AccomplishmentsDelegate Olszewski on the Environment:
- Strong environmental record, endorsed by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters
- Sponsored and passed a bill that makes Maryland a leader in recycling (all state owned and operated buildings must recycle paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum) - good for the environment and saves the state money!
- Supported the installation of a trash boom in Back River, which will prevent debris from entering the waterway
- Funding for nutrient removal technology for Back River and Patapsco River treatment facilities - upgrades that will continue to improve/enhance the health of the rivers and Bay
- Gets personally involved with community association activities, neighborhood clean-ups - he's a representative not afraid to get his hands dirty!
Delegate Olszewski on Community:
- Major renovations to Chesterwood Park in Dundalk; Creation of new Renaissance Park in Essex
- Dundalk Avenue Streetscape and Merritt Boulevard greening project
- Purchase of former Karl Trust Property in Edgemere-Sparrows Point
- Installation of state highway signs that designate "Bread and Cheese Creek"
- New community centers, such as those in West Inverness, Watersedge and Old Dundalk, as well as plans for a brand new community center and library in Turners Station.
Delegate Olszewski on Education:
- Noted leader on state educational policy, member of Ways and Means Committee and Education Subcommittee
- Despite shrinking budget, record levels of educational funding, both operating and capital
- Maryland schools rank #1 in the country in education for the last two years in a row!
- Leader in passage of Safe Schools Act, which allows law enforcement and schools to better communicate and requires the creation of a statewide policy on fighting gang activity in schools
- Advocated for and helped obtained funding for the construction of two Brand New Schools, Dundalk HS and Sollers Point Technical School - as well as millions of dollars for the renovation of our other schools in the district
- Awards tens of thousands of dollars to local students to support their efforts to attend institutions of higher education
- Froze state university tuition costs for three years in a row while in office
- Serves as House Co-Chair of the Maryland Youth Advisory Council
- Served as a member of the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Higher Education Funding
- Served as member of the Task Force to Study Raising the Compulsory Age of Education to 18
Delegate Olszewski on Job Development:
- Co-sponsored legislation that re-invests and creates jobs in our historic and Main Street neighborhoods (Sustainable Communities Tax Credit)
- Strong proponent of the innovative "P3" agreement (public-private partnership), which includes a new 50-foot birth at the Port of Baltimore. The partnership will lead to the creation of thousands of high-paying jobs - right in the district's back yard
- Tax credits to support businesses seeking to hire new employees
- A revolving loan fund to support small business with low interest and no interest loans
Delegate Olszewski on Crime:
- Co-sponsored and supported other legislation that cracked down on sexual offenders, including lifetime supervision of violent offenders and increased penalties for possession and promotion of child pornography
- Supported efforts to tear down the blighted and crime-ridden Yorkway apartments, soon to be replaced by dozens of beautiful, single family homes
- Sponsored and passed legislation that will take away so-called "good behavior" credits for child sexual predators
Delegate Olszewski on Fiscal Responsibility:
- Fiscal watchdog - helping to trim the budget by over $5.7 billion dollars so that the state general fund balance is actually smaller today than when he took office!
- Fiscal leadership has lead to Maryland being one of only 7 states to retain AAA bond rating, long the watermark for sound fiscal stewardship
- Voted against pay raise for legislators (no raises this term or for the next term); Voluntarily "furloughed" himself to stand in solidarity with state workers
- Eliminated 4,000 state positions in government
- Voted to put money back in the pockets of working-class families by lowering the sales tax, all the while voting against the sales tax increase
- Voted to close the "donut hole" for Senior Citizens in Maryland on Medicare drug coverage, saving them over $3,000 each in out-of-pocket prescription costs
- Passed tax credit legislation to allow community associations to avoid having to pay property taxes on their community buildings
- Inserted language in FY '11 budget that directs the Department of Business and Economic Development in conjunction with the Department of the Environment and the Maryland Energy Administration to study and report on available financial and technical assistance for the steel industry in order to encourage the creation and retention of jobs and encourage energy conservation, reduced emissions, and use of renewable energies
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February 16, 2012
STATEMENT FROM DELEGATE JOHN A. OLSZEWSKI, JR.
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Today, Delegate John A. Olszewski, Jr. issued the following statement:
“Through the course of this d ...
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