U.S. Senator Ben Cardin to Speak at Rural Maryland Council Legislative Luncheon

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Maryland’s senior senator and former Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, will be the featured guest speaker for this year’s Rural Maryland Council (RMC) legislative luncheon to be held on Friday, January 29, from noon to 2 p.m. via Zoom. The event is free.

For information, visit rural.maryland.gov, or email rmc.mda@maryland.gov. To register visit https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ehikcvig0fcdac5c&oseq=&c=&ch=

Senator Cardin is a staunch believer that access to affordable, quality health care should be considered a right, not a privilege, and is a leading advocate for the Chesapeake Bay. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, and currently serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship. Senator Cardin also serves as senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Environment & Public Works committees, in addition to sitting on the Senate Finance Committee.

During the luncheon attendees will hear reports from Rural Maryland Council working groups and will discuss the slate of priorities for the Maryland General Assembly’s 2021 Legislative Session.

These priorities include:

• Advocating for continued funding of $6 million for the Rural Maryland Prosperity Investment Fund (RMPIF) to address disparities in unemployment and poverty rates in Maryland’s rural communities and to support economic development programs;
• Supporting the Governor Hogan’s FY 2022 Capital Budget Appropriation of approximately $10 million for the Local Government Infrastructure Fund in the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to create and retain vibrancy in rural communities including rural broadband expansion;
• Encouraging rural economic development in the form of tax credits to new or expanding businesses as well as for private angel investments;
• Advocating for tax credits and a sales tax exemption to support broadband expansion services and broadband equipment;
• Supporting programs and policies that will sustain and enhance agricultural production and agritourism;
• Addressing the shortage of health care professionals by enabling and expanding telehealth to provide access to preventative and critical care services in rural areas.  

Established in 1995, the Rural Maryland Council is an independent state agency, which brings together rural leaders, government officials at all levels, and representatives of the non-profit and for-profit sectors to develop public policy solutions to the challenges unique to rural Maryland. RMC operates under the direction of a 40-member executive board in a nonpartisan and nondiscriminatory manner with the goal to improve the quality of life while preserving the cultural heritage of Maryland’s rural communities.

For more information, visit rural.maryland.gov, call (410) 841-5772, or email rmc.mda@maryland.gov. Connect with the Rural Maryland Council at facebook.com/RuralMaryland or on Twitter @RuralMaryland.