The 2021 General Assembly session came to a close Monday evening, April 12 at midnight with final action being taken on a number of bills and a few others left outstanding.  In all, a total of 2,359 bills and joint resolutions were introduced, of which 817 passed.

Looking back to the start of the year, January 13th marked the beginning of what could be dubbed the most unusual legislative session in the history of the Maryland General Assembly. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many changes to be made to the floor procedure. Floor sessions operated at a very limited capacity towards the beginning, bill hearings were virtual rather than in-person, and voting sessions were conducted at a distance with precautions in place (as the State House remained closed to the public).

With the early presentment of bills, two bill signings were held prior to the end of session. The RELIEF Act, SB 496, was signed into law on February 15th. This Act serves to provide direct stimulus payments to qualifying Marylanders, unemployment insurance grants to qualifying Marylanders, and grants and loans to qualifying small businesses. SB 1/HB 1, was signed into law on March 24th. This bill provides an additional $577 million in funding to HBCUs over the course of a decade as settlement for a lawsuit specifying that Historically Black Colleges and Universities were put at a disadvantage compared to predominantly white institutions.

Several bills presented early were vetoed by the Governor, but were enacted through a veto override by the Maryland General Assembly. These included:

  • The Juvenile Restoration Act, SB 494, a bill that prohibits a court from imposing a sentence of life without the possibility of parole/release for a minor.
  • A series of Police Reform Bills (SB 71, SB 178, SB 600, HB 670) which would overhaul the police disciplinary process, allow public input into complaints and internal affairs files, create a new legal standard requiring that officers use only “necessary” and “proportional” force, form an independent investigative unit for cases in which civilians die in police custody, and allow the public release of complaints against officers and disciplinary records, currently kept confidential.

Bills vetoed on April 8, 2021
Bills vetoed on April 9, 2021

The traditional bill signing was held the day after session on April 13, 2021 where 66 bills were signed into law. Follow upcoming bill signings here.

Other major issues addressed during the General Assembly session include:

  • Legalizing Sports Betting (HB 940) – The bill would set aside licenses for some businesses to offer in-person wagering on sports, including casinos, thoroughbred racetracks, certain off-track betting and bingo facilities and the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens and Washington Football Team stadiums. The legislation also would allow about 30 more in-person betting locations and up to 60 licenses for mobile and online betting. establish the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission to review applications for licenses and evaluate certain race-neutral programs.
  • Digital Ad Tax Modification (SB 787)- This bill eliminates the media from an online ad sales tax and prohibits companies from passing the cost of the surcharge on to customers. The original bill passed in 2020 is due for a hearing this month in federal court.
  • Reforming the Maryland Environmental Service (MES) (SB 2) – This bill overhauls MES’s board of directors in a way that limit’s the MES executive director’s power. It also requires new policies on personnel, pay and practices and requires training on ethics, diversity and management for the board. Severance payouts would be banned for executives who voluntarily transfer to other state jobs.

A major piece of legislation known as the Climate Solutions Act of 2021 (SB 414) failed on the last day of session. As passed by the Senate, the bill would have required the State to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2030, achieve net-zero statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, adopt energy conservation requirements for certain buildings by 2022, and establish a goal of planting and maintaining sustainable trees by the end of 2030.  The House of Delegates made several changes to address fiscal and policy concerns. Both Chambers failed to reach consensus during the final hours of the session.

Articles of Interest –
Key Legislation Approved (Baltimore Sun)
Maryland Law Makers End Session (Washington Post)
Emotions Raw in Sessions Final Hours ( Maryland Matters)
Ferguson Breathes a Sigh of Relief (Maryland Reporter)