The Council unanimously approved my bill to prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes in public places where traditional tobacco smoking is prohibited. The bill also requires child resistant packaging for liquid nicotine. The law takes effect June 12.

Perhaps swayed by the belief that electronic cigarettes are safe, or emboldened by the fact that e-cigs have little odor that parents could detect, teens who have never tried traditional cigarettes are using e-cigs, putting themselves at risk for nicotine addiction, nicotine poisoning or exposure to harmful chemicals. I am not willing to gamble with the health of our current generation of young people by waiting for federal regulations. The Council did the right thing by putting these protections in place.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not currently regulate e-cigarettes. However, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act gives the FDA the authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco products. The FDA has proposed a “deeming regulation” that would subject electronic cigarettes to FDA’s regulatory authority. It is unclear when (or whether) the FDA will issue a final rule and what the substance of that final rule will look like.

While at least 30 states have comprehensive clean indoor air laws restricting the use of lighted tobacco products in indoor public places such as bars, restaurants and office buildings, only a few have extended these provisions to include the use of electronic cigarettes. Among those states, New Jersey, North Dakota and Utah have specifically amended their clean indoor air laws to prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes in public places and workplaces.

I was extremely honored to receive Montgomery Women's 2015 Shining Star award. Montgomery Women is a non-partisan leadership organization and political action committee started in 2001 by a diverse group of experienced and emerging leaders who recognized the need to provide a forum for women's voices in Montgomery County. I'm proud to have been a founding member of this important organization. I also want to congratulate Planning Board member Natali Fani-Gonzalelez, who received the Rising Star award.

"You've come a long way, baby." Remember that? Since the Virginia Slims slogan debuted in 1968, the number of women serving in state legislatures has more than quintupled. That's the good news. The bad news is that the proportion of women in state legislatures in 2015 is only 24 percent. Maryland is slightly ahead of the average at 31 percent. So yes, we've come a long way, but we haven't come nearly far enough. That's why I am such a fan of Montgomery Women and its mission to support women's efforts to serve in elected and appointed office as well as other leadership positions.

April 14 is Equal Pay Day. It symbolizes how far into 2015 women must work to earn what men earned in 2014. 

Even though the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act passed more than five decades ago, women continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay differentials. In fact, year-round, full-time working women earn only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. In Maryland, we're doing a little bit better at 85 cents for every dollar. Women earn less in every occupational classification for which enough data is available, including occupations dominated by women. Over a working lifetime, this wage disparity costs the average American woman and her family an estimated $700,000 to $2 million in lost wages, impacting Social Security benefits and pensions. 

On April 14, we will wear red to symbolize that women are still in the red when it comes to pay equity and to emphasize that fair pay strengthens the security of families today and eases future retirement costs, while enhancing the American economy.