House Bill 350- Budget Bill (Fiscal Year 2026) was a disaster. So was House Bill 352- Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025.
From the proposed $200 million in cuts to the Developmental Disabilities Administration, impacting out most vulnerable Marylanders, to a record tax and fee increase, we saw a variety of failures from our Supermajority that led to astounding impacts to the middle class.
I voted against the Budget and BRFA in 2025, encouraging fiscally conservative policies. When Marylanders have a leak in their roof, without the budget to replace the roof, they will patch it. Marylanders don’t give up on food to pay for ballet lessons. They make sensible sacrifices to meet their needs over their wants.
This session, I advocated for a hiring freeze in February 2025 (which was implemented in July 2025, after months of over hiring). My experience in the Maryland General Assembly showed that we would be dealing with furloughs if the hiring continued. In August 2025, the State is offering buyouts of $20,000 + $300 per year of service.
I proposed amendments, alongside my Republican colleagues, which would have eliminated the need for a tax or fee increase.
I opposed the 3% tech tax on the floor of the Senate, having experienced the tech tax in the past, which had to be overturned the following year.
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I wrote an Op-Ed in the beginning of the 447th legislative session for the Aegis and Baltimore Sun regarding the budget outlook for FY2026. House Bill 350 - The Budget (FY2026) and House Bill 352 Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2025 were bills I debated and voted against on the Senate Floor. Amendments were proposed by Senate Republicans to eliminate the need to raise taxes and fees. With a Supermajority of 34 Democrats to 13 Republicans, a $1.6 billion tax and fee increase passed to meet the record $67 billion Budget, that initially had a $3 billion deficit. When Governor Hogan left office, there was a surplus. Many Marylanders are feeling upset about the outcome.
No. The answer is many can’t afford this fee and tax increase and I continue to receive emails from my hardworking constituents who are either still in the workforce or living on a fixed income as they navigate retirement on a precarious balance.
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Here is the 90-Day Report, which details all new laws and the budget for FY2026.
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I continue to advocate for Marylanders in the interim. Most recently, the Department of Budget and Management requested a transfer of funds to an account that already had nearly $2 million in the balance. I caught up with WBAL in July to discuss.
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In February 2025, I voiced concerns directly to both Secretary Grady of the Department of Budget and Management, and Governor Moore regarding the unrestricted hiring of new staff, while the Maryland General Assembly worked through one of the most challenging budgets to date. With a deficit of $3 billion, a supermajority with many ideals, we needed to find areas to hold back and exercise fiscally conservative practices- many of which Governor Moore is embracing months later.
