One of our main initiatives as a garden club is Conservation–in our own lives, our counties and state wide. As mentioned in a previous post, Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland is supporting measures to save our pollinators and amphibians and are partnering with groups working on these measures within our state. After a long period of quietude, District V, through our new Legislature Chair Lynn Vinke, is helping to keep an information flow. It is important that we keep up to date on what is happening in Annapolis to track Conservation Bills as they are proposed, move along or die in our legislature down in the State House.
It is interesting to note that Carroll County has no one serving on an Environmental Standing or Sub-Committees. So, these may not be issues that are actively discussed in our area except by our own efforts. One good resource is the League of Conservation Voters who do a weekly check on that very thing and we can focus on those of interest to us.
Week of March 15th
Two upcoming bills for floor action (comments are those of the League)
SB190:
Monitor
We will oppose rollbacks to the legislative legacy of healthy air,clean water, and unpolluted lands. On first blush, the Governor seems to have refrained from further borrowing from Program Open Space or the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bay Trust Fund or Bay Restoration Fund, however we must remain vigilant.
in protecting these programs as well as critical resources needed for the Departments of Environmental, Agriculture,Transportation, Planning, Natural Resources, and Energy to enforce laws.
Status: Committee Hearing: Favorable with Amendments Report
SB198:
