The 2023 General Assembly session is in the books, so it is time to review the legislative session, in general, and how it impacted Prince George’s County, specifically.
The 2023 Legislative Session was marked by a new Governor, new House and Senate Committee Chairs, a new Attorney General, and a new Comptroller. But despite all the new faces and roles, that did not translate into a shortage of work product of legislative victories for Prince George’s County. Here is a brief look into some of the most important players that DMV Digest highlighted before the session began.
Governor Wes Moore: The Governor wasted no time in his new administration to notch some meaningful legislative victories. Moore successfully accelerated a higher minimum wage, created a public service option for high school graduates, and scored several environmental wins. All in all, a good session, especially for a first-time governor. While it’s way too early to hold up Gov. Moore as a “champion” for Prince George’s County, it’s fair to say Prince George’s County did well under his first year as Governor.
New House & Senate Chairs: Ben Barnes wasted no time establishing himself as an elite power player as he shepherded the Maryland operating and capital budgets to passage in his first year as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Senator Melony Griffith took over the Senate Finance Committee and cemented her reputation as a serious legislator who isn’t afraid to tell advocates and allies “no” in pursuit of thoughtful legislation. Similarly, Joseline Pena-Melnyk, received high marks as Chairwoman House Health and Government Operations Committee as she dealt with weighty issues like reproductive rights and the legal framework for recreational cannabis. In years past, Prince George’s County would have relied on one standing committee chairmanship to help wield influence in Annapolis. The fact that there are now three powerful chairs from Prince George’s County has already proven meaningful and will remain that way for years to come.
County Executive Angela Alsobrooks: CEX Alsobrooks wisely avoided headline-grabbing legislative priorities this session. Instead, she chose to pick her battles carefully and scored several meaningful operating and capital budget victories. For example, her fight for a Prince George’s County appointee to the powerful Maryland Stadium Authority (which would have seemed impossible only a few years ago) was successful. CEX Alsobrooks also continued to eloquently make a case for the FBI Headquarters and secured funds to help Maryland be as competitive as possible in trying to land the agency.
The Budget: Maryland’s budget still swelled from the influx of Federal covid dollars, has been on solid ground for the past several years, and the county reaped much of that benefit.
All told, the county received over 2.1 billion dollars in state aid. This includes money to enhance the New Carrollton metro/Amtrak/purple line station, support for the redevelopment of the Cheverly hospital site into a mixed-use project, funds for the construction of a cancer center at the new hospital and increased funds for school construction.
What’s next? Over the next couple of months, major storylines developing have the potential to change the trajectory of Prince George’s County. This includes the decision of where to site the FBI headquarters, the Washington Commanders new ownership and how that might impact a new stadium complex at FedEx Field, and the continued work to spend last session’s $400 million for projects along the blue line corridor. DMV Digest will continue to follow these important stories.
