With Maryland state lawmakers back in their districts, at their day jobs, or, after last week’s sprint to the finish, perhaps on a vacation, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore has hundreds of bills to consider. The first-year governor has already signed 93 of the over 800 sent to him by the General Assembly, and doesn’t get a formal say on the abortion referendum, which he supports, or a final say on the state budget, which he initiated. Moore will sign or veto bills through the end of May (any legislation he declines to act on becomes law).
From regulating recreational cannabis, to altering the selection process for the student member of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, to establishing the Black Bass Conservation Fund, here’s a breakdown of legislation passed during lawmakers’ 90-day session.
With a new governor, many new legislators and some consuming issues, lawmaking slowed slightly.
Discounting 2020, when the onset of the pandemic abruptly shifted the priorities of government and cut the session short, the 2023 session had the fewest number of bills and resolutions that cleared both the House of Delegates and state Senate since 2015, which began an era of divided government and featured even more new lawmakers (over a third of delegates and senators) than this year (about a quarter). As this year’s rookies and Moore settled in, the urgency and complexity of some top issues also may have limited other opportunities — with cannabis, for example, legislators essentially had three months to set up a new industry.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Annie Jennemann over at The Baltimore Sun
