Advocacy

Advocacy Statement
Nonprofit Montgomery SB184 Support

Nonprofit Montgomery is an alliance of nonprofits serving residents of Montgomery County, Maryland’s largest county. We work to strengthen the nonprofit sector serving Montgomery County, Maryland, through leadership development, organizational capacity building, and peer-to-peer networking and support; increase the visibility of nonprofits and the work they do; and influence progress through advocacy and strategic partnerships.

We would like to share our support of  Senate Bill 184 authorizing the Secretary of State to issue regulations that allow them to exercise flexibility in enforcement actions for late or missing registrations or payments.

Many Montgomery County nonprofits are led by part-time or volunteer staff, and their governing boards are almost, if not entirely composed of unpaid volunteer directors. We are aware that compliance with state filings is a challenge for many organizations, including those with paid staff. It is almost always the case that these challenges are unintended and based on a failure of awareness or understanding of the myriad requirements.

Often, these are related to issues of succession planning and continuity, where paperwork is handled by a long-time employee or volunteer, and after they depart, responsibility isn’t clearly delegated to another person. In Montgomery County, we hear from many small and emerging organizations, many with leaders who are unpaid, not native English speakers, and perhaps new to the county, state, and country. They often discover their lack of compliance when applying for county grant funding to support their community-based organizations.

The current practice of the Secretary of State’s Office, to prioritize assisting in compliance rather than imposing penalties, is more appropriate in the majority of these situations, than a referral to the Central Collections Unit.

Senate Bill 184 does not preclude the Secretary’s Office from the option of pursuing forced collection or penalties in cases where it is deemed appropriate.

We urge you to give Senate Bill 184 a FAVORABLE report.

Recap of Council President Kate Stewart’s Q&A with Nonprofit Montgomery

On Monday, January 6, Nonprofit Montgomery kicked off 2025 with a conversation with Council President Kate Stewart. Council President Stewart shared updates on the the county’s plans for protecting residents in the context of the new federal administration, county budget process, the council’s oversight of grants, and her general priorities for 2025.

County Council Budget Advocacy Timeline:

• County Executive’s Recommended Budget is released in mid-March

• The County Council begins work sessions in April and May

• The County Council votes on the budget before Memorial Day.

Nonprofit Montgomery’s County Budget Advocacy:

• After the County Executive’s budget is released, Nonprofit Montgomery will share our suggested talking points with our members as well as information on how to sign up for testimony. Additionally, we will be arranging appointment with councilmembers to discuss nonprofits’ concerns, and will share signup information to join those appointments.

• Additionally, our State of Nonprofits in Montgomery County 2025 Report will inform our budget advocacy. Our kickoff event for this report is on March 20. This will be followed by a series of fireside chats to explore the recommendations in the report more fully.

MCPS Budget Advocacy:

Superintendent Thomas Taylor has proposed a $3.61 billion Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2026. The recommendation reflects a “Focus on Fundamentals” approach that targets investments directly to schools, supports student success and addresses structural deficits within the system.

The Board of Education will now hold public hearings and work sessions on the budget. The timeline follows:

• Public Hearings: Thursday, Jan. 16, and Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.

• Work Sessions: Tuesday, Jan. 14, Thursday, Jan. 23, and Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.

• Board Approval: Tentative adoption of operating budget; Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.

• Final Adoption: Adjustments based on revenue projections will follow, with final adoption expected Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

More information can be found on the Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget website

Now that summer is over, it’s time to start thinking about the County’s budget process and Nonprofit Montgomery’s FY25 advocacy. The County Council returns from recess this week and all local agencies are moving into active mode!

County Executive Community Conversations

The County Executive’s Community Conversations are a great way to draw attention to your organization’s or clients’ concerns. What the County Executive hears in these conversations will help him prioritize issues for the FY25 County Operating Budget, which will be released in March 2025.
Learn more.

County Council Community Events

Councilmember Natali Fani-Gonzalez is hosting a Public Safety Town Hall with D-18 and D-19 state legislators.

Wednesday, September 25, 6 pm-8 pm, Wheaton Library/Recreation Center
bit.ly/4cF6Cwn

County Council

Tuesday, September 10, 9 am
Growth Infrastructure Policy Public Hearing, 1:30 PM.
Sign up for testimony.

Full Council Session

Tuesday, September 17, 9 am
Full Council Session
Vehicle Noise Abatement Public Hearing,
1:30 PM. Sign up for testimony.

MCPS Board of Education Meeting:

Thursday, September 12, 2024,
15 W. Gude Dr., Rockville, MD
Sign-ups for testimony open one week before at 6 pm

Montgomery County Public Schools Listening Sessions with Dr. Thomas Taylor

(stay tuned for a date for a Nonprofit Montgomery session!)

• Monday, Sept. 16, 7–8 p.m. Poolesville High School,
• Wednesday, Sept. 18, 7–8 p.m., Rockville High School
• Monday, Sept. 23, 7–8 p.m., Montgomery Blair High School

County Council with Planning Board – Attainable Housing

The Montgomery County Council, in collaboration with the Planning Department, will be hosting five in-person listening sessions about these recommendations. Sign up to attend.

• Wednesday, September 11, 7-9 PM: Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center( 1315 Apple Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910)
• Thursday, September 12, 7-9 PM: Wheaton Community Recreation Center( 11701 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902)
• Tuesday, September 17, 7-9 PM: White Oak Community Recreation Center (1700 April Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20904)
• Monday, September 23, 7-9 PM: Germantown Community Recreation Center (18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown, MD 20874)
• Wednesday, September 25, 7-9PM: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center (4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814)
• Wednesday, October 2, 12 noon – 1:30 pm: Zoom

Montgomery County Planning Board:

Planning Board Speaker Series, “Housing Conversation: From Research to Reality”

Thursday, September 19,
5:30 – 7:30 pm,
M-NCPPC Headquarters, Wheaton, MD

Make your voice heard!
Upcoming Council Committee Worksessions – full schedule here

NOTE: Residents can upload written or prerecorded video or audio testimony online

All Council and committee meetings are broadcast live on County Cable Montgomery (Comcast channel 996 HD, 6 SD; RCN channel 1056 HD, 6 SD; & Verizon channel 30) and are streamed on the Council’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Archived materials and videos can be found here.

Planning, Housing and Parks Committee – July 18 – 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Executive Regulation 2-24, Rent Stabilization
• Executive Regulation 16-23 Tenant Displacement – Right of First Refusal (ROFR)

ECON/TE  July 22 –  9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

• Executive Regulation #8-21, Transportation Demand Management
• Parking Lot District Funding
• Urban Districts

PHP July 22 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Worksession – Growth Tiers Map
• Worksession – Attainable Housing
• ZTA 24-02, Agricultural and Rural Zones – Campground

PHP July 25 – 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• Executive Regulation 2-24, Rent Stabilization

Three upcoming community conversations with Councilmember Sayles.
July 17, 6pm – Mid County
July 24, 6pm – Silver Spring
July 25, 6pm – Bethesda – Chevy Chase
Register here 

Board of Education Meetings

Upcoming Business Meeting – July 18

Montgomery County Residents Encouraged to Join State, Local Health Officials for Listening Session on Public Health Priorities on Tuesday, July 30

Residents wishing to speak should sign up here.

Opportunity to Provide Comments on Draft Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Regulations.

Stakeholders (maryland.gov)
Employers (maryland.gov)

For more information, watch the zoom recording

Governor Moore is bringing a list of proposed state budget cuts to the Board of Public Works on Wednesday, July 17.

Learn more

The County Executive’s budget forums are still going on and we encourage all of our members and the community to join the forums and speak up for our sector. Check out this post for suggested talking points.

Upcoming Forums:

• Wednesday, Dec. 7: East County Region
• Monday, Dec.12: Upcounty Region
• Wednesday, Dec.14: Bethesda Region

Earlier this week Nonprofit Montgomery’s Executive Director Lavontte Chatmon testified in support of nonprofits at the Montgomery County State Delegation Priorities Meeting. Click here to read her testimony and here to watch the recording (testimony begins at 1:13:20)