Dear Friends:

With over 1200 bills introduced this session in the Maryland General Assembly, the Senate Committees continue to focus their attention on a wide array of issues that will surely affect the lives of all Marylanders. This week Senate committee members received testimony on over two hundred bills as well as deliberated over the fate of many other bills. To date, over a hundred bills have passed the Senate and are now in the House of Delegates where the process of bill hearings, committee deliberations and full chamber considerations will be repeated by the House of Delegates on each bill.

Next week is sure to continue to bring long days filled with hours of heated, passionate and emotional testimony with bills such as the End-of-Life Option, Cannabis Reform and Educational Shortages scheduled to be heard in their respective committees.

SENATE COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTS

Senate Bill 555/House Bill 549: Fair Wage Act of 2023

Senate Bill 555 was heard before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, March 2nd. SB 555 accelerates the scheduled increase of the state minimum wage to $15 from 2025 to 2023. The bill would also establish the means for automatic increases to the minimum wage based on the consumer price index rather than requiring elected state legislators to vote each time for an increase.

Senate Bill 786/House Bill 812: Health - Reproductive Health Services - Protected Information and Insurance Requirements

Senate Bill 786 was heard before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, March 1st. SB 786 shields medical records involving reproductive health services. If passed, SB 786 would prevent patients’ reproductive health data from being used in a criminal prosecution or civil litigation outside of the state. 

Senate Bill 859/House Bill 808: Reproductive Health Protection Act

Senate Bill 859 was heard in the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, March 1st. The bill prohibits a judge from requiring an individual to testify about a legal abortion in a state banning abortion.

Senate Bill 554/House Bill 553- Maryland National Guard - Tricare Premium Reimbursement Program - Establishment (Health Care for Heroes Act of 2023)

Senate Bill 554 was heard before the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee on Wednesday, March 1st. This bill establishes the Tricare Premium Reimbursement Program in the Military Department to award grants to reimburse eligible members of the National Guard for the cost of premiums for health care and dental care plans.

Senate Bill 553: Income Tax - Subtraction Modification for Military Retirement Income (Keep our Heroes Home Act)

Senate Bill 553 was heard before the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee on Wednesday, March 1st. This bill increases the subtraction modification for retired military income received by individuals, regardless of their age, to $25,000 in 2023 and $40,000 in 2024 and beyond. Under the current tax code, military retirees under the age of fifty-five can subtract the first $5,000 of their military income and military retirees over fifty-five are allowed to subtract the first $15,000 of their military income from their adjusted gross income. 

BILLS ON THE MOVE!

Senate Bill 224/House Bill 230: Department of the Environment - Zero-Emission Medium - and Heavy-Duty Vehicles - Regulations (Clean Trucks Act of 2023)

An amended version of Senate Bill 224 made it out of the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee to the Senate Floor where it was debated, and ultimately adopted by the Senate. The bill now moves on to the House of Delegates for consideration. As passed by the Senate, SB 224 requires the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to adopt new regulations by December 1, 2023. These regulations are to be similar to the standards adopted by the State of California that require only zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles will be sold in the state beginning in the 2040 model year. Medium and heavy-duty vehicles include; school buses, farm trucks and tractor trailers. Amendments to the bill require the MDE, in consultation with other state agencies, to prepare and submit to the General Assembly an infrastructure needs assessment and deployment plan relating to its successful implementations. Such as assessing the additional impact on the state’s electric grid, increasing geographic coverage of public recharging stations and outlining the level of purchase incentives that will be required to meet the goals of implementation.

Senate Bill 102/House Bill 465: Natural Resources - Recreational Crabbing Gear - Exemption

Senate Bill 102 authorizes a person 16 years of age and younger to recreationally crab in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries without a recreational crabbing license. The bill unanimously passed the Senate and has moved to the House of Delegates for consideration. 

HEARING ALERTS

Senate Bill 845/HB 933: End-of-Life Option Act (The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings and the Honorable Shane E. Pendergrass Act)

Senate Bill 845 will be heard in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Tuesday, March 7th. This bill allows Marylanders to access medical aid in dying as an end-of-life option.

Senate Bill 516/House Bill 556: Cannabis Reform

Senate Bill 516 will be heard before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, March 9th. This bill establishes the licensing framework for the regulated sale and use of recreational cannabis as well as establishes a sales and use tax of 6% up to 10% by 2028. All medical marijuana facilities will be required to accommodate recreational marijuana users, have a ‘fast lane’ for medical marijuana users as well as pay additional fees to convert their licenses.

Senate Bill 762/House Bill 173: Drug Paraphernalia for Administration - Decriminalization

Senate Bill 762 will be heard before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Tuesday, March 7th. This bill alters the definitions and lowers the penalties relating to individuals possessing or distributing drug paraphernalia. 

Senate Bill 676: Drugged Driving - Cannabis-Impaired Driving Test Pilot Program - Establishment

Senate Bill 676 will be heard before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on Wednesday, March 8th. This bill establishes a pilot program to determine the effectiveness of enforcing the prohibition against driving while impaired by cannabis and other drugs. SB 676 also authorizes a trained drug recognition expert police officer to administer a cannabis-impaired driving test, although the driver can refuse the test and the test results cannot be used for further investigations or legal action.

Senate Bill 461: Retirement Tax Elimination Act of 2023

Senate Bill 461 will be heard before the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee on Thursday, March 9th. SB 461 creates a phased-in income tax subtraction modification against the State income tax for Maryland retirees.

Senate Bill 893/House Bill 1219: Maryland Education Shortage Act of 2023

Senate Bill 893 will be heard in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee on Tuesday, March 7th. This bill attempts to address the teacher shortage by requiring the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to make changes relating to the recruitment and retention of teachers.

Senate Bill 735/House Bill 1234: Workgroup to Study the Wages of Education Support Professionals

Senate Bill 735 will be heard before the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee on Wednesday, March 8th. This bill establishes a workgroup to study the wages of Education Support Professionals to determine whether increases in their wages would attract and retain these skilled support professionals. 

BREAKING NEWS

Senate Bill 959/House Bill 1290: Higher Education - Maryland 529 Program - Reform

Senate Bill 959 was referred to the Senate Rules Committee, where it must receive a two-thirds vote by committee members in order to be assigned to a Senate Standing Committee. This emergency bill abolishes the Maryland529 Board and transfers the responsibility for administering the program to the Office of the State Treasurer.

Senate Bill 378: Public Health - Vaccinations - Minor Consent

As highlighted in my previous e-blast, Senate Bill 378 would have allowed minors who are at least 14 years old to have the same ability as an adult to consent to vaccination, although it did not give a minor the ability to refuse vaccination for which a parent or guardian has given consent. This bill was withdrawn by its sponsor.