June 19, 2024

Today, we are celebrating Juneteenth, the day when news of the end of slavery in the United States finally reached Texas, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is a reminder of our nation’s legacy of systemic injustice and our capacity for progress, slow though it has been.

As elected officials, we have a responsibility to address the myriad policies and systems that perpetuate inequality in Maryland. I applaud Governor Moore’s action this week to pardon 175,000 cannabis-related convictions for those carrying small amounts of the drug or paraphernalia when it was illegal in the State. Make no mistake, this is an equity issue, and this forward-thinking action mirrors the actions the General Assembly has been taking to directly impact our City and State through the expungement of records. Black and brown citizens are more than three times as likely to be arrested and convicted for cannabis possession. These convictions significantly hinder those affected from securing housing, finding employment, securing a professional license, or furthering their education.

The General Assembly has worked diligently to pass legislation that targets such systemic bias and racism, including laws that were expanded in 2022 to pardon simple possession charges in cases where it was the only charge, and provide pathways to expungement where the charge was one of many. The law allows those currently incarcerated on simple possession charges to petition the court for resentencing and release.

Our work is far from finished. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that all Marylanders are given a true and fair opportunity to succeed, regardless of the neighborhood in which they were born or raised. Our work to create a more equitable, prosperous, and fair society requires a constant recommitment.

Last Wednesday, I attended the official reopening of the Fort McHenry Federal Channel and celebrated the return of full operations at the Port of Baltimore. The unprecedented, massive removal of 50,000 tons of the Key Bridge wreckage was completed in less than three months—a truly extraordinary achievement made possible by hundreds who worked tirelessly, often at great risk to themselves. Traffic at the Port is expected to be at pre-collapse levels by mid-July.

Our attention moving forward will be laser-focused on rebuilding the bridge and reconnecting the I-695 loop. The Maryland Transportation Authority has released a request for proposals for design-build teams that reflect the project’s goals of  collaboration, schedule, safety, quality, cost, and aesthetics. Proposals are due June 24th and selection is expected by late summer. I am confident that President Biden will work with Congress to fund the construction of the new structure, estimated at close to $2 billion.

I am deeply grateful for the coordination and collaboration of our local, State, and federal partners to prioritize and protect businesses and workers as the clean-up took place. I am confident that we have the forward-thinking leadership that will facilitate the timely construction of the new bridge  All Marylanders should be proud of the integrated and dedicated response to this tragedy and the way our State came together to lift up and support those impacted, especially those who lost their lives and the families impacted by their tragic loss.

It was great to be joined by my fellow 46th District Delegation members, Delegates Lewis, Edelson, and Clippinger, at the community associations I visited last week. What an absolute pleasure to connect with and answer questions from neighbors in Southeast and South Baltimore. Thanks to the Bayview Community Association, Brewers Hill Neighbors, and Lakeland Community Association Partnership. I am always impressed by the deep understanding of the issues confronting our City and State, and the thoughtful suggestions offered. We covered a lot of ground!

I was deeply disappointed by Friday’s  U.S. Supreme Court ruling to allow the attachment of a “bump stock” or “rapid-fire trigger activator” to semiautomatic rifles, despite the fact that the addition effectively transforms the weapon into a machine gun. The Court struck down a federal rule enacted in 2018 after a single shooter used a bump stock on his weapon to murder 60 innocent people during a concert in Las Vegas.

Fortunately, the General Assembly passed a ban on bump stocks in 2018, and the Court’s ruling will not affect Maryland's ban on the possession or sale of the controversial accessory. The law prohibits “possessing, selling, offering to sell, transferring, purchasing, or receiving” rapid-fire trigger activators in the State.

As mass shootings continue to plague our country, we must embrace common-sense gun legislation that protects our citizens while maintaining law-abiding and responsible Marylanders’ right to own guns.

In the past few years, women across the country have witnessed their reproductive rights challenged in a way few could have imagined. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn  Roe v. Wade made it imperative that the General Assembly pass legislation to protect women and medical providers in Maryland, to make sure that bodily autonomy and privacy matter here.

Last week, the Court ruled to preserve access to the abortion drug, mifepristone, an FDA-approved pharmaceutical that is part of a two-drug regimen used for both medication abortions and miscarriage care, based on a procedural defect. While this ruling is good news, the war against reproductive freedom is far from over.

The General Assembly passed a bill last year to give voters the opportunity to vote for a reproductive rights amendment to Maryland’s Constitution. The measure, which will be on the ballot this November, affirms that every person has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to decide to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy and would add that to the Declaration of Rights under Maryland’s Constitution.

Please join me in welcoming our newest State Senator, Sara Love, whom I was honored to swear in Thursday to fill the seat vacated by Senator Ariana B. Kelly last spring (former-Senator Kelly was chosen by Governor Moore to lead the Maryland Commission for Women). Senator Love will represent District 16 in Montgomery County. She is a former director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and was elected to the House of Delegates in 2018.

Shakespeare Beyond is bringing seven free performances of the Bard’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to parks across Baltimore this July. The Chesapeake Shakespeare Theatre’s mission is to connect arts to communities, especially those that might not traditionally interact with classical theaters or arts institutions. I am proud that Delegates Clippinger, Lewis, Edelson and I were able to provide significant State funding for this effort, one that will provide Baltimoreans an opportunity to see Shakespeare alongside their neighbors without the barriers of ticket costs or transportation. Hope to see you there!

Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $700 million, with nearly $15 million for Maryland, in a multistate settlement in connection to allegations stemming from the company’s marketing of baby powder and body powder products that contain talc.

Baltimore City is providing free meals to children as part of its 2024 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Through the program, all children ages 18 or younger can receive free meals. The SFSP program will operate from June 14, 2024, until August 23, 2024. Program sites will be closed on June 28, July 4, July 5, July 12, July 19, July 26, and August 2. You can find a summer meal site by visiting the Summer Meals Site Finder website.  Summer Food Service Program menus for the Baltimore City Public Schools can be found on the Baltimore City Public Schools website.

Residents who were living in Baltimore’s Curtis Bay, or owned property there, at the time of the December 2021 coal terminal explosion can now apply to receive funds from a $1.75 million settlement negotiated with facility operator CSX Transportation. Residents have until July 18 to join the class and become eligible to receive a portion of the settlement, which is awaiting final approval by a U.S. District Court judge. A hearing is scheduled for September.

Baltimore City Public School System CEO Sonja Santelises and the Board of School Commissioners agreed upon an additional one-year contract Wednesday.  She has held the role since 2016.

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.