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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...

April 28, 2008

Delegate Hubbard on 88.5 FM WAMU on June 30, 2008

Dear Constituent:

This Legislative Session was one of the most rewarding of my 16 years in Annapolis, and as always, I am proud to serve in Annapolis as your representative from District 23-A. Throughout the 2007 Special Session and the 2008 Session, I worked to keep your interests at heart in committee hearings, caucus meetings, and when on the House Floor. In response to the various issues concerning our state, as well as our district more specifically, I introduced over 20 pieces of legislation. Of these, six were included in the Capital Budget for local projects, six were approved by the House and Senate chambers and have been forwarded to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law, while two of these bills 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. This year I was appointed 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, birth defects, and Veterans’ mental health benefits to newborn screening, HIV testing, and the prohibition of lead products in children’s toys.

Three important bills that addressed health care issues this session were House Bill 216- Hereditary and Congenital Disorders - Newborn Screening, Senate Bill 828/House Bill 438 - Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Birth Defects Research - Medical Information, and Senate Bill 566/House Bill 733- Health Care Facility Visitation and Medical Decisions - Domestic Partners. The Newborn Screening bill was passed by the legislature and is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature to become law. This bill was introduced by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in an effort to centralize testing facilities for very serious hereditary and congenital disorders in infants. As the Sub-committee Chair and House Floor leader, I worked with various individual and group interests in order to reach an agreement that would maintain the original intent of the bill, establishing the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's public health laboratory as the sole laboratory in the state authorized to perform the screening tests. This bill is an important piece of legislation not only for its recordation value, but also for the future of studying disorders in infants in Maryland. House Bill 438, which also relates to hospitals and reporting throughout the state, was my bill; however, it was the Senate version that moved through both Chambers. Senate Bill 828 modifies the circumstances under which birth defects must be reported, as well as the hospital records and other medical information that must be provided to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for data collection purposes. It further specifies that reports are to be submitted within one month of the release date of the child’s mother from the hospital, instead of the previous method of individual hospitals submitting general reports on a monthly basis. This bill will also give the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene the tools necessary to track birth defects throughout the state of Maryland, without compromising legal safeguards for children and parents of the children who have a birth defect. Most importantly to understand about these two pieces of legislation is that both of these bills will bring Maryland up-to-date with the Center for Disease Control standards for newborn and birth defect screenings.

House Bill 733 was my bill; however, it was the Senate version that moved through both Chambers. Once on the House side, Senate Bill 566, as amended provides health care facility visitation and medical decision rights to same and different sex partners, who fall under specific provisions of the law. The bill does not alter the definition of marriage; however it does give specified partners important rights to: visit their loved one in a hospital or nursing home, to make medical decisions in times of urgency, share a room in a nursing home or hospital setting when possible. This bill affects some 115,000 Marylanders, including senior citizens who do not wish to marry due to financial status, those less-fortunate who can not afford legal preparation of documents, and same and different sex couples throughout the state. As a leader on the House Floor, I worked to bring these and other medical decision and visitation rights, not obtainable through advanced directives, to all Marylanders.

The 2007 and 2008 sessions resulted with great efforts made by the General Assembly to improve the impending status of our state’s economy. Mortgage reforms were enacted in order to address the foreclosure crisis in Maryland, access to affordable healthcare for uninsured children and seniors struggling with prescription costs were addressed, while still acting to reduce pollution, protect our Chesapeake Bay, and enhance public safety with the DNA bill designed to help law enforcement keep our communities safe. With the national downturn in the economy in mind, the Maryland Legislature passed a budget that cut $1.1 billion from the state’s General Fund and nearly $1.5 billion from the budget overall, while still fully funding the K – 12 public education system. Nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars were invested in public school construction and renovation, to ensure that Maryland’s students are learning in the best possible school facilities. The Rainy Day Fund was left with nearly $1 billion in cash reserves to weather any further slowing in the national economy as well.

Marylanders can boast a balanced budget with a more progressive income tax structure that results in no increase in the rate paid by 95% of citizens, and a tax cut for 72% of income tax filers in the form of an increased standard exemption; a regionally competitive sales tax offset by the increased standard exemption in the income tax; a corporate income tax that is among the lowest in the region at 8.25%; and a repeal of the “Tech Tax”, which will ensure that our technology sector continues to thrive and grow. As a result of the 2007 and 2008 sessions: 100,000 Marylanders will have increased access to healthcare; the closing of the Medicare Part D “donut hole” will help 30,000 seniors struggling with rising drug prices; a long-term energy policy designed to promote conservation and stability in the state’s energy market is in place; and for a third consecutive year, there is no tuition increase for the University System of Maryland. Critical Area laws designed to protect against erosion and development along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline were strengthened this year, as well as a renewed commitment to transportation by the state, including a $350 million annual investment in mass transit and highways to fund new projects within the roadway system.

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 62, Lead-Containing Children’s Products – Prohibition, currently awaiting a signature from the Governor for full enactment as a law, sets a July 2008 effective date for the prohibition of lead in children’s products. This prohibits retailers, manufacturers, and distributors in the state of Maryland from using this harmful chemical in toys that children under the age of six play with, and, therefore, could potentially put in their mouths. Despite facing toy industry resistance and an international objection by the People’s Republic of China claiming that this bill, an effort to protect our children, would violate international trade agreements if enacted, House Bill 62 came out of the legislature with very strong support. This piece of legislation is a major step in the right direction in protecting our youngest citizens from harmful chemicals that are all around us. House Bill 494, Licensed Counselors and Therapists - Appraisal Activities – Training Requirements, passed both Chambers of the legislature and also awaiting signature, alters the definition of “appraisal” relating to psychological testing under the laws regulating professional counselors and therapists. This piece of legislation has been a number of years in the making and passed unanimously out of the General Assembly this year. The definition of appraisal is altered so that it does not include instruments requiring specialized psychological training for administration or interpretation unless the licensed counselor or therapist has completed required training. It also further defines requirements for licensure. House Bill 535, Morbidity, Mortality, and Quality Review Committee – Pregnancy and Childhood, is another of my bills awaiting the Governor’s signature. Once law, this legislation requires that the Morbidity, Mortality and Quality Review Committee improve the system of care for morbidity and mortality associated with pregnancy, childbirth, infancy, and early childhood throughout the State of Maryland. The existing committee, currently localized to each jurisdiction, could increase productivity and increase effectiveness with joint date collection at the state level. House Bill 1563, State Board of Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Examiners – Licensure of Massage Therapists, signed by the Governor on April 24th, requires massage therapists to be licensed by the re-named State Board of Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Examiners. This is a real success story, as I have worked with the therapists for many years in order to help them obtain this “licensure” status and membership on the State Board, giving them quality credibility to eliminate negative stigmas often associated with this group of highly qualified professionals. Finally, House Bill 788, Real Property Assessments - Market Declines – Revaluation, would have required the State Department of Assessments and Taxation to revalue real property outside of the triennial assessment cycle if the median price for homes in a county declines from the preceding calendar year. In response to the national downturn and the subsequent “mis-assessments” in the area, Senator Peters and I put in this legislation. Unfortunately, this bill was voted unfavorably in its committee. If you believe that your assessment was too high, I urge you to go through the appeal process until I can re-introduce this legislation next session. If you need assistance or further information regarding the property tax assessment appeal process, please call my office 301.858.3103.

Two important topics were addressed by legislation during the 2008 Legislative Session that specifically effect Prince George’s County residents. To begin with, the legislature worked with the Governor to reach a settlement agreement with Constellation Energy that will eliminate $1.5 billion in future liabilities for ratepayers. Under the terms of the agreement, Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) residential ratepayers will receive a one-time “rate rebate” of approximately $170 by the end of this year. My vote for this agreement will bring this rebate to all BGE customers in District 23-A with a total of $187 million in rebates for all BGE ratepayers. Another very important topic dealt with this session was the Prince George’s County hospitals. House Bill 1039 is an emergency bill passed by both chambers that establishes the Prince George’s County Hospital Authority, a state entity whose mission is to establish and implement a competitive bidding process for the purpose of transferring the Prince George’s County Health Care System to a new owner. The bill requires the Authority to select a successful bidder by January 2009 with a possible 60-day extension. The intent and goal of this bill have real consequences for the Bowie Health Center and the Laurel Hospital in terms of new ownership and improved care. Allocations by both the state and Prince George’s County of $12 million each in Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010 are included in the bill and will be spread throughout the county to include District 23-A. Furthermore, the county may receive credit towards these amounts for the value of real property and facilities if the system is sold. A final provision relieves both the county and the state from financial obligation if the Authority fails to select a bidder by the aforementioned date.

Senator Peters and I worked together this legislative session to advocate for funding initially established by House Bill 270, House Bill 379, House Bill 456, House Bill 457, House Bill 491, and House Bill 492. Each of these bond bills was chosen to be included in SB 150 Maryland Capital Budget, and therefore were all funded. They include renovation funds for the Bowie Lions Club ($10,000), repair and renovation funds to include the gymnasium, which will be used by the City, for the Cornerstone Assembly of God ($20,000). Whitehall Pool and Tennis, Inc. received $15,000 in funds for repairs and renovations, and $20,000 apiece was allocated to the Belair Swim Club, the Pointer Ridge Swim and Racquet Club, and the Belair Bath and Tennis Club from the Capital Budget as well. These facilities will receive funds to help with the repair of any aesthetic or structural weakness repair, which will in turn enhance the quality and value of our neighborhoods. The monies also are intended to “fix-up” community-used portions like parking lots and the swimming facilities used by local swim teams. This year Prince George’s County also received significant additions in state funding. Some figures 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 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 feel free to contact me regarding any matter of 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