Coming soon: Joint Maryland House and Senate Priorities Meeting

The Montgomery County Delegation to the General Assembly will hold its Joint Priorities Hearing on Nov. 20. This is your opportunity to present issues of concern to our county delegation in Annapolis. Show up and let our legislators know that you are opposed to Governor Hogan’s plan. 

We will be sending you further information about participating in this meeting as well as information for those who wish to testify. Watch for details.

  • When: Wednesday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m.

  • Where: Montgomery County Council Hearing Room (Third floor), 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville MD

Why is this hearing important?
It is our chance to tell our legislators about the work we want them to do, such as passing bills that can become laws. For example, we can support their efforts for oversight of this project.

To date, the governor's plan to add toll lanes to I-270 has barreled along without legislative oversight. Requests for information, such as sharing the source data of their transit models, have been rejected.  

How You Can Be Part of the Legislative Process
Because the legislative process is long and involved, there are lots of opportunities for all of us to take part. That means keeping informed and speaking out.  Dontwiden270.org will be posting information about pending bills and how you can help influence their passage.

To be effective citizen advocates opposing this expensive boondoggle that will not relieve traffic congestion, we need to understand how Maryland’s legislative process works.  

An in-depth description of the Maryland State Legislature can be found at Your State Legislature: an Overview.

Here are the basics

Maryland’s state Legislature is called the General Assembly. It has an upper chamber (Senate) and a lower chamber (House of Delegates). There are 47 population-based legislative districts. The General Assembly meets for 90 days each year, beginning in January. During this time, the legislators act on hundreds of proposed bills. 

The legislative leaders—the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House— hold two of the most powerful positions in State Government. They assign legislation to committees and appoint committee members. 

Much of the work takes place in the committees and their subcommittees, including several of particular interest to Dontwiden270.org:  

Learn more about how bills become laws in Maryland at Your State Legislature: an Overview.   

Update: MDOT Road Show raises new questions 

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) held its annual meeting  on November 4 to present its six-year budget for transportation projects and programs to Montgomery County legislators. MoCo state delegates, senators, and county officials peppered the agency with questions about MDOT's $11 billion plan to expand I-495/I-270 for Luxury Lanes and its decision to nix mass transit in the state's six-year consolidated transportation plan.

For more information about the meeting, read the Citizens Against Beltway (CABE) review on the CABE Connection tab of Dontwiden270.org. This review includes important information on MDOT’s refusal to provide the public with the “origin and destination” data it's using to make decisions on its plan to expand the Beltway and I-270.

More November 4 MDOT road show coverage:

Be Seen.  Be Heard.  Spread the Word:  MDOT Road Show on November 4th

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) meets with each county every year to present their Consolidated Transportation Program  (CTP), Maryland's six-year budget for transportation projects and programs.

This public hearing, also known as the “MDOT Road Show,” allows county officials and Montgomery County’s state delegation to comment on the proposed budget, including the $11+ billion project for for-profit tollways on I-495 and I-270. 

  • When: Monday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m.

  • Where: County Office Building, Third Floor Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville. Parking information.

Public attendance proves we oppose the proposed plan. Show up and bring someone with you. Make a protest sign and display it prominently during the meeting. It’s how we make a statement when we cannot ask questions or testify.

Sample signs can be found at https://dontwiden270.org/resources or design your own. [Note” protest signs must be 8 ½” x 11” or smaller.] 
 

Montgomery County Executive Promotes Reversible Lanes on I-270 

I-270 is a “time-constrained” highway. Traffic is greatest going south during the morning rush hour and then north in the afternoon, with minimal traffic in the opposite directions. This is an ideal situation for reversible lanes, in which lanes switch direction to reduce congestion during peak commuting hours. 

Montgomery County Executive, Marc Elrich, has been actively pushing for the state to configure reversible lanes down I-270 as a faster and less expensive way for traffic relief. He backed this approach at the October 25th upcounty town hall.   

Additionally, a statement supporting continued evaluation of reversible lanes for all of I-270 was included in an October 23rd letter from Mr. Elrich to MDOT Secretary Pete Rahn. The letter was co-signed by 8 of the 9 county council members.

Mr. Elrich elaborated on a variety of transportation-related issues in an interview with Bethesda Magazine. Read his response to questions about highways, tolls, transit and other transportation projects of relevance to Montgomery County.

 

Check out New Features on the Dontwiden270.org: 

  • En Español: This section has Spanish versions of key Dontwiden270 documents, such as background information and facts about Governor Hogan’s plan to add four managed toll lanes on I-270. Share this information with Spanish-speaking residents of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

  • CABE Connection: Citizens Against Beltway Expansion (CABE) partners with Dontwiden270.org to oppose widening the Beltway and I-270 for privately owned for-profit toll lanes. Their website posts articles that are also meaningful for those in the I-270 corridor. Read more about the following on the CABE Connection:

    • “Will Trucks Use Beltway Luxury Lanes?” Most truckers opt for the free lanes because tolls come out of their bottom lines.

    • “$11 billion P3 Toll Lane Plan Hits Political Headwinds, Slipping Suburban Support” Opposition to widening I-495 and I-270 for Luxury Lanes rose to more than half of Montgomery and Prince Georges County residents surveyed in October.


    • “MDOT Interview Echoes Documentary on Texas P3 Bankruptcy” Texas highway officials promised traffic relief at no cost to taxpayers. In fact, the private investors were only responsible for 15% of the total project cost when the public private partnership went bankrupt in 2017.

  • Partner Organizations: Dontwiden270.org partners with other civic organizations to fight Governor Hogan’s highway expansion boondoggle. Check out their websites and sign on to their mailing lists.

Upcoming Town halls and Presentations


See you at these key upcoming town halls and presentations with county and state legislators and other officials concerning proposed transportation projects

Encourage your neighbors, friends, and colleagues to attend, too. These proposed transit projects affect our communities and our commutes.

Come hear the latest updates on what is happening with Governor Hogan’s project to widen our highways with expensive toll roads. Ask questions of your county and state representatives and show your opposition to the Governor’s plans.

CABE Town Hall:

Delegate Marc Korman, the new chair of the House Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee, as well as other legislators and officials will be discussing the latest on MDOT's $11 billion Beltway and I-270 Luxury Lane Expansion project.

  • When: Sunday, October 27 at 3:30 p.m.

  • Where: North Chevy Chase Christian Church at 8814 Kensington Parkway in Chevy Chase. Meet in Harlow Hall on the ground floor; access Harlow Hall from the parking lot in the rear.

Speakers

  • Del. Marc Korman, House Transportation Subcommittee Chair

  • Tom Hucker, MoCo Council Transportation Committee Chair

Other Speakers To Be Announced

Time and Place

3:30-6 p.m.
North Chevy Chase Christian Church
8814 Kensington Parkway
Chevy Chase, MD 20815


CABE today announced it is holding an October 27 townhall with Delegate Marc Korman, who chairs the House Transportation Subcommittee, and Councilmember Tom Hucker, who chairs the Montgomery County County Council Transportation Committee.

Join us to discuss CABE legislative, outreach, and organizational goals and get the latest on Governor Hogan's $11+ billion plan to expand I-495 and I-270 for high-cost tollways, like the Luxury Lanes in Northern Virginia that can top $48 during rush hour.

Also invited, but not yet confirmed, are additional speakers from the Montgomery County Council and county delegation to the General Assembly, and state and federal planning agencies.

This is your last opportunity to get the latest and share your concerns before November 4, when MDOT Secretary Peter Rahn rolls into town to take our elected officials' questions about the state's Consolidated Transportation Plan. (Yep, Beltway Luxury Lanes are still in it.)

Details: Meet in Harlow Hall on the ground floor of the North Chevy Chase Christian Church at 8814 Kensington Parkway in Chevy Chase. Access Harlow Hall from the parking lot in the rear.

Upcounty Transportation Town Hall: 

State senator Nancy King as well as many other county and state legislators will discuss traffic relief efforts in Montgomery County’s upcounty.

  • When: Monday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m.

  • Where: Montgomery College Germantown Campus at 20200 Observation Drive in Germantown. Globe Hall Auditorium, HT 113, parking lot 4 (student parking only).

 

MDOT Consolidated Transportation Program Presentation (CTP):

MDOT meets annually with each county to present the CTP, Maryland's six-year capital budget for transportation projects and programs. State and county officials will attend along with MDOT officials. 

  • When: Monday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m.

  • Where: County Office Building, Third Floor Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville. Parking information.