Policy Agenda
21st-Century Connected Transportation Systems
Transportation is the second largest budget item for Maryland households. As Comptroller and as a member of the Board of Public Works, Brooke will increase transparency and oversight of transportation funds to help ensure that all Marylanders have access to a quality, 21st-century transportation system that reduces congestion and provides greater access to business and commerce.
POLICY PRIORITIES
Investing in a 21st-Century Transportation System
In order for Maryland to provide equitable opportunities to all of its residents, provide an inclusive response to and recovery from the pandemic, and compete for top talent, we must invest in a competitive, multimodal transportation system. The State’s transportation revenues are running on fumes, with billions in basic maintenance going unmet and key projects getting delayed or cancelled. Brooke has fought this fight as a State Delegate. As Comptroller, she will work across the political spectrum to ensure our transportation system has the resources needed to not only maintain the existing system but to also transform it.In so doing, she vows to build a more just, equitable, resilient and competitive transportation system.
Addressing Structural Racism in Our Transportation System
From Plessy v. Ferguson to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, to disconnected communities and barriers to access that persist today, transportation is central to the struggle for equality in the United States. Substandard transit access is the daily lived experience for far too many Marylanders. The State’s investments in our transportation system should specifically address, redress, and dismantle structural racism. As a civil rights attorney, Brooke has always fought for racial equity. As Comptroller, she will advocate for Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) investments and policies that eliminate racial disparities and that create a more just economy. She will use meaningful metrics like access to jobs, commute times, community air pollution levels, and community demographics to evaluate and recommend anti-racist transportation policies. Read more about Brooke’s plans to promote racial equity.
Increasing Transparency & Oversight of Transportation Investments
Maryland taxpayers contribute billions of dollars annually to the Transportation Trust Fund. The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) spends those funds on transportation infrastructure and services. As Comptroller, Brooke will help taxpayers know how the revenues from sources like the gas tax, the corporate income tax, and transit fares change over time. As Comptroller, Brooke will use her Office to provide greater oversight and accountability of MDOT spending to best achieve Marylanders’ shared goals of equity, opportunity, and resiliency.
BROOKE’S RECORD
- Brooke’s work on transit started well before she ran for office when she was on the Citywide Citizens Advisory Council for the Red Line light rail in Baltimore and her neighborhood station area advisory committee. She ran as a pro-transit candidate in 2014 and has continued her advocacy throughout her term, authoring and passing legislation to create an Oversight Board for MTA (vetoed by the Governor), legislation listed below, and supporting and offering strengthening amendments for the Metro Funding Bill to shore up resources for WMATA and MTA. Brooke also founded and co-chairs the General Assembly’s bipartisan Transit Caucus, with 50+ members from both chambers. In 2021, she will continue her advocacy for transit, working with Senator Cory McCray on the Transit Safety & Investment Act.
- Brooke sponsored legislation repealing punitivive Farebox Recovery Rate mandate to give MTA more flexibility.
- Brooke sponsored legislation establishing the Complete Streets Program to provide matching grants to certified jurisdictions to promote healthy communities.
- Brooke sponsored legislation establishing regulations on Public-Private Partnership Agreements involving roads, highways, or bridges.