March 18, 2024

Today is Crossover Day, the last day for bills to pass the Senate in time to be considered by the House and sent to the Governor’s desk. I am proud of the challenging and thoughtful work the Senate has done since Session began. Senators voted on a record number of bills this Session, holding debates that were spirited and robust on a broad range of policies that address the critical issues facing our State.

As I’ve stressed since January, hard-working Marylanders should not bear the burden of tax increases at a time when they are feeling the pinch of stubborn inflation. In recognition of this economic reality, the Senate unanimously passed a balanced Fiscal Year 2025 budget that invests in our core values, commitments, and priorities without raising taxes.

Here are a few of the Senate bills that “crossed over” to the House of Delegates in the last few days and will meaningfully impact Marylanders for years to come:

• SB458 enhances consumer protections against fundraising and advertising by fraudulent political action committees.
• SB472 ensures efficiency in State government by creating transparency and timelines for all of the State’s licensure and certification platforms.
• SB525 strengthens wage transparency by requiring all employers to disclose wage ranges in employment listings.
• SB652 requires the Department of Juvenile Services to collect and share data on the number of shootings of and by youth and the actions the Department took after the incidents
• SB771 provides additional pathways for people choosing to enter the teaching profession.
• SB797 assists low-income parents of children with disabilities by increasing access to resources for attorneys, advocates, and consultants through the creation of a special education fund.

• SB1041 supports local breweries, distilleries, and wineries by establishing direct-to-consumer delivery permits and removes the cap on their product that can be sold to a consumer for off-premises consumption.

Last week, the Senate passed legislation to ensure our higher education system, including Maryland’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), remains competitive in attracting students to Maryland. The bill seeks to improve the approval process for new higher education programs by encouraging transparency, collaboration, and consistency among State institutions.

In 2021, the State’s HBCUs won a  $577 million settlement in a case that revealed the State provided predominantly white institutions more State resources and allowed duplicate degree programs that put our HBCUs at a competitive disadvantage when competing for students and resources.

The bill is based on a set of recommendations by the Program Approval Process Workgroup which was created by the settlement to study the issue. Under the legislation, institutions that oppose approval of an academic program would be required to base their objection on specific key factors. In addition, the Higher Education Commission will be required to implement a new review process for exclusively online academic programs and require them to report annually any programs that were approved in the preceding school year over an objection by a HBCU.

The long-term economic health of Maryland is unequivocally tied to our ability to grow as a State. Data centers are expanding throughout the United States as the global economy becomes increasingly online and data centric. This reality is especially true in our area because of our proximity to agencies that depend heavily on information technology,  such as the NSA, FBI, CIA, and Department of Defense. 

In order for Maryland to attract investment and remain competitive in this area, we must create regulatory certainty for companies dependent on this technology, which is Senate Bill 474’s key aim. Backup generation for critical infrastructure is foundational to industry operations in the case of grid failure. 

By exempting backup generation from the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) process, we are advancing sound public policy and providing the assurance required to spur billions of dollars in economic development that neighboring states like Virginia are already seeing.

Of the over hundreds of bills that have passed the Senate this year, many specifically target issues that directly impact the residents of Baltimore City, including curbing illegal dumping, cleaning up vacant buildings, and codifying control of the Police Department within the City Charter. Specifically:

• SB643 strengthens enforcement and punishment of illegal dumping in Baltimore by allowing videotaped surveillance in certain areas;

• SB138 allows Baltimore City to set a special tax rate for vacant or improved property cited as vacant and unfit for habitation; and

• SB894 codifies local control of the Baltimore Police Department in the City Charter pending voter approval of a Charter Amendment on November’s ballot.

I was excited, but not surprised to learn that the important resources we are investing in early childhood education are paying off. A recent report reveals that Baltimore City kindergarteners who attended a city school in prekindergarten outperformed their peers on a statewide assessment.

Almost half of City kindergarteners who attended a pre-K program in Baltimore passed the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, a test given to determine whether they’re prepared to succeed academically.  Placements in elementary school pre-K programs have been growing gradually in number since 1999 and have expanded to 14 Judy Centers, where children from birth to kindergarten are prepared for school and families get support that will help their children learn. We know that the earliest years of a child’s life are the most formative and the State is making targeted investments accordingly.

Last week, I was thrilled to welcome the Chair of the Senate of Ireland, Senator Mark Daly, to share a few words at the Senate rostrum. I invite you to watch his impromptu remarks to the body here, including the fascinating story of Thomas Francis Meagher, the man who designed the Irish flag, waged a rebellion that forced him to escape to America, fought in the Civil War, and later became the Governor of Montana. 

In the past 25 years, the  amount of cargo traveling through the six terminals at the Port of Baltimore has grown dramatically. According to data from the Maryland Port Administration, container tons increased by over 92% from 1998 to 2022; automotive cargo went up by 196%; and roll on/roll off cargo — farm and construction machinery — went up by more than 113%. The port’s prime location and “strategic business plan” have driven growth by focusing on pairing geographical and logistical strengths with a diverse portfolio of cargo commodities.

Last week, the Board of Public Works approved a deal to ensure that 5,000 correctional workers will receive an additional $9.5M for wage-theft after a federal investigation found that the State tampered with their time cards. This is the second multimillion dollar settlement for workers who were paid decreased wages under Governor Hogan’s Administration.

In concert with the Clean Trucks Act of 2023 passed by the General Assembly,  the Maryland Energy Administration unveiled the 2024 Medium-Duty and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Grant Program to help reduce carbon emissions in the State. The plan provides grants to communities, organizations, and fleet companies to help offset the cost of purchasing zero-emission medium- or heavy-duty fleet vehicles, and zero-emission off-road heavy equipment.

In a live-streamed event on Thursday, the Maryland Cannabis Administration announced 179 randomly selected recipients of Maryland’s first round of cannabis business licenses. Applicants were selected from those who have lived or gone to school in ZIP codes with an above-average number of cannabis-possession arrests during prohibition and students who attended Maryland universities with a significant percentage of students receiving need-based federal Pell Grants. The goal was to prioritize those people who lived in communities most affected by the criminalization of cannabis to ensure they share in the profits of the new recreational industry

A review of Baltimore City Public Schools that examined more than 18 million records found “no widespread grade manipulation”. Maryland’s State Department of Education ordered the audit after a 2022 Inspector General for Education report alleged the City school system’s grading policies were inconsistent, particularly when grades were rounded up within 1 to 3 percentage points of passing.

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.