On Wednesday, Senator Bailey presented Senate Bill 551 – Private Passenger Motor Vehicle Insurance – Collisions With Wild Animals – Prohibited Actions by Insurers to the Senate Finance Committee.
This legislation would prohibit an insurer from increasing a premium, adding a surcharge, or removing, altering, or refusing to consider a discount based on accidents or losses caused by a collision with a free-roaming wild animal and for which the insured was not at fault for the loss. This bill would protect Maryland drivers from paying more for insurance solely because of collisions with deer, which is an unfortunately far too common experience all across our State.
Preserving our Rural Heritage
One of Senator Bailey’s top priorities continues to be protecting and preserving our rural economy and heritage. This week, the full Senate considered Senate Bill 266 – Local Comprehensive Planning and State Economic Growth, Resource Protection, and Planning Policy – Planning Principles, which was introduced by the Maryland Department of Planning to update and revise the principles that have been enacted in State law to guide Maryland’s planning policies. The Senator worked with the Department and his Senate colleagues to amend this bill to ensure that quality of life and consideration of working landscapes, such as farms and forests as well as fisheries, are included when planning decisions are made in Maryland so that we learn from some of the mistakes of the past when planning for the future.
Advocacy Days
Despite the inclement weather this week, Senator Bailey was proud to welcome many constituents to Annapolis for advocacy days, including representatives of our local arts councils, libraries, and the Rural Maryland Council. The Senator was also happy to meet with advocates for Marylanders with developmental disabilities to discuss the importance of ensuring that they continue to receive the support that they need while still respecting the State’s current fiscal challenges.
Scholarship Information
As a reminder, 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