It’s a relatively rare occasion to have the entire eight-member Frederick County General Assembly gathered in one place to chat about their work, but that’s exactly what happened on Friday, May 4 at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Center at the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Legislative Wrap -Up Breakfast. ​Almost 100 Chamber members attended, and from the buzz in the room, everyone seemed excited to hear about the Session that adjourned on April 9, 2018. Following a warm Chamber welcome from President/CEO Elizabeth Cromwell, Public Policy Committee Chairman Eric Soter opened with the first question. ​
Eric asked the Delegation members to discuss their most significant accomplishments, the range of answers was wide and compelling. Senator Ron Young discussed a bill to prevent human micro-chip insertion without prior approval and his strong support of the film industry in Maryland. Senator Michael Hough was very pleased to see a floor amendment adopted to the Safe Schools Act to require school security or law enforcement at all schools, not just high schools. Among our Delegates, Karen Lewis-Young spoke about her success in healthcare, particularly in Lyme’s disease prevention and opioid prescription limitation. David Vogt focused on the balanced budget and support of students and veterans, while Bill Folden discussed his work to improve NARCAN/Naloxone access by first responders and caregivers. Carol Krimm spoke about her work on workplace sexual harassment as the co-chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus at an important time in our society’s history. Kathy Afzali bid farewell as a state legislator, and spoke about her plans to seek the office of County Executive. Finally, Barrie Ciliberti discussed his work on the Infant Pain bill and the DUI issue.
Our Delegation is sensitive to the needs of the local business community, and spoke at length about taxes, regulations, and incentive programs. Another highlight was the issue of breweries. All eight members strongly support a vibrant and successful craft brew industry, and are committed to passing bills that favor the industry.
​The attendees had questions, and those questions focused on bipartisanship, the public health crisis posed by opioid abuse, and crisis treatment for addicts in distress.
Our Frederick County Delegation clearly grasps and embraces their important roles as state policymakers, and see the need for bipartisan interaction in order to make Maryland a better place to live and work. While there will always be differences of political opinion, it’s amazing how eight very different people can align and collaborate to achieve important goals.
Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.