bills to.

A: The blueprint is a moral contract with our children. I flatly reject rolling back these reforms. Instead, we must pivot to more cost-effective, high-ROI strategies that address the teacher turnover crisis, which currently costs Maryland $125 million annually. I propose transitioning the Smart Buy 3.0 program in a teacher focused “Work Where You Live” initiative, providing $20,000 down payment grants and 10-year property tax credits for educators who buy homes in the high-needs districts where they teach. When teachers have a literal stake in the community, classroom stability follows.

We must also stop subsidizing expensive private tuition. I’ll replace salary bumps for “paper tiger” master’s degrees with the Maryland State Teaching Residency (MSTR), utilizing our public universities to prioritize instructional coaching over hollow credentials. Finally, we should launch a targeted “60/40 Collaborative Time Pilot” for Title I and Special Education teachers first to prove the model’s success without a universal rollout that risks collapse. We don’t have a money problem; we have a priority problem. By investing in teachers’ lives, we fulfill our promise to students. To read my white paper on the blueprint and my complete policy platform, visit bobbyforbaltimore.com.

A: I’m not running to be just your representative in Annapolis, I’m running to be your employee. Between elections, my performance review should be based on the receipts. First, judge me by the power I return to you. If I haven’t introduced the Maryland Citizen Initiative Act, giving you the power to propose laws directly and bypass the Annapolis backrooms, I’m failing my review. Second, judge me by my transparency. I’ll measure success by how often I pull back the curtain on committee votes and host neighborhood oversight meetings for every major developer project in District 46. Finally, look at my donors. If a corporate PAC or a regulated utility ever appears on my campaign finance report, I’ve stopped working for you. Accessibility isn’t just showing up to community events, it’s ensuring that if I stop listening, you have the tools to hold my feet to the fire.