Health Care
Like most states, Maryland is facing a healthcare crisis. More than
760,000 Maryland residents have no health insurance. Many thousands
more do not have full access to all the health care services they need.
And the mounting costs of prescription drugs are keeping treatment out
of the hands of society's most vulnerable members, especially seniors.
We must change this situation.
As your Delegate I pledge to work to ensure all citizens access to
affordable and high quality health care. An excellent start is the Fair
Share Health Care Fund Act (the "Wal-Mart Bill") that requires
large corporations to pay their fair share of employees' health care
costs. I wholehearterdly support this legislation and promise my support on
future efforts of this type. To read an opinion piece that appeared in the Gazette about
this subject, click here.
I will work to support prescription drug assistance, including drug
re-importation from Canada, to help Maryland's citizens keep up with
rising drug costs. On a related topic, it is essential to keep good
doctors in Maryland to provide top-notch health care. That is why I
support balanced medical malpractice reform that protects good
physicians from frivolous lawsuits and rising malpractice insurance
premiums, but will not take away the legal rights of patients with
legitimate complaints.
Slot Machine Gambling
I am steadfastly opposed to legalizing slot machine gambling in
Maryland, under any pretext. Slot machines prey on some of the most
vulnerable people in our society: those lost in the illusion of winning
wealth in a lucky moment, and those addicted to gambling. The damage
slot machines gambling would inflict on vulnerable adults, seniors and
families would far outweigh any cash it might possibly bring to our
state.
As your Delegate, I pledge to be a guaranteed vote against slot machines
in Maryland.
Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is among the pressing issues in Montgomery County.
Housing prices today are out of reach of many dual-income working class
families and young professionals starting their careers. As a result,
the County is steadily losing teachers, police officers, firefighters,
and other essential professionals to surrounding counties.
Part of the problem is that, a combined household income between $40,000
and-$60,000 a year is too high to qualify for low-income housing
subsidies and yet not high enough to qualify for a standard 30-year
mortgage on a median-priced home. We must address this issue
immediately both to meet the needs of young, middle class families and
to maintain the professional base our public services and our economy
depend on.
State Workers' Living Wage
Despite the best efforts of the Maryland Legislature to overturn
Governor Ehrlich's veto, the State's minimum wage is only $6.15 an hour.
This is $4.35 an hour below what researchers and other state
governments have set as a minimum "living wage" ($10.50). It is
especially outrageous that our State is not required to pay its own
employees a living wage. Neither are contractors doing business with
Maryland.
Montgomery County already has such "living wage" laws on the books.
Maryland should follow Montgomery County's leadership to make this legislation effective state-wide.
Tuition Freeze at University of Maryland
For the University of Maryland to remain a viable college choice for
thousands of Montgomery County residents, the steady rise in the
school's tuition fees must be curbed. I join the Democratic leadership
in urging the Governor and the legislature to freeze the cost of tuition
at the University of Maryland and restore the university funding cut
from the State budget since 2002. In the past four years, these cuts
have triggered reductions in university programs and dramatic tuition
hikes that have made UM one of the most expensive state schools in the
country.
To see a Washington Post article about this subject, click here.
