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On March 5th, I plan to introduce the Tenant Protection and Notification Bill in the County Council. This bill will ensure greater information provided by landlords to tenants and generally require enhanced communications related to the safety of units and tenants. The fire at The Arrive in Silver Spring which resulted in the death of Melanie Diaz and the power outage at The Grand in North Bethesda demonstrate the ongoing need to ensure the health and well-being of our community by increasing information about fire prevention plans and improving communication between tenants and management.
The main items this bill covers are temperature, insurance, fire prevention information, noticing, and emergency safety plans. In short, the Tenant Protection and Notification Bill will:
- Strengthen tenant protections particularly related to fire safety and notifications;
- Require a residential lease to include certain information related to building insurance and renters insurance, the inclusion or lack of a sprinkler system, and general fire safety information such as, the location of fire alarms, fire extinguishers and other fire prevention apparatus;
- Mandate and enhance notification of the 24-hour availability of a building representative;
- Require official and timely notifications of any disruption of essential services in a rental building; and
- Require an emergency safety plan for multifamily dwellings.
Roundtable on Transgender Healthcare - On Saturday, February 10th CCI Health Services hosted a roundtable on the state of transgender healthcare in Montgomery County and where we go from here. A huge thank you to our special guest Maryland Secretary of Health Dr. Laura Herrera Scott and the other panelists – Reverend Ali K.C. Bell, Dr. Amena Johnson, Lee Blinder, and Dr. Will Giordano-Perez. You can watch a video recap on YouTube here.
Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board - I was pleased to join the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board last week to discuss constituents’ concerns and upcoming legislation related to public safety, affordable housing, and tenant protections. For a full recap, please read this article in the Source of the Spring.
Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board - Thank you to the Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board for having me at their meeting last night. We discussed key issues of my legislative priorities, such as the FAITH ZTA introduced on January 16, the late night bill introduced on February 13, and the Landlord Tenant Bill mentioned above. We also discussed issues raised by the WMCCAB including youth mental health challenges and pedestrian safety.
I want to thank both the SSCAB and Regional Services Director Jacob Newman and the WMCCAB and Regional Services Director Peter Fosselman for their hard work and dedication to our communities in District 4. I really appreciated my time with the Citizen Advisory Boards and know our residents volunteering are a gift to our county.
Join us on Saturday, February 24th at 10 AM for the opening of the Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center at 1319 Apple Ave Silver Spring, MD 20910! We are very excited for this brand new facility and the services it will bring for residents in the area.
Ready to make the switch to electric? Electrify MC is here to help! Wondering what's eligible for the program? Where? Residences located in Montgomery County, Maryland with individually-metered utilities. Who? The utilities can be a part of Pepco, BG&E, or Potomac Edison programs. What? Appliances must replace a fossil-fueled equivalent or are Energy Star listed. Why? You'll save money and energy! Learn more at MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/ElectrifyMC.
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Office of Councilmember Kate Stewart
