This week, four more bills from Senator Bailey’s legislative agenda passed the Senate:
Senate Bill 166 creates an administrative process to suspend or revoke the licenses of individuals participating in shellfish aquaculture if they commit egregious violations of State law. The provisions of this bill are modeled after the existing statute for tidal fish licensees who hold an oyster authorization and are intended to ensure equal treatment under the law for all Maryland oyster license holders.
Senate Bill 292 makes permanent provisions of law that the General Assembly passed in 2021 that created a framework allowing local school systems to use alternative forms of transportation for certain groups of students for whom it would be infeasible or impractical to use traditional school buses. This law has benefited all of Maryland’s students, particularly students who live in rural areas of the State.
Senate Bill 558 makes the Chesapeake Bay Enhancement Program permanent and provides funding for oyster propagation and replenishment projects. It also creates the Maryland Seafood Industry Financial Assistance Fund to provide financial assistance, including loans, to commercial watermen and small businesses in the seafood industry. This fund has been created in response to the many challenges our State’s watermen have faced this year, including the effects of the cold winter on oyster harvesting and of the Potomac River sewage spill on consumer demand for oysters.
Senate Bill 647 provides a disability allowance to be paid to a police officer who is found to be disabled in the line of duty and unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity equal to 100% of the member’s annual compensation at the time their injury occurred.
These bills now go to the House of Delegates for their consideration.
Budget Passes Senate
On Wednesday, the Senate passed their version of Senate Bill 282, the State’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2027. While significant concerns remain over the long-term fiscal health of the State, this year’s budget is balanced without any new or increased taxes or fees. Senator Bailey voted for the budget bill.
Along with the budget, the Senate also passed Senate Bill 284, the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA) of 2026. This legislation is passed along with the budget bill to implement any changes to State laws regarding taxes and spending in order to ensure that the General Assembly meets its constitutional obligation to pass a balanced budget.
While most of the BRFA’s provisions are needed to pass the budget, there are also provisions of the bill dealing with State spending that are not necessary to balance the budget. This year’s BRFA includes a provision that will take away State police aid from counties that continue to have immigration enforcement agreements with the Federal government. Senator Bailey did not support the legislation banning these agreements and strongly opposes this attempt to defund our local sheriffs. For that reason, he voted against the BRFA.