November 13th, 2023

Good evening members of the Delegation: 

My name is Michael DeLong and I am the President of the Montgomery County Young Democrats, an organization of young Democrats ages 14-35 that work to make Montgomery County and Maryland better places to live and get young people involved in politics and advocacy. In the 2024 Maryland Legislative Session, we urge you to follow through on previous commitments, ensuring that Maryland both helps young people and lifts up the most vulnerable among us. 

First, we urge that the Legislature continue to fully fund the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, implementing greatly needed education reforms. The Blueprint will help our youth and benefit our state in the long term. Additional funding can be obtained by closing corporate tax loopholes or through the Fair Share for Maryland Plan, which would create an income tax increase of $302 for households making over $250,000 and ensure that the wealthiest 1% of households pay their fair share in taxes. Also the Legislature should make sure that local governments are fulfilling its part of the Blueprint and helping students. 

Second, we urge that the state fund more resources for mental health, since so many people, especially young people, are struggling with this. MCYD also urges more resources and funding for people dealing with drug addiction–but the resources and money must be aimed at treatment, not punishment. A few years Maryland ranked among the top five states for opioid-related overdoses and this epidemic has ravaged a lot of communities, especially in rural areas. We need more treatment centers, more treatment options, more caseworkers, and more compassion. 

Third, Maryland has relatively strong gun violence prevention laws but there is still much work to be done. We support the Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2024, which would regulate the gun industry to prevent reckless harm caused by guns. It will repeal the Federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in Maryland, a law that currently makes it very difficult to sue the industry. This bill will make it easier for litigation to go forward against gun manufacturers or retailers if they are reckless, negligent, or sell guns to those who should not have them. Litigation reduced smoking and made the tobacco industry pay for its crimes, it is having a similar effect on the opioid industry, and it should have a similar effect on the gun industry. 

Housing is a human right and everyone, regardless of their income or race, should have a safe and stable home. MCYD supports the Just Cause Eviction bill, which requires good reasons for evicting tenants and protects tenants from retaliation from landlords if tenants organize or complain. Just Cause Eviction promotes housing stability for tenants and neighborhoods; Montgomery County and other counties would greatly benefit being allowed to adopt these laws. 

All Marylanders also deserve access to affordable health care. But right now over 275,000 undocumented immigrants in Maryland are ineligible for health insurance through the Maryland Health Exchange. We support the Access to Care Act, which would make qualified health insurance plans available to all Marylanders regardless of their immigration status. Better access to health care literally saves us. Many organizations, including CASA, do excellent work helping immigrants and advocating for immigrant reforms and reform. We believe that they should not be stripped of critical funding to support their work and grassroots organizing efforts.

Finally, MCYD urges reform of how Maryland legislative vacancies are filled by requiring special legislative elections for vacancies that occur within the first two years of legislative terms. And we ask the Delegation to adopt sweeping measures both to promote clean energy and reduce climate change. Maryland households and communities are already being harmed by more extreme weather and natural disasters. 

Thank you very much. Please contact us at mocoyoungdems@gmail.com with any questions. 

Sincerely, 

The Montgomery County Young Democrats