Montgomery Community Media

County Executive Marc Elrich on Wednesday said he hopes to work with the county council to come to a solution regarding a proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate for county employees, without jeopardizing public safety operations – a concern shared by public safety leaders. “I took an oath to protect the health, safety and welfare of the […]

Montgomery County public safety union representatives and police officers testified against a council bill that would require all county employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or face losing employment, with exemptions for medical reasons. First, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Dr. Earl Stoddard testified on behalf of County Executive Marc Elrich during a virtual council […]

Montgomery County Councilmembers Hans Riemer and Will Jawando introduced a bill that would require all county employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or face losing employment, with exemptions for medical reasons. The bill would require employees to show proof of vaccination or apply for a medical accommodation within seven days after being notified by […]

In July, Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando introduced a bill to extend limits on rent increases after the COVID-19 State of Emergency ends. Gov. Larry Hogan’s State of Emergency expired in August and the county’s current rent stabilization will end in November, unless Jawando’s bill is passed and extends it to August of next year. […]

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich proposed a bill that could make the county the first in the nation to set a Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) policy that enforces a minimum energy use threshold for existing buildings. Bill 16-21 aims to expand the number of buildings covered by the county’s benchmarking law, according to a […]

Montgomery County’s minimum wage has finally reached $15 an hour for large employers with at least 51 employees. July 1 marked another annual incremental increase in minimum wage, which began after the council’s minimum wage bill was passed in 2017. County Executive Marc Elrich was lead sponsor of a bill, as a councilmember. Now, large […]

Montgomery County councilmembers updated wording on a bill designed to rid the county of indoor mercury service regulators, which were ruled the cause of a deadly fire at the Flower Branch Apartments in Silver Spring in April 2016. Monday morning, members of the Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee changed the bill’s wording to include […]

About eight months after a two-year-old boy fell from an apartment window and died in Takoma Park, a bill mandating stronger window guard requirements has been signed into law. Ezechiel Nguemezi died in October 2020 after falling from a third-floor apartment building window. Montgomery County Council President Tom Hucker spearheaded Bill 51-20, which requires landlords […]

In November 2019, the Montgomery County Council passed a racial equity and social justice bill in hopes of helping combat institutional inequity.  The bill established the 15-member Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee. The committee was established to advise County Executive Marc Elrich, the council and county agencies about equity issues and make recommendations […]

On Thursday the House of Representatives will vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, a bill that aims to reform policing and hold officers accountable.  If passed, the bill will ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants, limit military equipment use, make lynching a federal crime and create a national misconduct database. The […]