MoCo Government

The two programs being funded by the County are the Montgomery Homeownership Program, administered by the State of Maryland’s Department of Housing, and the Montgomery County Homeownership Assistance Fund (McHAF) Program, administered by the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC). Each program will receive $1.5 million to assist first-time homebuyers.

The programs are accepting reservations and are available to help eligible homebuyers who purchase a moderately-priced home in the County. Reservations will be accepted until the funds are fully committed.

State’s Attorney John McCarthy pledges to protect the reproductive rights of all women. His office will not participate in the extradition of any woman who travels to Maryland as a safe haven in order to obtain an abortion, nor cooperate with any investigative efforts to identify providers. It is the position of the State’s Attorney’s Office that no state would have the legal authority to pass a law that would criminalize the legal activity of a woman who came to Maryland to obtain a medical procedure. The State’s Attorney’s Office for Montgomery County will continue to protect the HIPAA rights of anyone who receives medical care in the state of Maryland.

As Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh has stated, broad access to abortion remains protected in states, including Maryland, that recognize reproductive freedom. The State’s Attorney’s Office for Montgomery County will use the full force of the law to continue to protect women’s rights.”

It is not too late to request a mail-in ballot. To get one, text VBM to 77788 or visit 777vote.org. The request deadline to receive a mail-in ballot by mail is July 12.

The Board of Elections encourages voters to cast ballots as soon as possible. It also offers the following suggestions on steps that can be taken to help the mail-in voting process go smoothly:

Por Nuestra Salud y Bienestar initiative was created under the leadership of Montgomery County council members Nancy Navarro and Gabriel Albornoz and County Executive Marc Elrich.  The initiative focuses on curbing COVID-19 infections and lessening the impact of the virus among the Latino community, which has been among the hardest hit communities in the area. Por Nuestra Salud y Bienestar is led by Montgomery County’s Latino Health Initiative in partnership with seven community-based organizations: Care For Your Health, CASA, Identity, Inc., Mary’s Center, Mansfield Kaseman Health Clinic, Proyecto Salud Clinic, and the Up County Hub. It aims to provide comprehensive and multidisciplinary resources and services in Spanish for the Latino community of Montgomery County to help them address and cope with the impact caused by the pandemic and promote COVID-19 testing and vaccination, among other services.

OCP has been receiving calls and email messages from homeowners who are concerned about the alleged ease with which a crook can file a “quitclaim deed” in the Circuit Court Land Records to change the ownership of a consumer’s house and property.  Homeowners report that these heightened concerns are the result of receiving popup or radio advertisements on the internet from several firms that warn consumers about what might happen to their homes if they fail to purchase “protection” and “monitoring” services.

“These predatory advertisements seek to capture customers through fear and missing information, making consumers believe that they will be subjected to financial harm if they do not purchase their services,” said OCP Director Eric Friedman. “In fact, house stealing by filing fraudulent quitclaim deeds is extremely rare in Montgomery County, and there are several internal processes that make such activity highly unlikely. These advertisements do not disclose full information.”