“What Have You Done For Me Lately”
Delegate Marvin E. Holmes, Jr., 2nd Vice Chair
Prince George’s County Delegation
Before becoming an elected public servant, I had been blessed with the honor of working for you in numerous civic and professional organizations. Through my activities as President of the Suburban Maryland Engineers Society, President of Citizens for Greenbelt, President of the Kettering Civic Federation, and President of Watkins Park Homeowner’s Association, just to name a few, I have been working to enhance our community and advocating for you.
Many of you have expressed your concerns about quality shopping venues, police substations, crime, safety, parent’s accountability for children, mini-bikes, teens, affordable health care, education, jobs, availability of learning centers and much more. It matters little what I’ve done for you lately when quality of life issues are still not resolved, but we are diligently working toward a resolution. Briefly discussed below are a few of the things done lately for you as your State Delegate.
As State Delegate my purpose is two fold: To create laws to make life better for all Marylanders and to serve each of you as my constituents. As an example: Due to the many calls received by my office for employment assistance, we are now creating a database for potential employers and employment services. This database is under construction by my staff in Annapolis and we hope to have it sufficiently functioning by the fall.
Upon accepting an apprenticeship, after completing vocational training in high school, a labor union strike propelled me to study engineering in college. If not for the strike, I was prepared to spend my adulthood as a well-paid skilled journeyman. Because of this appreciation for skilled craftsmen our office is coordinating efforts with the building industry, Prince George’s County Public Schools, and local colleges and universities to increase the availability of vocational education programs specifically in the construction arena for high school students as well as young adults or adults returning to the workforce. We’ve seen the construction boom all around us, and its time for our community to take advantage of this increased labor market.
Our office has also received many calls about the use of miniature motorcycles on our streets. These vehicles called mini-bikes, or pocket-bikes are illegal. During debates in the Environmental Matters Committee, which I serve on, much discussion took place about these vehicles. Simply put, they are illegal and will remain illegal. They are a nuisance at best, and unsafe and hazardous to those operating them. I urge everyone to be vigilant and help keep our community safe and protect our youth. If you see one in operation, please call the non-emergency phone number of our District II police station and notify them (301-333-4000).
Affordable health care is a nation-wide problem. We, as state Legislators, must renovate whatever portion of this health care chaos that is within the grasp of the state of Maryland. There are two primary reasons for increased health care costs in Maryland. These are doctor’s liability insurance and prescription drug costs. The first order of business in January of 2005 was to override the governor’s veto and cap doctor’s insurance rates at no more than a 5 % increase as opposed to the 33 % increase that was requested by the insurance providers. The 33% increase would have caused many Maryland doctors to depart for neighboring states and would also have made preventative health care very prohibitive for a large portion of Marylanders.
Federal prescription programs for Medicare participants will go into effect on January 1, 2006, which was designed to alleviate some of the costs of the rising prescription drug burden. At the state level we passed a Bill in the 2005 session that would provide prescription drug coverage to individuals below the federal poverty level who are not eligible for Medicare. We also established a Task Force to study how the state can participate in a prescription drug donation program whereby pharmaceutical companies, or others, could donate prescription drugs for Marylanders. As your State Delegate, I am working to keep affordable health care for you.
During my three years as your Delegate, I have been a major participant in the anti-slots campaign; chaired workgroups on lead based paint focusing on protecting children; crafted legislation for affordable housing; drafted proposals to close the gap on home owners insurance rejections; co-sponsor three major pieces of legislation to curb teenage driving deaths and much more. These are just a few of the things that I have done for District 23-B and Marylanders. I was elected to represent you and I take pride in that fact. Please allow me the benefit of hearing from you and thank you for allowing me the honor of representing you in Annapolis.
Honorable Marvin E. Holmes, Jr.
Legislative District 23-B
