On Wednesday, Senator Bailey had his first two bill hearings of the session before the Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee. Both bills were focused on providing tax relief for Maryland seniors and retirees.
The first bill, Senate Bill 30, would increase the tax deduction for retirement income attributable to an individual’s employment as a public safety employee from $15,000 to $20,000. This bill is intended to match the increase to the tax deduction for military retirement income that passed the General Assembly and became law in 2023.
The second bill, Senate Bill 155, the Long-Term Care Relief Act of 2025, revises the existing income tax credit for long-term care premiums to provide additional relief to those seniors who have the greatest need.
Natural Resources Bill Hearings – February 4
This year, Senator Bailey has introduced eight natural resources bills that support our recreational sportsmen and commercial watermen:
Senate Bill 23 – Natural Resources – State Boat Act – Auctioneers would exempt licensed auctioneers from having to obtain a dealer’s license in order to auction a boat in Maryland. This would match the current exemption in law for auctioneers who auction vehicles and would make it easier for Marylanders to find professionals willing to auction their boats.
Senate Bill 53 – Natural Resources – Commercial Crab Harvest – Start Time would allow commercial watermen to begin catching crabs at least four hours before sunrise during the months of July, August, and September. Senator Bailey has introduced this bill after hearing from watermen and seafood dealers about the large number of crabs that died due to the heat last summer after being caught. Senate Bill 53 allows watermen to catch more crabs before sunrise and during the morning when the weather is cooler to help prevent this precious resource from being wasted.
Senate Bill 76 – Tidal Fish Licenses – Oyster Authorizations – Administrative Penalties would protect the due process rights of commercial watermen by limiting the length of time that the Department of Natural Resources may suspend their license to catch oysters, striped bass, or crabs unless the license holder has been convicted of violating the State’s natural resources law.
Senate Bill 87 – Fisheries – Striped Bass or Rockfish – Juvenile Survey would expand the scope of the annual young-of-the-year juvenile survey of rockfish by requiring this survey to be conducted in the central region of the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay in addition to sampling sites in the northern and southern regions of the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
Senate Bill 100 – Natural Resources – Pursuing Wounded Deer After Legal Hunting Hours – Authorization would permit a hunter who wounds a deer during legal hunting hours to pursue and kill the deer after legal hunting hours. This would allow hunters to ensure that a deer that they wound is dispatched humanely, rather than being left to die from its injuries or attacked by predatory animals such as coyotes.
Senate Bill 128 – Hunter Safety Education – Issuance of Identification Number requires the Department of Natural Resources to provide each person who completes the hunter safety course required by State law with their DNR Identification Number when they receive their certificate for completing the course. This will make it easier for all Maryland hunters, particularly those without Internet access, to apply for hunting licenses, as this number must be included as part of their application.
Senate Bill 186 – Commercial Blue and Flathead Catfish Finfish Trotline License – Prohibited Regulations would allow the use of trotlines to catch blue and flathead catfish south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which is prohibited under current regulations. This would provide commercial harvesters a larger area to remove these invasive fish from Maryland’s waterways, reducing the damage that they can cause to our State’s native fish species.
Senate Bill 335 – Natural Resources – Canada Geese – Bag Limits would require the bag limit for all Canada geese to be uniform across the State during the 30-day migratory Atlantic population Canada goose hunting season.
All eight of these bills will all be heard by the Senate’s Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee on Tuesday, February 4. If you are interested in testifying, testimony must be submitted and witnesses must sign up on the General Assembly’s website on Friday, January 31 between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
You will need to use your MyMGA account or create an account on the General Assembly’s website (mgaleg.maryland.gov) to sign up to testify or submit written testimony on a bill.
Video tutorials about how to set up an account and submit testimony can be found at https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Information/VideoTutorials.
More information about the Senate’s committee witness guidelines can be found at https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/pubs/Other/2025SenateWitnessGuidelines.pdf.
Budget
Also on Wednesday, Governor Moore submitted his proposed budget to the General Assembly. While the budget contains spending reductions in some programs to help close the State’s $3 billion deficit and includes some policies that will lower the tax burden for some, such as increasing the standard deduction and a reduction in the corporate tax rate, it also includes a significant number of tax increases.
The proposed budget raises taxes on Marylanders who earn over $500,000, with an additional tax bracket for Marylanders earning more than $1 million. These income tax hikes would not only affect individuals and families, but also small businesses that report their income as part of their personal returns. The proposal also imposes a new surcharge on capital gains income over $350,000, requires a 75-cent fee on retail deliveries, and reduces the estate tax exemption threshold from $5 million to $2 million, which will require more Marylanders to pay estate tax.
This proposal will now go before the General Assembly for review and revision. Senator Bailey believes that we need to resolve our State’s current fiscal condition without raising taxes on Maryland’s citizens and businesses, and he will continue to advocate for these policies as the budget is considered by the Senate.
Sportsmen’s Caucus Luncheon
On Thursday, Senator Bailey welcomed the Hunters of Maryland to Annapolis for their annual legislative luncheon. This event provides an opportunity for Maryland’s hunting and fishing communities to discuss issues of importance to them with members of the General Assembly. The Senator is proud to be the Senate Chair of the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and an executive board member for the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses.
Scholarships
The Senatorial Scholarship application for the 2025-26 school year is now available at senatorbailey.com/scholarship. The deadline for submitting the application is April 1, 2025. The instructional letter that is posted includes information on how to complete the application, as well as how to confirm who your elected representatives are. Please be aware that our office can only accept applications from students who permanently live in Senate District 29.