Committee of 100 Next Generation Leaders Program:2024 Application Now Open for Submission

Committee of 100 Next Generation Leaders Program:
2024 Application Now Open for Submission

New York, NY (September 13, 2023) – Committee of 100, a non-profit organization of prominent Chinese Americans today announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Next Generation Leaders (NGL) class. The 2024 NGL class will be announced and spotlighted at Committee of 100’s 2022 Conference and Gala, which will take in April 2024. 

Launched in 2014, Committee of 100’s NGL program convenes an exceptional group of change-makers and rising leaders from diverse sectors, leveraging a collective sense of service and purpose to elevate the impact of each individual. Currently, there are over 180 NGL alumni across a multitude of sectors who make up a vibrant and diverse network.

Becoming a member of Committee of 100’s NGL program comes with the exclusive opportunity to join a vibrant community of like-minded NextGen leaders, motivated to work towards a more productive U.S.-China relationship and a more diverse and inclusive U.S. society. NextGen leaders will engage with Committee of 100 to develop customized programming and content tailored to the NextGen community and to collaborate with Committee of 100 Members, who are comprised of leaders across business, government, science, academia, and the arts. NextGen leaders also receive complimentary invitations to Committee of 100’s annual conference, with dedicated NextGen programming, and special access to additional Committee of 100 events. Additionally, NextGen leaders will engage in impactful service projects with both Committee of 100 and partner organizations as brand ambassadors and change-makers for positive social impact and community-building. 

Committee of 100 is now accepting applications from exceptional young professionals and rising leaders from all sectors who are passionate about Committee of 100’s dual missions to promote the inclusion of Chinese Americans and the larger AAPI community in all aspects of U.S. society and to advance constructive dialogue and relations between the U.S. and Greater China. Individuals who demonstrate a remarkable history of professional and personal excellence and aged forty-five and younger may apply. The full list of criteria and access to the application can be found here.

The deadline to submit applications is January 5, 2024 at 5:00pm Eastern Time.

About Committee of 100
Committee of 100 is a non-profit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts focused on public policy engagement, civic engagement, and philanthropy. For over 30 years, Committee of 100 has served as the preeminent organization committed to the dual missions of promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life and constructive relations between the United States and Greater China. Visit https://www.committee100.org/ or follow Committee of 100 on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram for more information.

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Committee of 100 contacts: 

Charles Zinkowski 
Sr. Director of Marketing & Communications 
czinkowski@committee100.org

Intern Report 2: Ranked Choice Voting -Why it’s important

Intern Report 2: Ranked Choice Voting -Why it’s important

This video was created by David Li of University of Maryland, College Park, summer intern of Office of Delegate Chao Wu. It helps people to understand what is ranked choice voting (RCV), what is the benefits and challenges of RCV. The following is the video:

Ranked Choice Voting -Why it’s important – YouTube

Grant from Maryland Manufacturing 4.0

Grant from Maryland Manufacturing 4.0

The Maryland Manufacturing 4.0 grant program provides grants to small and mid-sized Maryland manufacturers to invest in Industry 4.0-related technologies, machinery and robotics, and digital business practices in order to remain competitive and drive growth. 20% of the funds will be reserved for small manufacturers with 3-50 employees.

  • Grants of $25,000-$500,000 will be made available to manufacturers to adopt new technologies, machinery and robotics, and digital business practices in order to remain competitive and drive growth.
  • Grant awards will vary based on the applicant’s total investment, and the applicant must demonstrate matching funds as follows:
    • 3-50 employees – 25% match requirement (grants up to 75% of total project costs)
    • 51-250 employees – 50% match requirement (grants up to 50% of total project costs)

https://commerce.maryland.gov/fund/maryland-manufacturing-4-0

Meals on the Wheels

Meals on Wheels is a nationwide program that provides older Americans with nutritious meals and safety checks at little to no cost. To bring more attention to this popular meal program, we have created resources that highlights:

– What meals on wheels is
– How do you sign up
– What types of meals are offered
– Food stamps for seniors

https://www.retireguide.com/retirement-life-leisure/senior-housing/aging-in-place/meals-on-wheels/

Applications Open for Fall 2023 Autism Hiring Program!

Applications Open for Fall 2023 Autism Hiring Program!

The Autism Hiring Program is now accepting applications for both of its fall sessions – one serving Montgomery County and the other serving “Mid-Maryland” for residents of Howard and surrounding counties.  

The Autism Hiring Program was created by the Howard County Autism Society to advance workplace neurodiversity and acceptance by connecting businesses to an untapped workforce of skilled Autistic adults and targeting jobseekers not supported by existing systems.

Please share this opportunity with possible candidates and interested employers.  We’ve attached a flyer and applications for both cohorts to this email.

The AHP is supported by: 2023 Community Project Funding/Congressional Directed Spending grant funds, Arbor Dog Foundation, Gula Tech Foundation, Howard County, MD/Howard County Office of Workforce Development, Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council, and WorkSource Montgomery as well as many individual and corporate supporters.  

For more information, visit https://howard-autism.org/autism-hiring-program/  or email linda.hoyt@howard-autism.org

Virtual Public Comment Hearings Set for BGE’s Rate Increase August 9, 2023

Comment by Delegate Wu: I really wish they provide a document along this notice why BGE feels there is a need to increase rate by 5% per year. We already have high inflation.

(BALTIMORE, MD) – The Maryland Public Service Commission has scheduled two initial virtual public comment hearings on the multi-year rate plan filed in February by Baltimore Gas and Electric Company. Utility customers and other interested parties are welcome to take part in the hearings on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 at 7 p.m. and Wednesday, August 23 at 7 p.m. The Commission will schedule an additional public comment hearing at a later date.

According to BGE’s application, the company proposes a combined gas and electric rate increase of $602.4 million over three years, which it says will increase the average residential customer’s bill by five percent per year. The company provides electric distribution service to more than 1.3 million customers and gas service to 700,000 customers in the greater central Maryland region, including Baltimore City and all or part of 10 surrounding counties.  

To speak at a hearing, send an email to kimberly.schock@maryland.gov by 12 noon on Monday, August 7 (for the first hearing) or by 12 noon on Monday, August 21 (for the second hearing). For those who just want to watch the hearings, they will be livestreamed on the Commission’s YouTube channel.

The Commission will also accept written comments (until September 29, 2023) which can be sent by mail or submitted electronically through the online portal at https://www.psc.state.md.us/make-a-public-comment/

Comments sent by mail should be addressed to: Andrew Johnston, Executive Secretary, Maryland Public Service Commission, William Donald Schaefer Tower, 6 St. Paul Street, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. So that they are noted in the proper case file, all comments should reference Case No. 9692. Only one copy is necessary.

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About the Public Service Commission:

The Maryland Public Service Commission regulates electric and gas utilities and suppliers, telephone companies (land lines), certain water and sewer companies, passenger motor vehicle carriers for hire (sedans, limousines, buses, Uber, Lyft), taxicab companies (in Baltimore City and County, Charles County, Cumberland and Hagerstown) and bay pilot rates.

2023 Newsmaker: Asian American stories of resistance and joy

Newsmaker: Asian American stories of resistance and joy

Our new article on National School Board Association’s American School Board Journal.

https://nsba.org/ASBJ/2023/august/newsmaker-aapi-joy-and-resistance

July 11, 2023

Despite persisting discrimination, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are pushing for increased visibility of their communities and their heritage, both inside and outside of the classroom.

The American public school system is changing. As the epidemic of anti-Asian hate swelled to a new peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, activists have pushed back against harmful stereotypes. In school systems across the U.S., policymakers have advocated for changes to their state’s curriculum to reflect better the diversity of their student body and surrounding communities. Illinois, the first state to require the teaching of Asian American history in 2021, began implementing this new curriculum in public schools this academic year. In May, Florida became the most recent state to require Asian American history to be taught in its classrooms.

The progress made by Asian American activists, policymakers, and educators has been impressive, but the work is not finished. Anti-Asian hate and ignorance continue to pervade classrooms, despite these efforts. In May 2023, the Maryland state legislature passed a bill that provided grants to local school systems to encourage more student field trips to museums, such as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) museums. Yet, students continue to face discrimination, even with additional efforts to increase diversity. A first grader in Maryland’s Howard County Public School System was repeatedly harassed by her peers on the way home from school, where other students would make inappropriate gestures and make fun of her Chinese heritage. Moreover, required reading materials and a lack of nuanced discussions about U.S.-China foreign policy have increased anti-Chinese sentiments within classrooms. These sentiments are often directed at Chinese American students. Linfeng Chen, a Howard County school board member, recalled that his son felt ostracized when the school morning announcements replayed news reports about the “spy balloon.”

Other Chinese American students felt uncomfortable reading Red Scarf Girl in their middle school English classes because they felt that the book painted the Chinese government in a negative light and placed those stereotypes on all Chinese people. Nearly half of all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders nationwide reported experiencing discrimination in 2023, and Asian American students are a part of that statistic. Even with the progress in incorporating Asian American history into school curricula, discrimination and anti-Asian hate still plague Asian American students. Our public school system must address this hatred and incorporate more inclusive, culturally competent changes to classrooms.

In the face of these challenges, the Asian American community in Howard County has pushed for the school system to recognize their culture and traditions. The Asian American communities rallied together for years to petition the school board to add Asian American holidays to the school calendar, which only included Christian and Jewish holidays. In 2016, the school board voted to expand its calendar to include Eid Al-Adha, Lunar New Year, and Diwali as days for school closure to allow Asian American students the opportunity to celebrate these holidays with their families at home.

Asian American students and parents have strived to share their holidays and cultural traditions with peers and school faculty, as well. Every year, around Lunar New Year, families visit their children’s schools and spend their day making dumplings for the school’s teachers and staff. They also bring paper lanterns and other red-colored decor to line the hallways. Just as the hallways are decorated each year around Halloween and Christmas, the Lunar New Year decorations brighten the hallways and make students excited about the holiday.

Asian American youth have used their agency as student leaders to create clubs and events that celebrate the diversity of cultures at their school. In Howard County, Project Lotus aims to share Asian American culture. Its members collaborated with other student clubs, such as the Black Leadership Union and the Muslim Student Association, to host a Culture Day to celebrate the diversity within the schools’ student body. Lily Peng, a high school student and the founder of Project Lotus, expressed that “the months of planning were all worth it to see the community come together and celebrate each other’s cultures.” The event boasted performances and cultural activities that attendees could participate in. Reflecting on the impact of that night, Lily believed that Culture Day “reaffirmed the importance of diverse communities” at her school. Asian American culture and traditions are a part of the diversity that make up our schools, communities, and country. Recognizing and including the Asian American community is not adding to the picture of America but completing it.

Despite persisting discrimination, Asian Americans have pushed for the visibility of their community and their heritage inside and outside of the classroom. The Asian American community is an intrinsic part of the fabric of the U.S. Asian Americans are students, leaders, mentors, volunteers, and community members in towns and cities across the nation. Our history, culture, and traditions deserve to be learned about and celebrated.

Judy Zhou (jz711@georgetown.edu) is a student at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. Lily Peng and Julia Chen are 11th-grade students in the Howard County Public School System, Maryland. Linfeng Chen (linfeng.chen@gmail.com) is a member of the Howard County School Board. Yun Lu (yun.lu@hcpss.org) is vice chair of the Howard County School Board. Chao Wu (chao.wu@house.state.md.us) is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, District 9A.

2022 Issue

2021 Issue

Renewed HOV permit application for plug-in electric vehicles

The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) is pleased to inform you that starting Monday, June 12, qualified plug-in electric vehicle owners will be eligible to apply for a new High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Permit.

The HOV permit will allow drivers to use the HOV lanes on Interstate 270 and US-50 regardless of the number of vehicle occupants. The program previously sunset on September 30, 2022, but has since been renewed by House Bill 123, Chapter 121 Acts of Maryland 2023, and signed into law by Governor Wes Moore.

The MVA will begin accepting applications on June 12, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

All eligible vehicle owners must apply for a new permit through the myMVA eServices portal here or visiting an MVA branch office. Please note that prior permit holders should remove expired permits from their vehicle and reapply for a new permit. The new program includes a $5 application fee and is valid through September 30, 2025.
If you would like to share any information to constituents regarding the new HOV permit program, you can refer them to the MVA website for applicable program requirements and to access the application form. The website link is:

https://mva.maryland.gov/about-mva/Pages/info/27300/27300-54T.aspx.