Major Issues Dominated This Year’s Legislative Session

BERLIN — The 2013 Maryland General Assembly Session closed out on Monday after a whirlwind 90 days during which several weighty, emotional issues were debated and ultimately approved from gun control to offshore wind and from the death penalty to a significant hike in the state’s gas tax.

The 2013 session will largely be remembered for a handful of landmark issues, including a progressive gun control law reform, a repeal of the death penalty, medical marijuana, an aggressive transportation spending plan including a gas tax increase and several others. Senator Jim Mathias (D-38), who represents Worcester, Wicomico and the Lower Shore, said the big issues defined the session.

“A lot of good things happened, and others things that weren’t so good, depending on your perspective, happened,” he said. “The debate was spirited and very emotional and passionate in many cases. There were some victories and some heartbreaks, but in the end, the process worked.”

Gun Control

The governor’s bill to make Maryland’s gun control laws among the toughest in the state passed during the session by a fairly narrow margin in both chambers after hours of endless debate from both sides of the issue. In the wake of the school shooting tragedy in Connecticut last December, Gov. Martin O’Malley introduced legislation in the General Assembly increasing the licensing requirements for handgun purchases, banning the sale of assault-style weapons, limiting gun ownership of people with a history of mental illness and increasing the amount of information sent to databases for background checks.

When the governor signs the bill as expected, Maryland’s gun laws will be among the most restrictive in the country. Maryland will become one of just a few states in the nation to require a license and training for would-be gun purchasers along with a requirement for fingerprinting. The bill would, among other things, also limit the number of bullets in a gun’s magazine to 10.

The legislation passed despite fierce opposition from all corners of the state claiming the bill infringed on the Second Amendment rights of Marylanders. Prior to the Senate passage two weeks ago, thousands signed up to testify against the bill including a large contingent from Worcester County and the Lower Shore. Last week, the House debated the issue for nearly 10 hours as opponents attempted to add amendments aimed at lessening the bill’s bite, but the legislation passed largely in the original form presented by the governor.

Mathias was among the Democrats to break ranks and vote against the legislation, following the desires of his district rather than party lines.

“Gun control was a very passionate and very personal issue for people,” he said. “In our district and across the shore, guns are part of our culture and in other areas around the state, they’re instruments of violence. I got tens of thousands of emails, phone calls and texts on this issue and I had to follow the will of our people here.”

Offshore Wind

After three failed attempts in prior sessions, O’Malley’s Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 was officially approved, but it remains to be seen if the legislation is merely symbolic or if a vast wind energy farm off the coast of Ocean City becomes a reality.

The proposal calls for a vast wind energy farm of as many as 40 turbines off the coast of Ocean City in an area designated as a Wind Energy Area in a range from 10 miles to 30 miles offshore. The intent is to diversify the state’s clean energy portfolio by providing as many as 200 megawatts of electricity for Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region.

The future wind farm would connect to a larger main transmission line offshore that would come ashore at some point along the coast and connect to the transmission system on the mainland.

“This is a very good bill and I believe in it,” said Mathias. “The Public Service Commission will write the regulations and requests for proposal will go out. We have to look at the net benefit for Maryland and for our district. This will stimulate commerce, create jobs and improve our infrastructure and improve the efficiency and reliability of our energy system. I did everything I could to ensure those jobs and that economic benefit will remain here.”

Death Penalty Repeal

Another personal issue for many this session was the repeal of Maryland’s death penalty, which narrowly passed after countless hours of passionate debate. State lawmakers during the session voted to repeal Maryland’s death penalty statute after prior attempts by the administration to do so. Advocates claimed the death penalty in Maryland was not effective and expensive and pointed out the possibility of putting to death a wrongly convicted inmate. Those opposed to repealing the death penalty in Maryland, which locally included Mathias and Delegate Mike McDermott, argued the possibility of the death penalty was an important tool in prosecutor’s toolbox and was a strong deterrent against violent crime in Maryland. In the end, lawmakers voted to repeal the death penalty.