2020 Legislative Session
In the 2020 Legislative Session, Senator Bailey secured State funding for important projects in District 29 in the Operating and Capital Budgets. Included among the most notable items in the budget are the Third Building at USMSM, Historic St. Mary’s City, the Calvert Marine Museum, the Regional Agricultural Center planned in Charlotte Hall, Chopticon High School’s stadium press box, restorations for Historic Sotterley Plantation, and renovations to the St. Mary’s County Detention Center.
The Senator also worked to ensure funding was included in the budget to be dedicated to study the feasibility of a future behavioral health crisis center in Southern Maryland. Additionally, as the Chair of the Southern Maryland Senate Delegation, Senator Bailey also supported bills which increase funding for the Tri-County Council of Southern Maryland and streamline the budget process for the College of Southern Maryland.
Sponsored Legislation
Senator Bailey is proud to have sponsored the following bills which passed in the 2020 Legislative Session:
Senate Bill 242 – Natural Resources – Wild Waterfowl Policy – Repeal removes obsolete provisions of Maryland law regarding the issuance of a license to feed wild waterfowl. The current law has only served to confuse the public and those police officers who attempt to enforce it; Senate Bill 242 will end this confusion.
Senate Bill 261 – St. Mary’s County – Public Facilities Bond authorizes the St. Mary’s County Commissioners to borrow money to finance the construction, improvement, or development of public facilities in St. Mary’s County.
Senate Bill 343 – Calvert County – Public Facilities Bond authorizes the Calvert County Commissioners to borrow money to finance the construction, improvement, or development of public facilities in Calvert County.
Senate Bill 510 – Natural Resources – Commercial Fishing – Use of Haul Seines authorizes a person, if a haul seine is fished on a Friday, to empty that haul seine during the period from 12:01 a.m. on the following Saturday until sunrise on the following Monday. This law will protect non-targeted species of fish, including threatened or endangered species or fish caught out of season, by releasing them on Saturday morning. Under current law, a waterman cannot release any fish that are caught in the net, including non-targeted species, until Monday.
Senate Bill 882 – Recreational Striped Bass Fishery – Study on Harvest Data requires the Department of Natural Resources to conduct a study on methods of obtaining more accurate harvest data for the recreational striped bass fishery. As many recreational anglers are aware, this legislation is important to accurately record the number of striped bass caught in the Chesapeake Bay. Decisions about fishing limits for striped bass were made based off of outdated and limited recreational data that includes a significant amount of error. This bill is an effort to improve the accuracy of this data so that, moving forward, everyone is working for a sustainable fishery. This was a priority of the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus.
Senate Bill 1025 – Task Force on Fishing License Penalties establishes a task force to study and make recommendations on fishing license penalty reciprocity between Maryland and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC). Senator Bailey is confident that this task force will help the PRFC close a longstanding loophole and come up with and implement sound policies so we can protect our natural resources that are so vulnerable to poaching by individuals who have had their fishing licenses suspended or revoked elsewhere.
Other Accomplishments
In addition to these bills, Senator Bailey also worked on other issues of importance to residents of District 29:
Straight-Walled Rifle Cartridges – Senator Bailey has heard from many of Maryland’s hunters in support of allowing the use of straight-walled rifle cartridges in Maryland. The Senator worked on this issue with the Department of Natural Resources and, as a result, regulations to allow the use of these cartridges have been enacted.
House Bill 4/Senate Bill 208 requires a background check for secondary sales, rentals, and transfers of rifles and shotguns. Senator Bailey has checked thousands of hunters and sportsmen who utilized long guns in his 30 year law enforcement career, and he opposed this legislation because it will not have any meaningful impact on crime in Maryland. Senator Bailey was successful in adding an amendment to the bill to protect the Second Amendment rights of his Amish and Traditional Mennonite Constituents who are unable to undergo background checks because their religious belief against taking pictures prevents them from having photo identification.
2019 Legislative Session
In the 2019 Legislative Session, Senator Bailey secured State funding for important projects in District 29 in the Operating and Capital Budgets. Included among the most notable items in the budget are the Third Building at USMSM, which is crucial to growing our local economy and represents a critical investment in bringing expanded higher education research opportunities to Southern Maryland. The budget also included funding for a new academic building, 700-seat auditorium, and infrastructure improvements at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, as well as funding for Historic St. Mary’s City, the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC), the Airport Autonomous Systems Center at St. Mary’s County Airport, the Calvert Marine Museum, and Three Notch Theatre.
Sponsored Legislation
Senator Bailey is proud to have sponsored or co-sponsored the following bills which passed during the 2019 Legislative Session:
Senate Bill 292 – Property Tax Credit – Public Safety Officer – Definition allows volunteer emergency medical technicians to be defined as public safety officers so that they may be eligible recipients for local property tax credits. Senator Bailey takes pride in serving those who serve our community and this bill passed unanimously through the legislature.
Senate Bill 390 – Natural Resources – Sunday Hunting – St. Mary’s County allows individuals in St. Mary’s County to hunt any game bird or game mammal, except game birds, on any Sunday during the open season for that appropriate bird or mammal. The bill applies to private property or public land designated for Sunday hunting by the Department of Natural Resources. This is a huge victory for St. Mary’s County, especially our young hunters who may not have been able to hunt because of school and extracurricular activities, which typically take place on Saturdays.
Senate Bill 947 – Calvert County – Correctional Officers’ Bill of Rights establishes the rights of a correctional officer relating to the employment, investigation, and discipline of correctional officers in Calvert County.
Senate Bill 957 – Calvert County – Office of the Sheriff – Correctional Deputies authorizes the Sheriff of Calvert County to appoint correctional deputies who serve under the direction of the Sheriff and adds “correctional deputies” to statutory provisions regarding deputy sheriffs in Calvert County.
Other Accomplishments
In addition to these bills, Senator Bailey also worked on other issues of importance to residents of District 29:
Senate Bill 521 – Veteran Suicide Prevention – Comprehensive Action Plan – Senator Bailey was proud to work with Secretary Owings of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs and Senator Smith on this bi-partisan legislation that increases the accessibility of professional veteran health services with the hope to prevent suicides. This bill raises awareness and will provide extensive resources to our veterans who desperately need our help.
Senate Bill 311 – End of Life Option Act – Senator Bailey opposes this legislation and voted against it in the Senate. Thankfully, this bill was defeated in the Senate with a tie 23-23 vote, with one senator abstaining. Senator Bailey had numerous conversations with constituents about this bill and understands how important and personal this issue is to so many residents of District 29.