Prince George's County Council General Assembly Committee Chair Wotika Fisher announced Oct. 14 that the committee will support 11 statewide initiatives for the 2026 legislative session, including adding a foreclosure moratorium and pressing state officials to fund law-enforcement positions on the Purple Line.

"This year, the general assembly committee will support 10 statewide initiatives. It will be 11, actually," Marvalee Nettles Simpson, committee director, told members as she summarized the list and the committee's role in coordinating with county delegates and senators. Simpson said the committee will advocate for county-backed bills at the state level by issuing position statements when legislation aligns with the council's priorities.

The committee discussion centered on a set of proposed priorities to guide the council's advocacy in Annapolis. Chair Wotika Fisher asked members to add a request that Maryland Transit Police be funded for "about 50 to 70 positions" to provide law enforcement coverage for the Purple Line, saying there are currently no funded positions for policing that corridor.

Vice Chair Crystal Oriada and other members proposed specific bills and subjects they want the county to support or reintroduce. Oriada said the committee should add back the Healing Scars Act with Delegate Ashanti Martinez as a sponsor and pursue legislation to create a single application for autism-related services. She also asked the committee to support "Zoe's Law," which would increase mandatory sentencing when evasion of police results in death; Oriada said a sponsor already exists in the Senate (Nicole Lawrence).

Other items discussed for the county's statewide agenda included:
- A foreclosure moratorium (added to make the initiative count 11).
- A request to remove Red Dye No. 40 from products sold in schools and consideration of a ban on kava root products in school-sold items.
- A proposal to begin statewide, culturally responsive curriculum work by focusing first on Black Maryland history so that the subject matter can be taught in depth across grades.
- Creating a statewide Black maternal health equity advisory board (Simpson said a sponsor had not yet been identified).
- Renewed county support for "good cause" eviction legislation the council has backed in prior years; Fisher noted it previously failed in the Senate after an amendment she said would have undercut tenant protections.
- A "Maryland-first" procurement preference to prioritize Maryland-based vendors for state contracting before seeking out-of-state firms; members asked staff to arrange a briefing from the state's procurement official on current practices.

Committee members also discussed logistical items connected to the advocacy effort. Simpson said staff will provide a contact chart to share with the county's delegation by the end of the month and that the committee expects one more meeting before the legislative session begins to finalize positions and a joint letter with the county executive on budget requests and priorities. The date for the local bill hearing remained "not specified," Simpson said.

Committee members raised additional state-level context: Fisher noted there is public momentum in the speaker's office and the governor's office around potential redistricting, which could shift primary dates. Fisher also notified members that Senator Mike Jackson has accepted a state police post with the governor, a move that will require filling his Senate seat in 2027.

No formal roll-call votes or final resolutions were taken during the Oct. 14 meeting; the discussion produced committee direction to include the listed items in the general assembly committee's statewide initiatives packet and to continue coordination with county delegation staff.

Next steps: staff will finalize and circulate the contact chart, seek the procurement briefing requested by members, and prepare position statements for any state bills that align with the county's adopted initiatives.