On January 14, the General Assembly convened for the 2026 Legislative Session. This year’s regular legislative session follows the special session that was held in December. While this special session was called due to the election of a new Speaker of the House of Delegates, under the Maryland Constitution, the General Assembly was required to consider bills vetoed by the Governor from the last regular session. I voted to override several of the Governor’s vetoes on bills that I supported, including a bill to study the impact of data centers and another that will allow fraternal organizations to operate instant ticket lottery machines to raise money for charitable causes. I also voted to sustain the Governor’s veto on bills that I opposed, most notably a bill creating a commission to study reparations in Maryland.
The State is once again facing a significant projected budget deficit. This is in spite of last year’s budget that required the largest tax increase in the history of the State of Maryland to be balanced – a budget that I opposed. This year will give the General Assembly the opportunity once again to reconsider the substantial spending mandates imposed by the Blueprint for education, as well as entitlement programs that have expanded beyond assisting those Marylanders who are truly in need of State support. The legislature will also have the opportunity to reconsider the “green energy” mandates and the reduction of consumer choice that have driven up the price of energy in our State.
Another topic that has received substantial attention in recent months has been the issue of Congressional redistricting. I voted against the current Congressional district maps because it was not a fair map, and I strongly oppose any effort to remove Maryland’s sole Republican representative from office. Partisan gerrymandering destroys the confidence that our constituents have in the fairness of our republican form of government. Any efforts to further draw districts for partisan gain and further reduce the representation of rural Marylanders should be rejected in the strongest possible terms. Instead, I am proud to co-sponsor Senate Bill 104, the Fair Districts for Maryland Act, which would ensure our State has truly fair districts for both Congress and the General Assembly to be representative of all Marylanders, not just one party.
I am looking forward to once again sponsoring a legislative package to address key issues and priorities for our region and for Maryland as a whole, and I will be sharing more information with you about those bills in the coming weeks. I am also looking forward to serving once again on the Senate’s Budget and Taxation Committee to secure resources for Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties and advocate for fiscal responsibility and against tax increases that raise the cost of living and doing business in our State.
I encourage you to keep in contact with my office with any questions, concerns, or feedback you may have about legislative issues. Please be aware that the email address to reach my office has recently changed to jack.bailey@senate.maryland.gov. We will once again post regular updates throughout the legislative session on my website, senatorbailey.com, as well as on my Facebook page.
Please note that the informational letter for my portion of the Senatorial Scholarship Program for the 2026-2027 academic year has also been posted to my website under the scholarship tab at the top of the page. The deadline to apply is April 1st 2026.