The Maryland General Assembly (MGA) begins the work of the people of Maryland on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 10:00am. At that hour, the 188 members of the Maryland State Senate and House of Delegates will assemble in what is probably the most unusual version of this tradition.
Instead of a day filled with ceremony, hallways and corridors filled with legislators, lobbyists, staff and journalists, this convening day will find the House members split between two locations, and Senators encased in plexiglass booths in the historic State House Chamber.
It won’t just be the physical layout that will be different, though. As a result of physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public will not be able to witness the legislative process in-person. The only form of live public interaction in the direct legislative process will be “virtual”. Instead of Marylanders traveling to the capital city to petition their government, we’ll be logging onto our computers/devices to obtain our three minutes of testimony.
Despite the complications from COVID, none of us should be uninformed or ill-informed about the state legislative process. Beginning many years ago, long before the specter of COVID, the General Assembly process had shifted to online access to information, voting records and monitoring the actual proceedings.
By visiting the General Assembly website anyone can view legislation, floor actions for both the House and Senate, and track issues of interest as the process plays out over 90 days.
Both Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones have indicated their preference for a lower level of bill introductions from their colleagues. Frankly, the normal 3,000+ bill introductions would be nearly impossible to manage, given that the 141 members of the House of Delegates will convene in two separate locations in the State House complex when the full House is in Session. About half of the Delegates will be spread out in the vast Chamber to ensure physical distancing, while the other half will be seated in a temporary arrangement in the large delegation rooms in the Lowe House Office Building a block away.
As far as getting up-to-speed on the big issues, the Maryland General Assembly makes it easy for us to be informed. The staff of lawyers and analysts in the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) prepares a document entitled Issue Papers of the 2021 Legislative Session for lawmakers and staff. This is NOT light reading, clocking in at over 300 pages, but as far as an overview of the major issues expected to be a part of the conversation, this document is indispensable reading. You can find it HERE.
There’s no doubt that COVID will be the big issue, and I anticipate discussion about additional support for small businesses, vaccine distribution, and how to get schools safely open to in-person instruction. Some other dominant topics are carry-overs from last year:
- Funding the recommendations of the Commission on Excellence in Public Education
- Police reform
- Criminal Justice reform
- Access to affordable healthcare, including mental health
The Frederick County Chamber of Commerce will be tracking the major issues for you throughout the Session. We’ll try to communicate with our legislative delegation, although I expect that to be a challenge given the circumstances. You may need to depend on email to share your views and thoughts with your legislators. All of them have processes in place to review and respond to their constituents.
- Senator Ron Young: ron.young@seante.state.md.us
- Senator Michael Hough: michael.hough@senate.md.us | Delegation Vice Chair
- Delegate Barrie Ciliberti: barrie.ciliberti@house.state.md.us
- Delegate Dan Cox: dan.cox@house.state.md.us
- Delegate Carol Krimm: carole.krimm@house.state.md.us
- Delegate Ken Kerr: ken.kerr@house.state.md.us
- Delegate Jesse Pippy: jesse.pippy@house.state.md.us
- Delegate Karen Lewis-Young: karen.young@house.state.md.us | Delegation Chair
If you have a question about the process, specific legislation, or just want to chat about what’s happening, feel free to email me at rweldon@frederickchaber.org.
– Rick Weldon, President & CEO
The Frederick County Chamber of Commerce works every day to elevate the voices of small business owners and nonprofit organizations, highlighting the role they play in our local economy and supporting them through challenging and uncertain times — like the ones we face now.
Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.