Dear Friends, As we begin the second month of the 90-day legislative session, I’d like to take a moment to highlight some legislation under consideration as well as new developments within District 12. 1) Improving Medical Marijuana: For the past five years, I’ve served on the legislative staff of Delegate Dr. Dan Morhaim, the only physician in the General Assembly, and through exhaustive effort, we succeeded last year in passing into law a bill authored by Delegate Morhaim that created a medical marijuana program here in Maryland to be based out of academic medical centers and hospitals. However, the restrictive nature of the provisions from the state’s Medical Marijuana Commission has hamstrung the success of the program. We’re now working a bill sponsored by Delegate Morhaim (HB881) that will expand the program to include physicians so that medical marijuana will be more accessible to all those in need. 2) Support for an Elected Board of Education in Baltimore County: Baltimore County is one of the few counties in the state that has a school board where all members are appointed by the governor. I believe that this can lead to an absence of responsiveness to the community and oversight of the school system. There is currently a bill that would create a hybrid elected-appointed board in Baltimore County (SB290), and I urge the support of its passage. I applaud District 12’s Senator Ed Kasemeyer for his crucial support in allowing this bill to progress this year. 3) Baltimore County Earns Triple Triple-A Bond Rating: Last week, Baltimore County received welcome news that all three main bond reporting agencies awarded the county a AAA-rating, which recognizes the county’s strong credit worthiness and financial footing. This will result in millions of dollars saved in interest payments on municipal bonds created by the county. Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and the County Council (including Councilman Tom Quirk whose district overlaps Legislative District 12) should be commended for their fiscal responsibility and oversight that has made this Triple Triple-A rating possible.   It remains early during the 2014 legislative session, and I plan on providing updates on more bills as they advance through the legislature. As with any legislative process, I believe it’s important to hear from constituents and voters, and would welcome hearing your thoughts via Facebook, Twitter, or by replying to this e-mail on these or any other bills currently under consideration before the General Assembly.     Thanks so much, and look forward to hearing from you, Clarence Lam, MD, MPH Candidate for State Delegate, District 12 Facebook  |  Twitter

Authority:  Friends of Clarence Lam  |  Melissa A. Tarkett, Treasurer