MoCo

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 26, 2022—Today the Montgomery County Council voted to enact two bills, introduced by Councilmember Andrew Friedson and cosponsored by all other Councilmembers, that will benefit working parents in Montgomery County Government.

Bill 10-22, the Paid Parental Leave Act, will provide six weeks of paid parental leave for County employees at 100 percent of the employee’s salary. Bill 11-22, the Right to Nourish Act, will require the County to provide lactation rooms or alternative accommodations for employees in its buildings.

“This bill is supported by many advocacy groups including those representing the disability community and the LGBTQ+ community,” said Councilmember Katz, who also serves as chair of the Public Safety Committee. “It is well reasoned, will not be burdensome to implement and will help everyone feel more comfortable.”

Bill 4-22, Human Rights and Civil Liberties – Public Accommodations – Gender Inclusive Restrooms, aims to increase accessibility for anyone to use a single-user restroom, regardless of gender, gender identity, or expression. Existing law allowed an owner of a business or County-owned building to restrict single-occupancy restrooms to a specific gender.

The Montgomery County Council is currently reviewing the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Draft Plan. Following the guidance of the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO), the Council has begun a comprehensive racial equity and social justice review of the Plan.

Please consider responding to the Thrive 2050 community survey. The survey will be used to inform a racial equity and social justice review of Thrive 2050 and the development of a new racial equity and social justice chapter for the plan.

County residents who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander, African American/Black or Hispanic are encouraged to share their stories at  Minority Voices- Personal Stories. Multiple languages are available by clicking on the drop-down menu at the top of the page.  The stories will be collected through Aug.19.

The stories will be combined into a report to highlight both similar and unique challenges in mental health across minority groups.

The resolution, introduced by the Council and led by Councilmember Friedson, comes in response to the disturbing rise of antisemitism and acts of assault, vandalism and harassment against Jewish community members and Jewish organizations across the County and nation.

The resolution adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism and reaffirms the Council’s commitment to combat all forms of hate and extremism and reflects the Council’s strong support for and solidarity with Montgomery County’s Jewish community.

DPS issues hundreds of permits for fences each year. Generally, a permit is required to install any type of fence in Montgomery County.

To replace an existing fence with the same kind of fence in the same location and at the same height, a fence permit is not required if the original fence was permitted. If the existing fence was not permitted, a fence permit is required for the replacement fence.

DEP has continued to develop and expand programs designed to increase recycling as the County strives to reduce waste and recycle more, aiming for zero waste. The Commercial Food Scraps Recycling Partnership Program collected the first pound of food scraps on May 28, 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 health crisis which has been a very challenging time for food service businesses.

In March 2021, the program surpassed its first significant milestone of recycling more than 200,000 pounds of food scraps. By November of last year, that number had more than tripled to more than 625,000 pounds of commercial food scraps recycled.

It's going to be a hot week! 🌡️ Make sure to practice heat safety. #BeatTheHeat ℹ️➡️ https://t.co/qNE8WLBjBX pic.twitter.com/0JICVDUTEh

— Montgomery County MD Government (@MontgomeryCoMD) July 18, 2022