On Thursday, the Senate passed Senate Bill 101 unanimously. This bill was sponsored by Senator Bailey to expand eligibility for the Maryland Loan Assistance Repayment Program for Police Officers and Probation Agents and the Maryland Police Officers and Probation Agents Scholarship Program to include correctional officers. This bill now goes to the House of Delegates for their consideration.
Bill Hearings This Week
On Tuesday, Senator Bailey presented two bills to the Senate’s Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee regarding natural resources. The first, Senate Bill 559, is intended to provide data on the recreational harvest of striped bass. Through working with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), this bill will be amended to establish the Recreational Fishery Data Collection Program to develop and implement a data collection system for recreational anglers in the State.
The second bill, Senate Bill 643, would give DNR authority over any further expansion of Sunday hunting in Maryland. Senator Bailey was proud to present this bill not only with the support of many of our State’s hunters and conservationists but also tens of thousands of working Marylanders who want and deserve the ability to hunt on Sundays. This bill also has the support of Maryland’s insurance agents, who know well the damage that deer can do on our roadways.
On Thursday, Senator Bailey presented Senate Bill 135 to the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee to designate the Megalodon as the State shark. He was joined by Dr. Stephen Godfrey, Curator of Paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum to discuss why the megalodon deserves this recognition and its significance to Southern Maryland.
Budget Update
On Friday, the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee passed the Senate’s version of the State’s operating budget for Fiscal Year 2027. The budget as passed by the Committee did not include any tax or fee increases. It will be presented to the full Senate for consideration next week.
State Flag Amendment
Senator Bailey is proud to co-sponsor Senate Bill 1006, the Maryland State Flag Protection Act. Maryland’s flag is the most recognizable symbol of our State, but the flag could currently be changed by a majority of the General Assembly and the Governor. This legislation would ensure that any proposed changes to the flag in the future would have to be approved not only by the General Assembly but also by the voters of Maryland by enshrining the flag in the Maryland Constitution.
Scholarships
As a reminder, the Senatorial Scholarship application for the 2026-27 school year is now available at senatorbailey.com/scholarship. The deadline for submitting the application is April 1, 2026. 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.