The General Assembly gathered for a special legislative session last week to establish new congressional redistricting maps. As a part of its work, the General Assembly overrode several of the Governor’s vetoes from the 2021 legislative session. Here are some of the major issues the legislature took action on.
Immigration reforms
House Bill 16- The Dignity Not Detention Act: prevents counties from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold detainees in jails and detention centers; prohibits law enforcement from being able to ask about immigration status during traffic stops OVERRIDDEN
House Bill 23- Maryland Driver Privacy Act: prohibits federal agents from accessing and utilizing personal information or photos and facial recognition records to pursue civil immigration proceedings without a warrant OVERRIDDEN
Drug paraphernalia
Senate Bill 420- Drug Paraphernalia for Administration – Decriminalization: decriminalizes syringes and other drug paraphernalia POSTPONED INDEFINITELY, similar legislation will likely be reintroduced in the 2022 legislative session
Parole for life sentences
Senate Bill 202- Correctional Services – Parole – Life Imprisonment: no longer requires governor’s approval for granting parole to incarcerated individuals serving life sentences; requires votes from six out of the 10 state parole commissioners to grant parole OVERRIDDEN
Mass transit funding
House Bill 114- Transit Safety and Investment Act: requires the state to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into public transportation and several maintenance projects through 2029 OVERRIDDEN
Taxes
House Bill 319- Local Tax Relief for Working Families Act of 2021: gives some counties and Baltimore City the ability to set their local income tax rate on a bracket basis OVERRIDDEN
House Bill 1209- Sales and Use Tax – Peer–to–Peer Car Sharing – Alterations: extends an 8% sales tax applied to ride-sharing apps OVERRIDDEN
Collective bargaining for community college employees
Senate Bill 746/House Bill 894- Education – Community Colleges – Collective Bargaining: establishes bargaining rights to employees at Maryland’s 16 community colleges OVERRIDDEN
Resources for more information on this topic.
Maryland Matters- Parole Process, Immigration, etc.
Maryland Matters- Paraphernalia Bill
