ANNAPOLIS — With the 2016 legislative session nearing its close, this week’s digest highlights a few of the major initiatives lawmakers have either passed or are still fighting for as well as a few bills that you should keep your eye on before legislators head home.
Bomb Threat Origin Bill Passes
The State Senate unanimously passed the bill spearheaded by Delegate Mary Beth Carozza’s (District 38C) earlier this week.
The bill, HB 121 – Criminal Law – False Statements Concerning Destructive Device of Toxic Material – Venue, earlier was passed by the House of Delegates on Feb. 18 and will next be sent to Gov. Larry Hogan, who is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming weeks.
The bill would allow law enforcement to prosecute the crime of making a false bomb threat in the jurisdiction in which the destructive device or toxic material was stated or rumored to be located, regardless of where the call originated or was received.
Carozza introduced this legislation on the heels of repeated false bomb threats against schools and other public facilities on the Eastern Shore and across Maryland earlier this year.
“The overwhelming support from our home community has been the key to passing this public safety legislation,” Carozza said. “Our schools, law enforcement, and State’s Attorneys made the extra effort to come to Annapolis and testify in strong support of an additional tool to prosecute the crime of making a false bomb threat.”Carozza noted these recent bomb threats have endangered our public safety and caused major disruptions both on the Lower Shore and throughout Maryland.
No Hogan Signature On Several Bills
With just a few days to go before the legislative session wraps up on April 11, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has signed three bills, vetoed two, and will reportedly allow 22 pieces of legislation on his desk to go into law without his signature.
“We found nothing in these bills that would do major harm or negatively impact Marylanders,” said Hogan. “Now that the so-called drama is over with, the legislature should now be able to focus on some important business for the remainder of the session,”
Yet, Hogan’s comments place a thin veil over his general dislike of these bills, but in simply allowing the bills to go into law, Hogan avoids yet another public spat with Democratic legislators.
Instead, the governor continues to push state legislators to grant “across the board” tax relief to Marylanders, and has reignited his longstanding outcry for redistricting reform as well.
“There can be no possible excuse for keeping this bill hidden in a drawer and simply ignoring the will of nearly every person in Maryland,” said Hogan. “There is still plenty of time to get this bill to the floor of each house for an up-or-down-vote.”
Greenhouse Bill Passes
One of the bills Hogan signed into law aims to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The bill, which takes effect on October1, has been hailed by environmentalists across the state, as it sets new and improved goals from the landmark bill that was passed in 2009 which required Maryland to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020. The new goal is 40% by 2030.
“Maryland is taking a historic and notably bipartisan step toward the protection of our health, our economy, and our children’s future,” said Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
The bill essentially puts Maryland as the state that has laid out one of the strongest strategies on reducing greenhouse gases in the nation.