A Strong Economy

A Strong Economy for Everyone

The recovery from COVID has been difficult for everyone. Workforce participation has not come back, particularly among women. There are workforce shortages across the economy. And inflation and gas prices are causing real pain.

But there is hope. Many people are much happier being able to work at home virtually- at least some of the time. This is certainly a valuable perk for working parents, who are spending less time commuting.

As Chair of the Joint Committee for Children, Youth and Families  and a member of the Commission on the Healthcare Workforce I am working hard to make sure that we create incentives for workers in entry level health care jobs, including child care and elder care. Last fall, we examined the impact of the pandemic on families and especially women, you can read more here about our findings and review our recommendations here.

For six years I chaired the Economic Development Committee for the Montgomery County Delegation, and as a family business owner I have a special interest in supporting our local businesses.  Under my leadership, we passed legislation to allow for the sale of refillable wine containers, allowed a local winery to sell its wine directly to the public, allowed for more pinball machines in bars and restaurants, established a new cosmetology related license to help salons ensure they have access to a professional workforce.  We also passed legislation to ensure that our local physicians receive full payment for services provided when insurance companies by pay “virtual credit cards.”

The Maryland General Assembly has recently invested in targeted tax relief for seniors, and sales tax relief for working families with passage of this package of bills. I am also proud to have passed a child care tax credit to help offset the high cost of childcare.