During the evening of the final session of the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis, several more bills sponsored by Montgomery County-based delegates passed through under the wire after undergoing challenges, delays and filibustering from Republican opponents.
“Sine die is always a roller coaster,” said Del. Julie Palakovich Carr (D-Dist. 17), who represents Rockville and Gaithersburg and chairs the Montgomery County House Delegation, told MoCo360 during a short break on the House floor around 5:30p.m. Monday. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs today … we’ll see what we’re able to get done.”
Palakovich Carr said her closing day victory was the successful passage of her bill, Elijah’s Law, which will require the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Department of Health to develop food allergy and anaphylaxis prevention regulations and protocols for child care centers.
Gov. Wes Moore (D) offered the House some words of encouragement before they ventured into their final hours of debate and voting on Monday evening.
“Today, tomorrow and always, I’m grateful for your brilliance,” Moore said.
A firearms regulation bill sponsored by Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Dist. 18), who represents Chevy Chase and Kensington, eventually passed after Republican senators asked hypothetical questions of Waldstreicher. Sen. Nancy King (D-Dist. 39), who represents Germantown and Montgomery Village, successfully moved to limit additional discussion to 30 minutes, allowing the bill to receive a vote.
The legislation, the Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2024, would prohibit members of the firearms industry from “knowingly creating, maintaining, or contributing to harm to the public” through sales and manufacturing of firearms, according to the bill’s policy note.
Another bill, HB1062, sponsored by Del. Lesley Lopez (D-Dist. 39), who represents Germantown and Montgomery Village, would have altered the definition of revenge porn to prohibit porn generated by artificial intelligence and computers that is indistinguishable from a real person. It also would have allowed a victim to sue for defamation.
The bill was slated to be voted on Monday morning, but Del. Jesse Pippy (R-Dist. 4) moved to have the legislation discussed as a special order later in the day, delaying a vote on the legislation.
However, SB858, a near-identical bill sponsored by Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D-Dist. 9), who represents the northern portion of Montgomery County bordering Howard County, passed the House and Senate on Monday, which means those laws will still go into effect, assuming Moore signs the bill into law in the coming weeks.
Other pieces of legislation sponsored by Montgomery County-based representatives that passed on Monday evening include:
- HB338, sponsored by Del. David Moon (D-Dist. 20), who represents Silver Spring, which will create regulations on the ways law enforcement agencies can use facial recognition technologies;
- HB428, sponsored by Del. Vaughn Stewart (D-Dist. 19), who represents Silver Spring, which will provide rental assistance to the families of eligible students involved in community schools; and
- SB1028, sponsored by Waldstreicher, also known as the Green Death Care Options Act, creates regulations for crematories to administer alkaline hydrolysis and morticians to perform “natural organic reduction.”
Del. Marc Korman (D-Dist. 16), who represents Bethesda and chairs the House Environment and Transportation Committee, said he believes the legislature has accomplished a lot this session.
“The big deal was our budget deal, which made the long-term investments in education and at least partial down payment or longer-term investments in transportation. It was really important,” Korman said. “Earlier today, my committee finished the governor’s housing package. That is a big undertaking.”
Korman said he is also proud of his legislation to temporarily increase funding for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which will affect county residents who ride Metro trains.
Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Dist. 20), who represents Silver Spring, said while she had a few outstanding bills she hoped would make it through Monday, she was grateful that the major bills she cared most about made it through earlier in the week.
“Most of my really big bills passed a few days ago, which is a relief,” Charkoudian said.
One of these bills is the Working for Accessible Renewable Maryland Thermal Heat “WARMTH Act.” The legislation will require gas companies to create plans for pilot renewable geothermal energy programs. Charkoudian said she’s been working on the legislation for a year and a half.
Another is The Melanie Nicholle Diaz Fire Safety Act named after a 25-year-old woman who died in an apartment fire in Silver Spring in 2023, which would require apartment complexes to take stronger fire safety measures.
HB139, another tenant rights bill sponsored by Charkoudian, passed just before 9 p.m. Monday. It will require landlords to provide tenants with explanation in their lease of what utility bills they are required to pay, and also will require landlords to provide tenants with copies of these bills.
All bills that didn’t pass by midnight Monday will not be eligible to become law and will have to be reintroduced in the next session in January 2025.