May 3, 2024

Last week, I was honored to join my partners, Governor Moore and Speaker Jones, to sign critical legislation into law that passed during the 2024 Legislative Session. This second bill signing of the Session conveniently fell on “Take Your Child To Work Day.” I was thrilled to see so many kids in the State House to witness democracy in action and to learn about the General Assembly’s collective efforts to build a better society.

The legislature passed an historic number of bills this year, including meaningful and immediate support for those impacted by the collapse of the Key Bridge, an ambitious housing package that will expand the availability of affordable housing, and critical reforms to our juvenile justice system to ensure both accountability and equity. Moreover, we passed a balanced budget that enhances our State’s competitiveness by investing in public education, transportation, and Maryland’s physical and behavioral health systems.  These major legislative victories signal our unwavering commitment to ensuring Marylanders’ prosperity now and for future generations. 

Although many of those topics dominated the news cycle during the Legislative Session, it’s also worth highlighting a few bills that weren’t covered quite as extensively but will be equally as impactful. These are bills that exemplify good government and the power of public policy to empower individuals to maximize their potential. Upon implementation, these pieces of legislation will have an immediate impact on Marylanders’ lives. Several include:

• Senate Bill 35 lowers the minimum age for SNAP benefit eligibility to 60 years old and increases the amount of the supplemental benefit that the State must provide from $40 to $50;
• Senate Bill 202 establishes the Caregiver Expense Grant Program in the Department of Aging to award grants to family caregivers of older adults to offset some of their expenses;
• Senate Bill 117 expands health screening for newborns across Maryland, adding Krabbe Leukodystrophy to the list of potential disorders that are required to be included as part of the State’s Newborn Screening Program;
• House Bill 2 will help Baltimore City and similarly situated jurisdictions address the scourge of vacant and blighted properties by establishing special tax rates for those properties, thereby incentivizing building owners to rehabilitate or sell those homes; and
• Senate Bill 14 promotes economic development through the creation of designated tourism zones aimed at increasing revenue, productivity, and opportunity in these areas.

The herculean work to remove the remnants of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and fully reopen the channel to the Port of Baltimore continues five weeks after its catastrophic collapse. I am deeply grateful to the many men and women who are working round the clock to clear the debris and return the port to its vibrant and historic place in our city.

Currently, three channels are open for use by commercial vessels, and a temporary 38-foot channel opened to allow five ships stranded in Baltimore to leave the Port. During the four-day window, 19 vessels passed through carrying sugar, cement, fertilizer, lumber and other goods, providing work for nearly 200 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA). 

Crews continue to remove the remaining bridge debris, employing “Chessie”, the largest floating crane on the Eastern Seaboard, and ”Gus,” the Largest hydraulic grabber in the United States. So far, over 3,300 tons of steel have been pulled from the waters around the bridge. Work continues to remove the containers on the Dali to allow the removal of the portion of the bridge pinning the large container ship in place so the vessel can be removed. 

As that work continues, I’m especially proud of the bipartisan emergency legislation Delegate Clippinger and I sponsored at the end of Session to provide a lifeline to impacted workers and businesses. The Moore Administration has been an invaluable partner in the implementation of the Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act, as the Maryland Departments of Commerce and Labor have stood up three programs:

1. The Port of Baltimore Worker Support Program provides supplemental assistance for workers, including those ineligible for traditional unemployment insurance, including independent contractors and individual owner-operators;
2. The Port of Baltimore Worker Retention Program allows impacted businesses to retain their workforce; and 
3. The Port of Baltimore Emergency Business Assistance Program supports businesses facing a reduction in revenue or increased costs of operations. 

So far, over $13 million in grants and loans have been provided to Maryland businesses impacted by the bridge collapse. In addition, the State Worker Support Program, led by the Department of Labor, has approved more than $1.5 million payments to workers whose incomes were directly impacted by the tragedy. I was thrilled to hear from ILA members this week that supplemental assistance checks are already landing in their mailboxes.

I was excited to attend a groundbreaking event to launch the first leg of the Middle Branch Resiliency Initiative, a project to rebuild 10 acres of the Hanover Street Wetlands. The initiative eventually seeks to restore 11 miles and 50 acres of wetlands across the Middle Branch area. The project is the largest coastal restoration project in Maryland and includes areas around Brooklyn, Cherry Hill, Westport, and the Baltimore Peninsula.

This effort seeks to bring nature back to neighborhoods and, at the same time, protect them from storms, flooding, and erosion. The goal is to make the waterfront more accessible for South Baltimore residents with trails, wetlands, and beautiful, lush landscapes. There will be space for an intertidal wetland, a tidal creek, a boardwalk, and walking and biking trails. Our goal is to restore habitat diversity and improve water quality.

The groundbreaking announced $67 million in combined federal, State, and local funds to restore the shoreline. The $15 million in State funding secured for the Middle Branch Resiliency Initiative is just the first step in our multi-year commitment. Along with Delegates Clippinger, Lewis, and Edelson, we are proud to play a role in the broader Middle Branch’s revitalization.

It was a pleasure to attend another groundbreaking in the 46th Legislative District as the Baltimore Curriculum Project and Hampstead Hill Academy (HHA) celebrated the beginning of a 12-month construction project to expand the school’s facilities, including a new gymnasium, an additional classroom, and new student restrooms. Every child in Baltimore City and Maryland is deserving of learning in a 21st century, world class building that inspires them as they walk through its doors each day.

HHA, located in Southeast Baltimore, serves Baltimore CIty Public Schools pre-K through eighth grade students. Principal Hornbeck and the entire staff’s commitment to serving the whole child by fostering their development academically, in the arts, and through restorative practices is commendable. Since 2010, the 46th District Delegation has secured nearly $3 million to support Hampstead Hill’s capital improvements, including $250,000 in legislative bond initiative funding in the 2023 Legislative Session for this project.

I enjoyed a wonderful evening celebrating the 200th anniversary of the University of Maryland Baltimore’s Francis King Carey School of Law. For two centuries, Carey Law has been training the next generation of lawyers, legal scholars, and public servants who have made an immeasurable impact on our State. As an alumnus, it was a true honor to be invited to speak and mark this auspicious occasion alongside Dean Dean Renée Hutchins, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Chancellor Jay Perman, UMB President Bruce Jarrell, and Board of Visitors Chair Tamika Tremaglio.

Last Wednesday, the Maryland State Board of Education voted unanimously to name Dr. Carey Wright as the permanent State Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Wright began her career as a teacher in Prince George’s County and later served as the head of schools in Mississippi, where her leadership included a renaissance in Mississippi student achievement in literacy. Dr. Wright has been serving as Maryland’s Interim Superintendent since October and was instrumental in the 2024 Legislative Session to the General Assembly’s work continuing to improve the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has kicked off "Bmore Bus: Better Buses, Better Baltimore," a plan that will present recommendations for improving the existing network through updated bus service types, frequencies and destinations. The plan will help guide MTA planning for the next 5 to 10 years. An online survey will be open through May 31 and aims to help shape a draft plan to be presented in the summer before final decisions are made in the fall.

American Field Service-USA (AFS) is looking for the next generation of host families to welcome a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) participant. AFS is an international youth exchange organization consisting of over 50 independent, not-for-profit organizations, each with its own network of volunteers, professionally staffed offices, volunteer board of directors and website. Host families gain global perspectives as they engage and learn more about different worldviews and culture, all while helping support German high schoolers as they navigate the ins and outs of American school, community, and culture. Interested families can learn more here.  

Governor Moore issued an executive order on Earth Day to establish an environmental literacy program in an effort to empower Maryland youth to conserve and restore the State’s natural resources in the face of climate change. The Maryland Outdoor Learning Partnership is charged with conducting a review of climate change education efforts and providing recommendations to ensure students engage with the environment and have access to environmental education.

If there is anything we can do to help, please do not hesitate to contact my office via email, bill.ferguson@senate.state.md.us, or by phone, 410-841-3600.