Legislative Affairs

         

Legislative links, information and advocacy from federal to state and now including the District of Columbia.

August 2023 Update  

Partnering for Success with

Governor Moore's Service Year Option

Please join MCDA on August 29th at 9:00 AM in our partnership discussion through Zoom with Maryland's Department of Service & Civic Innovation (DSCI) and discover how to enhance your career development services to your clients and students through Governor Wes Moore's new initiative regarding an invaluable opportunity to help your clients and/or students determine the best next steps in their work or educational journey through a year of paid, full-time service.

Governor Moore shares, "you don't need to know what's next to do something now!" The following link will take you to Governor Moore, himself, to further describe this new initiative.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-bQ1T4LtUs

Headlines to know - Week of August 14th

President Trump and Allies Indicted in Georgia

• A grand jury here charged Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and other Trump allies with operating a criminal enterprise that sought to overturn Joe Biden’s electoral victory in Georgia, marking the fourth time the former president has been indicted this year and deepening his legal woes ahead of the 2024 election. There were 19 people in total charged in the indictment, including former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and legal adviser Sidney Powell.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy Considering Short-Term Funding Bill to Avoid Gov. Shutdown

• House Republicans are planning to take up a short-term stopgap funding measure next month to avoid a partial government shutdown, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told members of his conference during a Monday night call, sources familiar with the conversation said. The continuing resolution is expected to extend current funding until early December, giving lawmakers a few extra months past the Sept. 30 deadline to complete fiscal 2024 appropriations. McCarthy said Monday that he did not want to have a continuing resolution run up to the Christmas recess, sources said. The speaker's announcement, which came as little surprise, served as an acknowledgment that the clock had run out for completing appropriations on time for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

Hawaii Wildfire Death Tolls Rise

• Hawaii officials worked painstakingly to identify the 99 people confirmed killed in wildfires that ravaged Maui and expected to release the first names Tuesday, even as teams intensified the search for more dead in neighborhoods reduced to ash. A week after a blaze tore through historic Lahaina, many who survived have started moving into hundreds of hotel rooms set aside for displaced locals while donations of food, ice, water and other essentials have poured in.

Biden Administration Acts Following Affirmative Action Decision from SCOTUS

• The Biden administration on Monday urged colleges and universities to reconsider some policies such as legacy admissions, as a response to the Supreme Court decision in June that sharply restricted the use of race in student admissions programs. In a letter issued Monday from the Justice Department and Department of Education, the government provided guidance that would help higher educational institutions “as they continue to pursue campuses that are racially diverse and that include students with a range of viewpoints, talents, backgrounds, and experiences.”

Potential Delay in Farm Bill

• Congress will have to extend temporarily the lifespan of the 2018 farm bill because it will miss the Sept. 30 deadline for enacting its successor, said House Agriculture chairman Glenn Thompson. It was the first direct acknowledgement by one of the “four corners” of farm policy — the leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture committees — that the 2023 farm bill would be late. Neither committee has presented a first-round version of the panoramic legislation, which can take months, or even years, to complete. The 2023 farm bill is expected to be the most expensive ever, with chapters on commodity subsidies, SNAP, ag research, rural development, crop insurance, food aid, export promotion, farm credit, forestry, and land stewardship. Conservative Republicans are expected to propose limits on access to SNAP.

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118th U.S. CONGRESS

Hearings: Both the House & Senate are in recess the week of August 14th.

Executive Branch

Maryland General Assembly (445th session)

The Maryland General Assembly adjourned “sine die” on Monday night, April 11th at midnight. The Delegates & Senators are not scheduled to re-convene until next January 2024. All bills that failed to make it across the finish line this year will have to start again from scratch next year.

For a general overview and information on the 2023 session, visit the General Assembly's Tutorial page

Advocacy Affiliates

MCDA is an affiliate of NCDA, ACA, and MCA and its advocacy work is linked to these organizations. Your MCDA membership automatically links you to the advocacy efforts of all four groups. However, all MCDA members are eligible to join these groups. 

NCDA Federal Advocacy

Top Issues - policy provisions, program developments or spending cuts impacting career practitioners nationwide:

For additional information:

ACA Federal Advocacy

Agenda for Advocacy Power Hours (APH):

1. Introduction of attendees and ACA staff
2. State updates – ACA staff
3. Federal updates – ACA staff
4. State & regional updates – ACA members
5. Final call(s) to action – ACA staff
6. Q&A, wrap up, and important ACA administrative updates – ACA staff

The August 2023 APH will not occur due to summer recess for our members and staff. Meetings and an updated schedule for the 2024 FY will resume in September 2023.

• More ways to take advocacy action.
• ACA's Statement on the Conflict in Ukraine.
• Contact the ACA Government Affairs and Public Policy Team.
• Click here for further information on ACA's federal advocacy work.

MCA Advocacy

For any questions or to get involved in legislative advocacy at the local, state, or national level, 
please contact MCDA’s Legislative Co-Chairs MCDA.Legislative@MDCareers.org.