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"I support Delegate Hubbard for re-election. Jim has distinguished himself as a champion in strengthening laws protecting children, families, and women's rights." U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski "I enthusiastically endorse James W. Hubbard's candidacy for re-election to the House of Delegates. His work on behalf of all citizens shows his leadership abilities, and I look forward to working with him for the next four years." U.S. Congressman Albert Wynn Keep reading...

Delegate Hubbard in the News

June 25, 2008 - Delegate Hubbard on CNN with Lou Dobbs
Click here for the video

April 23, 2009

Dear Constituent:

The 2009 Maryland General Assembly’s Legislative Session was both a trying and rewarding session. As always, I spent the 426th session working to represent the needs and views of all those living in District 23-A while in Annapolis. In response to the various issues concerning our state, and more specifically our district, I introduced over 26 pieces of legislation. Of these, three were included in the Capital Budget for local projects, 11 were approved by the House and Senate chambers and have been forwarded to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law, four which were signed into law the day after session ended.

Among my responsibilities as a delegate, I served in several roles in the Maryland General Assembly. Again this year I had the pleasure of serving as the sixth highest ranking member of the Maryland House of Delegates, the Assistant Majority Leader. A senior member of the Health and Government Operations Committee, I once again served as the Public Health and Long-Term Care Sub-committee Chair where I worked not only as Committee Chair, but as the House Floor Leader on issues ranging from nursing homes, Hepatitis C, and medical assistance for substance abuse services, to establishing a commission on autism, strengthening the limits of lead in children’s toys, and banning bisphenol-a, a dangerous toxin, from baby bottles.

This session, I was also the primary sponsor of several pieces of legislation ranging from public health issues to funding for local community facilities used for recreation and family activities by members of District 23-A. Included among these bills were:
House Bill 119, Children's Products Containing Lead – Modifications, signed by the Governor on April 14th, conforms the Maryland statute to the recently passed federal standards for lead in toys. This bill also includes a specific provision unique to Maryland that exempts second-hand stores from the certificate requirement in the law. Last year, Maryland acted on protecting its youngest citizens from the dangers of lead in and on their toys, and since that time, the federal government decided to act on this as well. By conforming to the new federal standards, Maryland is moving forward in the increased protection of it’s consumer’s safety in prohibiting toxic substances from being part of the toys handled by children under the age of thirteen. House Bill 113, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Long-Term Care Supports and Services – Report, passed by both Chambers of the General Assembly and awaiting signature from the Governor to become law. This piece of legislation requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) to convene a group of stakeholders to review and make recommendations to reform long-term care services under Medicaid. After a workgroup time frame of just under two years, the Secretary of DHMH must submit a final report that includes draft legislation enacting the report’s recommendations. This bill was a collaborative effort of players throughout the long-term care spectrum and a real victory for reform of the current state system. House Bill 419, Wellness Report Card Pilot Program, currently on the Governor’s desk awaiting signature, establishes a pilot program for studying health trends throughout Maryland. The pilot will be managed by the University of Maryland and intends to help increase awareness in the community, as well as study health issues that specific areas of the state may be facing. The initial pilot focuses on Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and will in the future encompass the entire state of Maryland. House Bill 1486 – Prince George’s County Hospital Authority, which also was signed by the Governor on April 14th, was a local bill that was co-sponsored by my fellow Prince George’s County delegates in an effort to extend the Hospital Authority’s bidding process to secure quality health care for our county residents. Under the current fiscal situation, the Prince George’s County Health Care System is operating at a deficit, and a sale of the entire system or its individual locations is imperative for increased quality of not only management, but even more importantly, services. This bill reestablishes the commitment of the State to provide financial support to the county system in order to move forward with a substantive bidding process.

On a broader spectrum of public health, I introduced two pieces of legislation intended to improve and preserve consumer safety in the state of Maryland. Many of the household items we use every day contain dangerous chemicals that have been shown to present serious developmental problems in young children, as well as present reproductive problems for those exposed. House Bill 14 - Environment - Brominated Flame Retardants - Decabrominated Diphenyl Ether – Prohibition, was voted out of the House of Delegates, but, unfortunately, was not able to receive a vote in the Senate and therefore died. Decabrominated Diphenyl Ether, or DECA, is a chemical in the family of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE) that makes it not only unable to bond to other chemicals, but is also a known neuro-toxin. It can be found in electronics, couches, drapes and many other household materials. Octa and Penta PBDEs were banned in 2005, at a time when there was not enough testing to show the true danger of DECA, and although they are a widely used flame retardant, many manufacturers have already acted to eliminate DECA from their products. The highly toxic material is so prevalent in our environment, it can be found in dryer lint. There is no question that we are exposed to this danger each day, and so are our most vulnerable citizens, children. This year, the Maryland State Fire Marshal and various other firefighter groups joined me in strong support of banning this toxin. When DECA burns, it creates a black smoke that can hinder a firefighter’s ability to rescue citizens that may be caught in a burning building. In addition to decreased vision, the black smoke created by DECA when burning is also increased in toxicity. Prohibiting this chemical from use in products sold in Maryland is a step in the right direction towards protecting consumers from unforeseen negative impacts. It is my hope that although we could not get this bill out of the Senate, next year the political climate will be more advantageous to do so.

A second bill that I worked very hard on this year in the interest of public health and consumer safety was House Bill 15 - Child Care Articles Containing Bisphenol-A – Prohibition. Passing the House of Delegate 134 to 1, the Senate Finance Committee gave the bill an unfavorable vote and so this bill did not pass. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is another highly toxic chemical that does not stay bonded to associated molecules. This chemical is currently found in many different plastics, including toys and child care articles. When small children put toys in their mouth or suck on a bottle, they are exposed to BPA. Even in very low doses, this chemical has been shown to increase chances for ADD, obesity, reproductive and developmental health. In response to the consumer market, many manufacturers are changing the chemical make up of the plastics used for child care articles such as bottles, bottle liners, nipples, teething rings and spoons. High-end brands are not the only ones making the switch to a safer alternative to BPA, Parent’s Choice, the Wal-Mart store brand for baby articles is also clearly advertised as “BPA-free”. Although there are BPA-free choices in stores ranging from Wal-Mart to the supermarket, there is no need to allow this toxic chemical to be permitted in anything used in the things our small children put in their mouths. I intend to introduce this bill again next year and will continue to work hard for the health and safety of Maryland consumers.

This year, the state budgeted $5.5 billion for educational support, including classroom teachers, supplies and special education programming, and $260 million in school construction funds to continue to replace and renovate aging schools in Maryland. We were able to fully fund the Geographic Cost of Education Index for the first time ever, and were in turn, able to maintain Maryland’s long-standing commitment to providing a world class education to its children and uphold our recent ranking of #1 in the country for K-12 education system.

The state also froze tuition for a fourth year in a row at Maryland’s public colleges and universities. The budget also provides a 3.8% increase to community colleges and a record-high $84 million in construction funds.

We provided needed flexibility to the Office of Home Energy Programs to mix and match funds in order to maximize energy assistance to low income Marylanders. The Maryland General Assembly also passed legislation that prevents energy providers from cutting off electricity to customers during extreme weather conditions because of non-payment.

I worked closely with my colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly to preserve the advances we have already made in providing Marylanders with access to quality, affordable healthcare. We strengthened Maryland’s world renowned Emergency Medical Services System and provided funding to begin to replace our aging Medevac helicopter fleet. We provided substance abuse treatment funding for an additional 27,000 low income Marylanders. We mandated a uniform charity care policy at Maryland hospitals to make sure everyone receives the assistance (for which they are eligible, and, we protected our previous expansion of Medicaid for low income Marylanders.)

Following the recommendations of a cross-jurisdictional panel of law enforcement and transportation officials, community members and the judiciary, the legislature passed four bills that collectively take significant steps to implement the recommendations of the Task Force to Combat Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol. The most significant of the bills imposes a mandatory one-year license suspension for a person convicted of drunk driving more than once in five years. Other bills will tighten underage drinking laws and address repeat offenders. These new laws will help to stem the tragedy of drunken driving accidents on our roads.

The General Assembly passed legislation to continue to protect our ecological treasures, create green jobs and improve our quality of life. We passed the Governor’s Smart, Green and Growing legislation to limit sprawl and promote sustainable growth. This strengthens the planning process for communities across the state. The General Assembly took a significant step forward in Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts by requiring new and replacement septic systems within the Critical Area that include new nitrogen removal systems. Toward that end, a state grant fund will cover roughly half the cost of installing this necessary enhanced system for homeowners. The General Assembly also continued to fulfill its commitment to cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay by designating $130M for enhanced nutrient removal through the Bay Restoration Fund.

The federal stimulus plan, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed by Congress and President Obama, allowed us to continue to make significant investments in transportation, education and healthcare, although painful cuts still had to be made to the state’s budget. In the end, the legislature balanced the budget and protected our constituents’ priorities without raising taxes or fees. We passed a balanced General Fund budget of $13.8 billion. It is 3.3% smaller than last year’s budget and smaller than our FY 2007 budget, leaving Maryland with a reserve of roughly $750 million.

I worked with Senator Peters and Delegate Levi this legislative session to advocate for funding initially established by House Bill 775, House Bill 930, and House Bill 1427. Each of these bond bills was chosen to be included in SB 167 Maryland Capital Budget, and, therefore, were all funded. A grant of $25,000 has been designated to be bestowed upon the Board of Directors of the Bowie Boys and Girls Club, Inc. for the construction of the Whitemarsh Turf Field. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission will receive a grant for the planning, design, and construction of a recreational building and related park improvements for the Lincoln Vista Neighborhood Park Recreation Building in Lanham ($25,000). Another portion of the Capital Budget was carved out to grant funds to the Mayor and City Council of the City of Bowie for the construction and capital outlay to equip the Bowie Police Dispatch Center ($25,000). This year Prince George’s County also received significant additions in state funding, some of which are listed in the attached tables.

Thank you for taking the time to read this summary of my legislative work this year. For further information about the bills discussed, or to check the status of any other piece of legislation, please visit the Maryland General Assembly website at http://www.mlis.state.md.us and type the Bill number in the box on the home page (e.g. HBXXX). Additionally, my website, www.delegatehubbard.com, provides additional information and links to relevant community information and websites.

It remains a pleasure for me to serve you as a State Delegate in Legislative District 23-A; and, I look forward to continuing to represent you. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me regarding any matter of interest or concern to you at 301-858-3103 or james.hubbard@house.state.md.us.

Sincerely,

James W. Hubbard
State Delegate
Legislative District 23A

Prince George's County