The 446th Session of the Maryland General Assemblyhas adjourned Sine Die.
Sine Die! pic.twitter.com/dobZ3P95BI
— Jeff Morgan (@JeffMorganTV) April 9, 2024
Lawmakers passed hundreds of bills over the last 90 days, and we've been covering the session thoroughly.
But here's a recap of the bills that did and did not pass this year.
With less than two weeks, lawmakers came together to move the PORT Act through, to financially help workers impacted by the Key Bridge Collapse on March 26th.
The PORT Act wasn't the only bill this session sparked by tragedy.
The Maryland Road Worker Protection Act, a Moore administration priority, came out of the tragedy last March that also killed 6 roadway workers, on I-695.
The bill increases fines in work zones and changes how speed cameras can be utilized in work zones. Six workers were killed after two high-speed drivers collided, sending one of the drivers through an opening in a work zone barrier.
Another bill keeping the members of a particular profession safe is the Judge Andrew F. Wilkinson Judicial Security Act.
The bill allows a judge to request that their personal information not be posted online or be taken down. That came after Judge Andrew Wilkinson was murdered in his driveway by someone who had appeared earlier that day in his courtroom.
The Pava LaPere Legacy of Innovation Act of 2024 also works to bring some good from tragedy. LaPere was a tech entrepreneur in Baltimore when she was murdered last summer.
The bill on the governor's desk creates a grant program for student entrepreneurs in the Baltimore metropolitan region.
NyKayla Strawder's murder also inspired legislation, but that bill missed the last step to make it to the Governor's desk before the end of session last night.
The NyKayla Stawder Memorial Act would have required child in need of services (CINS) petitions to be filed in an instance of a child under 13 being suspected of having killed someone.
However, required CINS petitions have been expanded through the Juvenile Law - Reform bill. The bill changes how children, accused of certain crimes, are handled by police and the courts.
The Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2024 will head to the Governor's desk as well, which will allow the Attorney General and the equivalent entities for each of the 23 counties and Baltimore City will be allowed to sue members of the firearm industry if they contribute "to a public nuisance through the sale, manufacture, distribution, importation or marketing of a firearm-related product." The bill passed over strong Republican opposition.
The Governor will also have the opportunity to sign the Pimlico Plus bill, which will give the State of Maryland stewardship of horse racing in the State, including authorizing the state to purchase Pimlico Race Track for $1 from the Stronach Group.
Some other bills that won't make it to the Governor's desk include the Educate to Stop the Hate Act which would've created curriculum standards for Holocaust education, a resolution Supporting a Long-Term Ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, a bill that would allow a person to civilly sue for being the victim of revenge porn and a bill that would have designated the state fruit to be the American Persimmon.
Some additional bills that will go to the Governor's desk include a bill prohibiting the consideration of legacy or donor preference for admissions to institutions of higher education, allowing the counties and Baltimore City to set a special property tax rate for vacant and abandoned properties, the budget, the Kratom Consumer Protection Act, local control over the Baltimore Police Department, and altering the membership of the Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention.
You can find more of our coverage throughout the session, including links to longer more in-depth articles in our legislative blog, here.