Issues

Legislative Priorities: An Overview

My priorities can be summed up in three words: safety, opportunity and responsibility. We have a duty to ensure the safety and stability of our neighborhoods, a duty to create opportunities for our citizens, and a responsibility to use tax dollars wisely and efficiently.

Education

Kyle Lierman on Education in Maryland

As a graduate of the Montgomery County Public School System (Wood Acres Elementary, Thomas W. Pyle Middle School and Walt Whitman High School), Kyle knows how important quality public schools are – and that we must do everything we can to ensure that our schools have the funds their require. The recession has caused deep cuts in school budgets across the State. We must look at every possible source of revenue to restore school budgets and provide students with the opportunity they deserve.

Environment and Energy

Click here to see our Pepco mailer

Maryland is fortunate to have many beautiful miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline. But this great environmental and economic resource must be preserved and protected, a responsibility that for too long we have failed to meet. Preserving our state's natural beauty and resources, including our coastal regions, state parks and lakes, is critical to our economy and the personal health of our fellow residents. I will work with business leaders, concerned citizens and environmental groups to ensure that the needs of all citizens are carefully balanced with our responsibilities to the environment. In addition, I support bold ideas to move the state toward a clean-energy economy by expanding and increasing tax credits for solar and wind power.

Transportation

Transportation policy is the single biggest issue that will affect the quality of life in Montgomery County in the decades to come. Fortunately, it is an issue that we can shape through good policy. The growth and success of Montgomery County in recent decades has strained our transportation infrastructure. The solution generally turned to in the past – build more and bigger roads – is no longer feasible, and the County and State must move towards a more sensible transportation policy that decreases reliance on cars.

Jobs and Economy

Montgomery County has experienced tremendous economic growth and development during the past two decades. The biotech industry, especially, has become a significant source of jobs and resources in our community and throughout the state. But like the rest of the nation, the recent economic downturn has affected our community, and many jobs have disappeared. I am focused on creating jobs immediately while developing a long-term economic vision based on a clean-energy economy and good-paying jobs in the biotech and other industries.

Deficit & Budget

The economic recession has hit Maryland hard. Deep budget cuts have led to teachers losing their jobs, under-funding for programs for the disabled, and layoffs at our police and fire departments. Kyle will bring a fresh perspective to Annapolis to find new funding resources, and ensure that the projects we are funding are worthwhile and effective.

Business Taxes

Business tax policy is inevitably a balancing act between promoting Maryland as a business-friendly environment and ensuring that businesses pay their fair share of taxes. Currently Maryland has a relatively business-friendly tax environment in comparison to neighboring states – it was recently ranked 14th overall by the Tax Foundation and second in the country this year by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Alcohol Excise Tax

Kyle supports an increase in the alcohol tax to fund services for vulnerable populations. Kyle has enormous respect for former Delegate Bill Bronrott, who championed this issue for many years. Unfortunately, his efforts were always defeated by the powerful alcohol lobby in the State. The alcohol tax is an excise tax based on volume sold, so it is not automatically indexed to inflation and must be updated by the General Assembly from time to time to keep up with rising prices. In Maryland, we have not raised this rate since 1955 for spirits and 1972 for beer and wine.

Healthy Families

Strong communities are created by strong, safe and healthy families. Although families come in all shapes and sizes, they share a fundamental bond. Kyle believes that we must support programs that respect and empower Maryland’s families. We must create safe neighborhoods where families can live, and ensure that government supports all aspects of family life – from marriage to raising children and growing old together. Kyle will fight for the rights of all families in Annapolis.