The following article has been submitted by Sixth District Delegate Bob Long about Maryland getting its priorities straight during the 2026 Legislative Session
Marylanders are hurting. I hear it every time I’m in the grocery store and every time I stop for gas. Marylanders are right.
Yet here we are in Annapolis spending precious time and energy on redistricting maps instead of confronting the very real crisis facing families across our state: sky-high gas and electric bills.
For people on fixed incomes—especially seniors—this isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s a constant source of stress.
When your income doesn’t rise with inflation, every utility bill becomes a hard choice. Heat or groceries. Electricity or prescriptions.
No Marylander who worked their whole life should be forced to make those kinds of decisions.
We are told to be patient, but patience doesn’t keep the lights on. Maryland has spent years forcing plants to close through legislative pressure.
And now ratepayers are stuck paying more every year while accountability remains an afterthought.
If the system isn’t working for ordinary people, then the system needs to change.
Meanwhile, redistricting debates drag on. The people I represent didn’t send me to Annapolis to argue over political lines while their utility bills climb higher and higher.
The redistricting fight is nothing more than an unfair and illegal power grab.
It’s time for the General Assembly to refocus on what truly matters: lowering utility costs, protecting seniors, and making sure Maryland remains affordable for the people who built this state.
