MoCo legislators’ biggest wins from the 2026 General Assembly session
Immigrant protections, energy cost savings, money for public schools among major accomplishments, lawmakers say
By
Ceoli JacobyApril 16, 2026 5:38 p.m.
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Make a ContributionProviding protections for immigrants and energy cost savings for ratepayers along with millions of dollars for capital projects were among the Montgomery County delegation’s biggest accomplishments during the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session, which wrapped Monday at midnight.
Heading into the session in January, state legislators were primarily focused on closing a nearly $1.5 billion budget deficit for fiscal year 2027 without increasing Marylanders’ taxes — particularly in light of the upcoming statewide primary and general elections in June and November, respectively.
“It was good to see that the state was able to close that budget gap, but they’ve got a lot of work to do for next year,” County Executive Marc Elrich (D) told reporters during his weekly virtual media briefing on Wednesday. “I think everybody understands next year is going to be an interesting year for them and for us as well.”
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Energy costs
As legislators worked to balance the state’s budget, they also looked for ways to proactively lower the cost of living for Maryland residents and protect immigrant community members from an escalating federal immigration enforcement campaign.
On cost of living issues, the standout bill this session was the Utility RELIEF Act, which is expected to provide at least $150 in annual energy cost savings for the average Maryland household by temporarily cutting an energy efficiency surcharge on utility bills.
Del. Linda Foley (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac, who worked on the bill as a member of the House Environment and Transportation Committee, told Bethesda Today in a Wednesday interview that the bill will save ratepayers “a lot more” over the long term. District 15 includes parts of Potomac, North Potomac, Germantown and Poolesville.
In addition to delivering immediate cost savings, the bill also addresses power capacity issues brought on by data center development and increase transparency about proposed rate increases and new transmission lines. Gov. Wes Moore (D) is expected to sign the bill.
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“That bill is one of the most consequential bills I think I’ve worked on since I’ve been in the General Assembly,” Foley said of the Utility RELIEF Act. “It really is an outstanding piece of work and I’m very proud to have had a part in that.”
Other Montgomery County legislators closely involved with the effort to pass the bill were Del. Marc Korman (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda, who chairs the Environment and Transportation Committee, and Del. David Fraser-Hidalgo (D-Dist. 15) of Boyds, chair of the energy subcommittee. District 16 includes parts of Bethesda, North Bethesda, Cabin John and Potomac.
Immigration bills
Leaders from Montgomery County also played key roles in passing restrictions on federal immigration enforcement. Capital News Service reported state legislators introduced over 40 immigration-related bills this session, more than in any other session over the past 15 years.
“There’s clearly a lot of rightful concerns in our community given what the federal government has been doing to not just immigrants but to U.S. citizens,” said Del. Julie Palakovich Carr (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville, who chairs the House delegation for Montgomery County, in a Tuesday interview with Bethesda Today. District 17 includes Rockville and Gaithersburg.
“We had a lot of good bills that were trying to tackle different parts of this issue,” she continued. “I think it really showed how important this issue was not just to Montgomery County but to the leadership in the General Assembly.”
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The first bill from this session to be signed into law by Moore was a ban on agreements allowing local law enforcement agencies in Maryland to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with enforcement efforts. It specifically concerns agreements under the federal 287(g) program.
The Senate version of the bill was sponsored by Sen. Will Smith (D-Dist. 20), whose district includes parts of Silver Spring and Takoma Park.
Montgomery County Council President Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) was among the local leaders who testified in support of the 287(g) ban during a Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing in January.
During the hearing, Fani-González told the committee that Montgomery County does not have a 287(g) agreement with ICE “because we care about public safety.”
“If you care about public safety, you need to ensure that every single person who lives in this state feels comfortable about calling the police when they see a crime,” Fani-González said.
In the final days of the session, Palakovich Carr said the House spent a lot of time debating the Community Trust Act, which aims to limit cooperation between local correction facilities and ICE beyond the scope of the 287(g) program.
She said Del. David Moon (D-Dist. 20), who served as House majority leader for the third consecutive year this session, played a “key role in helping to defend that bill and getting it across the finish line.” The bill was approved during Monday’s final session.
Relief for schools
County leaders also emphasized record funding for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) capital projects and other relief for the district that they were able to secure this session.
During his media briefing Wednesday, Elrich told reporters the Montgomery County delegation was able to secure $172 million for 130 capital projects across the county, including $54 million for projects across 11 public schools.
On top of the dedicated funding for MCPS capital projects, Sen. Craig Zucker (D-Dist. 14) of Brookeville said during the briefing that the delegation secured $15 million in unrestricted funding to address severe facility issues in schools.
The $15 million comes from the Kopp Priority Fund, named for longtime state treasurer and former District 16 delegate Nancy Kopp of Bethesda.
Zucker also noted that much of the money the delegation was able to secure for MCPS capital projects will not require a local funding match.
“When we bring back money from the state, it sometimes ties the county’s hands,” Zucker said. “We wanted to make sure that the hands of the county were set free in making sure that you guys had as much access to this funding as possible, especially given the tough budget year.”
Palakovich Carr said she was surprised that snow days also ended up being one the biggest issues for the Montgomery County delegation this session.
Although the county’s House delegation was not successful in passing emergency legislation this session to grant MCPS more flexibility when making up missed instructional days due to inclement weather, Palakovich Carr said she believes it was “a really key piece” in the state Board of Education’s decision to ultimately approve a waiver allowing the district to end classes June 18 this year.
“I think that was a really important effort on the behalf of our delegation,” Palakovich Carr said. “I’m really just proud of how we were able to work with our school district, with our school board, to get a good outcome there.”
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine