Today, Governor Wes Moore announced four vetoes and that there would be one bill he'd let go into effect without his signature.
SB380, the Police Recruitment and Retention Workgroup bill, was duplicative of his GAPS Act, the Governor told Senate President Ferguson in a letter explaining his veto.
"It is not necessary to create two workgroups designed to address the same problem," wrote Moore.
He vetoed a Public Facilities Bond bill for Carroll County, also because it was duplicative, and could've inadvertently authorized double the amount intended. The House version was signed, authorizing the intended amount of $29.8 million.
The other two bills Moore vetoed were not because they were duplicative, but because of issues he had with the substance of the bills.
House Bill 1258, which would have removed the requirement for the government to publish estate notices to be published in newspapers and would've created a centralized website, was vetoed for the impact it could have on local media.
"To so rapidly remove such a large source of advertising revenue as estate notices without considering the impact on the future of local media in Maryland could have severe consequences," he wrote in a letter to House Speaker Adrienne Jones.
However, he also admonished representatives of the newspaper industry for failing to appear or testify during hearings.
"The fact that industry representatives did not engage with House Bill 1258 undermines the legislative process, and is a disservice to all parties involved by not allowing robust conversation and creation of broader policy solutions that address all public interests," he writes in his veto letter.
He also vetoed SB60 which would have temporarily allowed out-of-state RV and motor home dealers to participate in RV shows in Maryland, which he felt was unfair to Maryland dealers.
Moore also sent a letter to both Speaker Jones and President Ferguson about the cross-filed HB464/SB795, which alters the definition of "practice audiology." He's allowing the bill to go into effect without his signature, essentially saying it's a good bill but will need further clarification.
