There is one week left in the Maryland General Assembly, giving lawmakers days to make a final push to get their bills on the governor’s desk before Sine Die, the last day of the session.
Some have successfully sent bills to the governor covering emergency property tax credits and various veterans benefits, while others are making a final effort to pass laws raising the transfer tax on certain real estate, allowing movie theaters to sell alcohol and others issues.
Some of the bills most likely to make it are from Sen. Sarah Elfreth, D-Annapolis. Elfreth, as chair of the county Senate delegation, filed two bills on behalf of County Executive Steuart Pittman, one that would give the county and Annapolis governments greater oversight of the Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County tourism bureau and another that would authorize the County Council to raise the transfer tax on certain real estate to create an affordable housing fund.
Of Elfreth’s bills, more than 15 others are moving through the House of Delegates, including one that would require free mensural products in schools, one to provide internet connectivity across the state and one that would fund grants to hospitals and health centers to provide prenatal care.
Elfreth also signed onto a statewide bill mirroring a local bill her Republican colleagues Senate Minority Leader Bryan Simonaire, R-Pasadena, and Del. Brian Chisholm, R-Severna Park, filed. The bill would give tax credits to Anne Arundel County businesses affected by restrictions imposed to curtail a given emergency, like the coronavirus pandemic; the statewide bill would do the same.
The House version of the bill has been approved by both chambers and sent to Gov. Larry Hogan. Hogan can veto a bill, sign it into law or let it become law without his signature.
Simonaire, R-Pasadena, has a number of bills before the governor that would benefit veterans, including one waiving pet adoption fees and another that would provide veterans participating in a court treatment program a dog for emotional support. Del. Michael Malone cross-filed this bill in the house.
Bills from Sen. Pam Beidle, D-Linthicum, are moving as well, including one that would establish a liquor license for movie theaters in the county, which previously did not exist. A bill that would place speeding cameras along a particularly dangerous stretch of Route 175 in Jessup passed the Senate just after of the crossover deadline, meaning the bill must be approved by the Rules Committee in order to move forward.
Sen. Ed Reilly, R-Gambrills, sponsored a bill that would require pharmacies to give notice before closing. The bill is in committee, but Reilly said Friday there had been no movement and the outcome is “in doubt.”
Sen. Jim Rosapepe sponsored a bill Pittman has been pushing for since late 2019, which would enable local governments to implement progressive structures for income tax. If it gets through, Pittman said he would consider using the program in his upcoming budget to provide relief for local working families — a move that would have to be approved by the Anne Arundel County Council. A house version of this bill is on second reader.
House delegation
There are about 40 bills from the Anne Arundel County delegation in the House of Delegates that could pass before the end of the session.
The following bills are all being considered by a committee in the Senate or have been voted out of committee and are being voted on the floor. They would need to be voted out of committee and pass second and third reader on the floor by Sine die to be sent to the governor’s desk.
Among them are two bills from Del. Heather Bagnall, D-Arnold, one that would create a commission to study mental health in students and another that would establish rules and regulations to govern midwives.
Del. Sandy Bartlett, D-Maryland City, who chairs the House delegation, cross-filed the bills with Elfreth on behalf of Pittman. Bartlett’s bills protect the rights of children that police take into custody and allowing marriage licenses to be kept electronically.
Del. Mark Chang, D-Glen Burnie, has two bills, one to codify education requirements of humane society officers and one that allows county governments to take on debt in anticipation of payout from the Bay Restoration Fund.
Del. Shaneka Henson, D-Annapolis, incorporated tenets of a number of her bills, including one that would ensure congregate-care visitation rights and seal landlord/tenant court records, into similar bills from her colleagues, she said. She has two standalone bills, one that would establish a commission aimed at increasing diversity in the legal field and would change employment regulations for public defenders.
