Accomplishments
Delegate Olszewski is a Respected Leader:
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Elected by his peers to be the Chairman of the 21-member Baltimore County House Delegation
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Honored as one of the Daily Record’s “Top 20 in their 20’s”
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Delivers on his promise to be a hands-on representative, active in his community as a block captain and as a volunteer for organizations such as the Back River Restoration Committee (BRRC) and Dundalk Renaissance Corporation (DRC)
Delegate Olszewski is Improving our Environment:
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Perfect (100%) environmental score from the Maryland League of Conservation Voters in 2012
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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) – legislation that is good for the environment and saves the state money!
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Supported the installation of a trash boom in Back River, which is preventing tons debris from entering the waterway
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Helped secure funding for hundreds of millions of dollars in nutrient removal technology for Back River and Patapsco River treatment facilities - upgrades that will continue to improve/enhance the health of these rivers and the Bay
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Gets personally involved with community association clean-ups and with the efforts of the Back River Restoration Committee (BRRC) – Delegate Olszewski is a representative that’s not afraid to get personally involved!
Delegate Olszewski Champions Investment in our Communities:
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Major renovations to Chesterwood Park in Dundalk
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Creation of a new Renaissance Park in Essex
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Dundalk Avenue Streetscape and Merritt Boulevard greening project
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Purchase of former Karl Trust Property in Edgemere-Sparrows Point
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Installation of state highway signs that designate "Bread and Cheese Creek"
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New community centers: West Inverness, Watersedge and Old Dundalk
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New community center, Baltimore County library, and museum in Turners Station
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Lead the charge in securing a Dog Park in Saint Helena – the first dog park in Eastern Baltimore County!
Delegate Olszewski Supports our Children and Education:
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Despite shrinking budget, supported record levels of educational funding, both operating and capital
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Maryland schools have ranked #1 in the country in education for several years in a row!
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Leader in the 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
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Advocated for and helped obtained funding for the construction of two Brand New Schools, Dundalk HS and Sollers Point Technical School - as well as tens millions of dollars for the renovation of our other schools in the district
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Turf fields at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) Dundalk and Essex Campus
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Field lights at Sparrows Point High School
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Awards tens of thousands of dollars to local students to support their efforts to attend institutions of higher education
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Stabilized costs of college by supporting a freeze in state university tuition costs for three years in a row, and is now keeping increases to a minimum
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Member of the Maryland P-20 Leadership Council
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Serves as House Co-Chair of the Maryland Youth Advisory Council
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Served as a member of the Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Higher Education Funding
Delegate Olszewski Pushes for Job Development:
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Co-sponsored legislation that re-invests and creates jobs in our historic and Main Street neighborhoods (Sustainable Communities Tax Credit)
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Strong proponent of innovation in the workplace, including the "P3" agreement (public-private partnership) between the Port of Baltimore and Ports America, which has literally poured millions of dollars of investment into the area, and created thousands of jobs.
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Passed legislation offering tax credits to support businesses that hire new employees
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Supports Baltimore County’s revolving loan fund to support small business with low interest and no interest loans
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Served as a member of the Task Force on Industrial Job Creation in Baltimore County, and as a Commissioner on the Maryland Advisory Commission for Manufacturing Competitiveness
Delegate Olszewski is Tough on Crime:
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Co-sponsored and passed legislation that cracked down on sexual offenders, including lifetime supervision of violent offenders and increased penalties for possession and promotion of child pornography
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Supported efforts to tear down the blighted and crime-ridden Yorkway apartments, now replaced with beautiful, single family homes
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Sponsored and passed legislation that take away so-called "good behavior" credits for child sexual predators
Delegate Olszewski Supports Fiscal Responsibility:
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A fiscal watchdog - helping to trim the budget by billions of dollars since taking office. Delegate Olszewski continually seeks ways to trim the state’s budget while opposing tax increases that burden Maryland’s middle class and small business community.
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Sound fiscal leadership has lead to Maryland being one of only 7 states to retain AAA bond rating, long considered the watermark for effective budgeting
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Voted against his own pay raise, and even voluntarily "furloughed" himself (reduced his own salary) in solidarity with state workers in furlough years
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Helped eliminate 4,000 state positions in government
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Voted to put money back in the pockets of working-class families by lowering their state income tax budren, all the while voting against the sales tax increase
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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
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Passed tax credit legislation to allow community associations to avoid having to pay property taxes on their community buildings
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End of Session
By: Johnny O on April 15, 2013
With 2013 Legislative Session now officially drawn to a close, I am pleased to provide you with my End of Session Report. This overview covers some of the major developments of the session, though space considerations prevent it from ...
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