Monday was crossover day in the General Assembly. This is the date by which all legislation must pass out of either the Senate or the House to be guaranteed a hearing in the opposite chamber. While legislation passed after this date can still be considered, it must first be assigned to and wait in the Rules Committee, which can cause a substantial delay in the final weeks of the session. This made Monday a key deadline for legislation if it is to pass this year.
Senator Bailey is happy to report that the following bills that he sponsored have passed the Senate and are now before the House of Delegates for their consideration:
Senate Bill 7 – Public Safety – Law Enforcement Agencies – Positive Community Feedback
Senate Bill 26 – Criminal Law – Manslaughter by Vehicle or Vessel – Increased Penalties (Jamari’s Law)
Senate Bill 32 – Economic Development – Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation – Loans
Senate Bill 108 – Income Tax – Subtraction Modification – Police Auxiliary and Reserve Volunteers
Senate Bill 117 – Health – Newborn Screening Program – Implementation of Testing
Senate Bill 130 – Criminal Law – Indecent Exposure Within the Presence of a Minor
Senate Bill 166 – Waterway Incident Notification System (WINS) Workgroup
Senate Bill 183 – State Procurement – Prompt Payment of Suppliers
Senate Bill 207 – Natural Resources – Northern Snakehead – Common Name
Senate Bill 429 – Corporations and Associations – Protestant Episcopal Church, Diocese of Washington and Study of Property Held in Trust by the United Methodist Church
Senate Bill 507 – Special Chesapeake Bay and Coastal License – Nonresidents – License Fee
Senate Bill 508 – Hunting – Nonresident Sika Deer Stamp – Fee Alteration
Senate Bill 589 – Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland – Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission – Funding
Senate Bill 712 – State–Owned Nursing Homes – Deficiencies, Citations, and Fines – Reporting Requirements
Senate Bill 1178 – Douglas J. J. Peters Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq Conflicts Scholarship – Repeal of Service Terminal Date
The Senate also passedSenate Bill 1101 on Monday. This bill allows students who receive financial aid from the Maryland Police Officers and Probation Agents Scholarship Program to use their award at a community college in addition to the State’s public four-year institutions. This issue came to light after a budget hearing where Senator Bailey learned that only about $17,000 of the $8.5 million set aside for this program in the last fiscal year was used. It is the Senator’s hope that expanding access to this scholarship program will help with the recruitment and retention of police officers in Maryland.
Public Safety Update
Prior to this legislative session, Senator Bailey announced a package of five bills that he would be sponsoring this session to address public safety in our State. He is proud that all five of those initiatives are included on the list of bills above.
In addition, the Senate passed several other bills before crossover to address this priority issue, including:
Senate Bill 100 – Criminal Law – Organized Retail Theft, which establishes the offense of “organized retail theft” of property with an aggregate value exceeding $1,500. A violation of this law would be a felony punishable by five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000.
Senate Bill 1097 – Public Safety – Firearm Safety and Firearm Crimes, which includes provisions supported by Senator Bailey for several years to classify the theft of a firearm as a felony.
Senate Bill 1098 – Correctional Services – Diminution Credits – Sexual Offenses, which prohibits individuals convicted of first-degree rape from earning diminution credits that could reduce the length of their sentence.
Senate Bill 1145 – Public and Nonpublic Schools – Child Sex Offenders – Prohibition on In-Person Attendance, which would prohibit children convicted or found delinquent of felony rape or sexual offenses from in-person attendance at a public school or nonpublic school that receives State funds.
These bills are also now before to the House for further consideration.
Senatorial Scholarship – Deadline April 1
As a reminder, the deadline for applications for Senator Bailey’s Senatorial Scholarship for 2024-25 academic year is April 1, 2024. This scholarship is available to students who permanently reside in District 29 and who plan to either attend a Maryland institution of higher education or who has been approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission for unique major status. More information, including the application, is available at senatorbailey.com/scholarship. Please read the instructions carefully before applying.