The pandemic has presented many challenges, including how we can exercise our right to vote. As a consequence, concerns expressed by election judges, who have served over the years at our polling places, continue to remain as our election officials are anticipating a high number of vacancies, and hence, potentially long lines at the polls due to COVID-19 health implications.
Because of this, I recently sponsored a resolution that was supported unanimously by my colleagues, that called on Governor Hogan to hold the election by mail. We should not risk the health of our voters and our poll workers. A number of other lawmakers also urged the governor to reassess his decision to hold an election with in-person and absentee voting without mandating that ballots automatically be mailed to voters.
Although the governor did not entirely relent, he did order that the election be conducted with enhanced voting options in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To ensure that every Marylander who wants to vote by mail can vote by mail, the State Board of Elections will send out an absentee ballot request application to every eligible Maryland voter.
Each voter will have to return this application by mail to then receive their 2020 ballots. It is highly recommended that you request your vote-by-mail ballot as soon as possible in order to receive and submit your ballot in time. The Board of Election must receive your request by Tuesday, October 27, 2020. For more information, please click here.
The State is also urging local jurisdictions to have all early voting centers and every polling location open on Election Day to accommodate anyone who wishes to cast their ballot in person, and that local officials promote early voting, absentee voting by mail, and voting at off-peak times as safe and efficient options. For more information, please click here.
This year has been filled with trials and tribulations for many County residents, especially as we navigate through the challenges COVID-19 has presented in our daily lives.
The past couple of months, the Health and Human Services (HHS) committee, which I chair, has worked hard to blunt the negative impact this pandemic has had on our residents. Below I am highlighting several efforts that we hope will make a difference.
Expanding Testing Capacity: Our ability to easily and quickly test County residents for COVID-19 needed improvement and additional support. To address this, Councilmember Reimer and I introduced a Board of Health regulation to require the County Executive to immediately implement a comprehensive strategy for “free, no appointment, no referral, walk-up testing,” at sites throughout the County. It passed unanimously at full Council, and we are witnessing a stepped-up testing program that is much easier for residents to access. We believe through testing and aggressive contact tracing we can greatly impact the spread of this deadly virus.
EveryMind: The Council approved $395,000 to increase mental health services to residents through EveryMind’s Montgomery County hotline. This hotline provides crisis intervention including suicide assessments, supportive listening and mental health resource referrals to residents. These services are provided through telephone, text and chat.
Curbing Homelessness: The Council approved $355,000 to provide permanent supportive housing for veterans and unsheltered adults in Montgomery County. In partnership with Bethesda Cares, one of the County’s non-profit members of the Continuum of Care, this appropriation is aimed to house 14 unsheltered adults.
School Mental Health: The Council approved $250,000 to fund mental health supports in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools and our Department of Health and Human Services. Councilmembers Craig Rice and I sent a letter to Superintendent Jack Smith requesting that MCPS examine funding and programmatic options to increase mental health services to students as it implements the 2020-21 school year recovery plan.
Expansion of Mobile Crisis Teams: Spearheaded by Councilmember Tom Hucker and me, the Council approved $592,202 to expand mobile crisis response services during calls of service. Timely response from a multi-disciplinary crisis team can help to significantly deescalate a situation by addressing many of the underlying issues of the crisis.
Medical and Dental Practices: I introduced, and the Council approved $3 million to provide grants to community clinics, primary care medical and dental practices that serve County residents and have suffered financially from the shutdown because of the pandemic.
To view a full list of COVID-19 related measures the Council has introduced and/or passed, please click here.
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, jurisdictions across our nation began to look inward and find ways to strengthen policies that will protect all community members from excessive use of force by police.
This week, with the full support of the entire Council, we enacted the County’s first Use of Force bill which will place us on the path toward building trust between County residents and law enforcement. Under this newly passed law, police officers will be prohibited from using deadly force except when absolutely necessary, and when no other alternatives are made available. It also bans neck or carotid restraint, limits the scope of no-knock warrants and the striking of restrained individuals, and most importantly, this law will require police officers to stop or attempt to stop the use of excessive force or the commission of a crime by another officer.
Some of these excessive force practices were already in place within our police department, however, given this moment in time, we felt it was important to codify these requirements into County law. As a member of the Council’s Public Safety committee, I am proud to have joined my colleagues Councilmembers Jawando, Navarro, and Rice to establish a new standard of policing this summer. It is our hope that this legislative action will strike a balance to create a more perfect and inclusive County.
To read more information regarding this newly enacted bill, please click here.
The Council also appointed and confirmed 15 members to the Police Advisory Commission who will provide advice to the Council on police department policies and help improve community trust with police. The Police Advisory Commission will also provide information regarding best practices, recommend policies, and engage in public education and other programs related to policing in Montgomery County.
To read more information regarding this advisory commission, please click here.
Since the beginning of this pandemic in this country, the populations most affected by COVID-19 have been Black, Latino and Native American communities. Concentrated areas of poverty and racial health disparities have played a pivotal role in the transmission of this deadly virus, but in the end, it affects us all.
The same is true in Montgomery County. Although we have made great strides in mitigating the high risk associated with this virus, communities of color still remain disproportionately impacted. According to a zip-code analysis conducted by the County’s Department of Health and Human Services, the highest concentrations of positive COVID-19 cases lie in areas where communities of color live and work. Furthermore, more than 70% of positive test cases in July were Latino. The trend for Latinos was upward when all other demographics were trending downward.
Councilmember Nancy Navarro and I immediately met with key community stakeholders to devise a comprehensive plan to curb the rising positive cases in the Latino community. Led by the Latino Health Steering Committee of Montgomery County, the Por Nuestra Salud y Bienestar (For Our Health and Wellbeing) initiative will provide wrap-around services including COVID-19 testing, health resources and public education targeted to Latino residents in the County.
The overarching goal of this groundbreaking initiative is to reduce the impact of COVID-19 among Latino residents in the County and serve as a guide to protect our fellow underserved communities from this deadly virus. This $5.59 million special appropriation was unanimously passed by the Council this week and is eligible for reimbursement from FEMA.
A similar measure was recently enacted by the Council to provide wrap-around services and support to the African-American and Black communities in Montgomery County, one of the communities most affected by deaths resulting from COVID-19.
As chair of the Health and Human Services committee, I remain committed to safeguarding the well-being of all of our County residents from the lethal impact of this pandemic.
Growing up, sports played a huge role in my development and has helped me pilot life transitions with assurance. From gaining the confidence to score my first slam dunk on the basketball court to striking the goal to win my first soccer championship, youth sports have taught me valuable life lessons that I still utilize to this day.
Several months ago, I requested the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) to conduct an analysis on youth sports participation in Montgomery County. Through this legislative review, it is my hope that we will identify the disparity gaps that currently exist.
Based on recent studies issued by the Aspen Institute, OLO highlighted inequities underserved families face and the additional obstacles County residents are forced to endure in the midst of COVID-19. In its examination presented to a joint committee session this week, OLO found that while some affordable and recreational youth sports programs exist, youth sports in Montgomery County is not well-aligned with the needs of many families.
OLO recommended that as a legislative body, we should examine the following: 1. Equitable access to public athletic facilities; 2. Addressing silos in youth sports provision; and 3. Promoting and expanding affordable and recreational youth sports programs. By reviewing these areas, we will begin to level the playing field for our county youth to engage in sports, despite socioeconomic status.
In coordination with these recommendations, Councilmember Craig Rice and I introduced a $1.5 million special appropriation to support youth sports programming in Montgomery County. With the full support from our Council colleagues, we are optimistic that this investment will help bridge these imparities and create opportunities for our youth to fully participate in sports and physical activity.
To read the OLO report in its entirety, including the youth sports programming appropriation, please click here.
To view the Council joint session on youth sports, please click here.
Every ten years, the Census is conducted to receive a count of everyone living in the United States and it helps allocate hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding to over 100 programs. From vaccines and emergency services to school lunch programs, highways, and healthcare, the resources provided by participating in the Census can tremendously impact the voting and economic power of local and state jurisdictions for the next decade.
The 2020 Census response rate for Montgomery County residents currently rests at 73%. If you have not completed your Census survey, you have until August 11, 2020 to complete it. After this deadline, the Census Bureau will follow-up with households, in-person, who have not responded. To complete your survey online, please click here, call 1-844-330-2020.
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