Senate President Bill Ferguson and Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones both announced operations plans for their respective chambers yesterday. To develop these plans, General Assembly leadership consulted public health officials and experts in the infectious disease field; other state legislative leaders from across the country; contractors who specialize in air flow and surface cleaning; operations teams on Capitol Hill; advocacy and community groups; and House members from both parties. The main goal of both plans is to “allow members to execute our constitutional responsibilities to the fullest extent possible, in the safest way possible, for the full 90 days of the regular session.”

Specifics can be found in the Senate and House letters and Powerpoint in the links below, but the general plan is as follows:

  • The General Assembly will convene in person in appropriately social distanced surroundings on January 13, but the first third of session will likely take place virtually without daily floor sessions
  • Work schedules of the Senate and House will be consolidated to limit the number of individuals that may need to come to Annapolis each day
  • Committee hearings will be fully virtual – The Senate is limiting the number of favorable, favorable with amendment, and unfavorable witnesses to testify on legislation (more details in linked documents below). House Committee Chairs will be providing more guidance for their committee operations.
  • Subcommittee meetings and voting sessions will be livestreamed through the General Assembly Website
  • Access to Senate and House office buildings will be by appointment only, masks are required, and a Daily Health Check App will be used to monitor the health of those entering the buildings
  • A number of other safety precautions have been put in place, including – testing requirements, contact response teams, air flow sanitizing, and disinfecting plans

See more details in documents linked below.

Senate President Letter
Senate Operations PowerPoint
Speaker of the House Letter – House Operations Plan