On Thursday, the Senate took time to celebrate Maryland Day. As the Senator representing St. Mary’s City, Senator Bailey gave remarks during the day’s floor session about the important role that our area has had in our State’s history. This observance follows action taken by the Senate earlier this week to pass Senator Bailey’s bill to establish the Historic St. Mary’s City Fort to 400 Commission to prepare St. Mary’s City and the entire State to mark the 400th anniversary of Maryland’s founding in 2034.
In his remarks, Senator Bailey spoke about two important developments for the preservation of Maryland’s history. The first is the discovery of the site of the original St. Mary’s Fort, which has been located after 90 years of efforts to find it. This will add to the rich history of Historic St. Mary’s City and Senator Bailey was proud to secure State funding for these efforts last year. For more information on this discovery and the important work of Historic St. Mary’s City, please visit https://www.hsmcdigshistory.org/.
Also this week, more progress was made on a memorandum of understanding between the State of Maryland, the St. Clements Hundred, and the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County on improving the maintenance and upkeep on portions of St. Clements Island, as the Commissioners officially gave their support for these efforts. Senator Bailey has been working with all parties to facilitate this agreement and is happy to see such positive progress on this issue.
Budget Passes Senate
On Thursday, the Senate voted unanimously to support this year’s Operating Budget for the State of Maryland. The budget is balanced as required by the Maryland Constitution. The Senate made a number of changes to the budget as it passed the House; notably for our area, the Senate removed a provision that would have taken $1 million in State funding away from the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. The Senate and House of Delegates will now have a conference committee to resolve these differences and pass a final budget before the end of the legislative session.
Education Issues
On Thursday, Senator Bailey met virtually with teachers from St. Mary’s County to discuss issues related to education that are being considered this session and the importance of addressing the educational needs of students who have been impacted by the closure of schools and the use of virtual learning for the last year. Senator Bailey remains committed to ensuring that all students in St. Mary’s and Calvert Counties have access to a high-quality education.
Police Reform
This week, the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee resumed work on the police reform bills under consideration by the General Assembly. Unlike the Senate, which passed nine individual bills to address this topic, the House of Delegates has sent over a single bill on a wide range of subjects. The Committee will have to decide how to handle the substantial differences between the two chambers on this legislation. Senator Bailey will continue to bring his perspective based on his experience in law enforcement to the Committee as these discussions continue.