Results for You in Annapolis

For six years, I have been honored to serve our community and proud of the results we have secured together. In tough times, we have protected our priorities and made progress for Maryland.

Providing Health Care to More Marylanders

• Despite being the wealthiest state in the nation, ten percent of Maryland’s children have historically gone without health care. In 2008, I sponsored and passed the first-in-the-nation Kids First Act to get Maryland on the road to universal coverage for children by targeting the 100,000 children who were eligible for but not enrolled in public coverage. Nearly 50,000 of these children have received coverage since the passage of this law, and the innovative Kids First Act helped deliver over $28 million in federal bonus funding for Maryland.

• A recent Annie E. Casey national report ranked Maryland 38th in its percentage of low-birthweight babies and 42nd for its infant mortality rate. To address this problem, Heather sponsored and passed the Family Planning Works Act to expand Medicaid family planning services to more low-income women. This expansion will cover nearly 35,000 women, save the state millions in publicly funded pregnancy costs, and significantly reduce the number of women seeking abortions.

• Recognizing the high number of uninsured young adults and the economic pressure this creates for middle class families, I sponsored and passed the Family Coverage Expansion Act in 2007 to allow young adults to stay on their family’s insurance plans until they turn 25. I also worked with the Maryland Congressional delegation to include this coverage in the new federal health reform law. Because not all children are fortunate enough to have families to support them, I sponsored and passed another law in 2009 to expand young adult coverage to former foster care children.

Creating 21st Century Schools and Jobs

• Maryland’s public schools were recently ranked first in the nation for the fourth year in a row by leading publication Education Week.


• I promoted an innovative public-private partnership approach to rebuilding the state’s crumbling school infrastructure in an opinion editorial with the Baltimore Community Foundation’s President, Tom Wilcox, which was featured in the Baltimore Sun. This proposal will not only create 21st century learning centers for all of our children, but will result in thousands of high-paying construction jobs for hard-working Marylanders.

• Maryland is well positioned to become a leader in the 21st century economy. In 2008, I sponsored and won passage of the Coordinating Emerging Nanobiotechnology Research (CENTR) in Maryland Program to invest millions in funding towards nanobiotechnology research. Using tools available in this new, incredibly precise science, researchers are making advances on new medical treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases. Nanobio was incorporated into more than $50 billion in manufactured goods in 2006, and this impact is expected to grow to $2.4 trillion by 2014.

Winning Marriage Equality for All Families

• In 2012, Maryland became the eighth state in the nation to pass marriage equality. One of eight openly gay members of the Maryland General Assembly, I was a vocal leading champion and advocate for marriage equality, which extended hundreds of rights and protections that come with a marriage license to same-sex couples. In recognition of my advocacy, Baltimore Magazine credited me with “delivering one of the most memorable [floor] speeches” of the session during the 2011 House marriage equality debate, and one of the nation’s most popular progressive websites, MoveOn.Org, featured a video clip of my speech which went viral in the days leading up to the successful 2012 marriage vote.

Keeping Maryland Clean and Green

• Energy companies have leased 120,000 acres in western Maryland in hopes of using a new, controversial, unregulated form of natural gas drilling known as hydraulic fracturing. Thousands of wells have been drilled in neighboring states with negative implications for environmental and health standards, including contamination of drinking water supplies. I have a different vision for Maryland – one where we have no regrets; where we ask tough questions and demand answers before one drilling permit is issued. I introduced and championed the Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Act to halt the rush to drill and conduct a study on the environmental impacts of drilling. In the face of a nationwide boom in natural gas exploration, my bill led to the creation of the Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative, a gubernatorial executive order that requires a comprehensive study of drilling and makes Maryland a national leader in ensuring the protection of our environment before drilling begins. In 2011, Governor O’Malley appointed me to serve on the Initiative’s fourteen-member advisory commission.

• In summer 2011, I authored a DNC Resolution calling on President Obama to reject the Keystone XL “tar sands” pipeline. This pipeline would carry 900,000 barrels of tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast through America’s heartland, seriously endangering our nation’s farms and drinking water. Thousands of environmentalists, ranchers, labor leaders, and Native Americans organized nonviolent protests across the nation calling on President Obama to reject the pipeline. In October 2011, I was one of ten featured speakers at a 12,000-person “tar sands” rally outside the White House, alongside leading climatologist Dr. James Hansen; actor and activist Mark Ruffalo; 350.org founder Bill McKibben; and Nobel Laureate Jody Williams. Thanks to this committed advocacy, President Obama announced his Administration’s rejection of the pipeline.

• In 2008, I was proud to be a leader in our successful effort to double the state’s commitment to green energy. Our strengthened Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) now require utilities to generate a certain percentage of their electricity using cleaner energy sources such as wind, solar, and biomass. 

Strengthening Governance in the Free State

• Last year, I sponsored and passed the Joint Committee on Transparency and Open Government Act, which creates a permanent legislative body tasked with overseeing and promoting 21st century technologies and advancements that will continue opening up the inner workings of our state government.

• In 2010, I sponsored and championed the Maryland Open Government Act to bring enhanced transparency and greater access to decision-makers in state government. Our efforts ushered in several changes, including posting committee votes online, webcasting bill hearings, and making the General Assembly website free to the public.