The Governor’s decisions for all of the bills passed during the 2022 legislative session have been announced. Ultimately, 8 bills I worked on this session will become law.
Four bills I sponsored were signed into law:
Vision Zero Implementation Act of 2022: This legislation requires the State to evaluate safety deficiencies at the location of each pedestrian or bicyclist fatality that occurs on a state roadway and to publicly disclose their findings.
Consumer Protections in Campaign Finance: This law prohibits political campaigns from raising money through use of pre-checked recurring contributions, thereby protecting Marylanders from this deceptive fundraising scheme.
Improving Utilization of the EITC: The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is considered to be America’s largest and most successful anti-poverty program. However, 25% of Marylanders who are eligible for the EITC don't claim the credit. This legislation will get more EITC funds into the pockets of eligible Marylanders by having the Comptroller’s Office identify eligible taxpayers and sending them a simplified form to claim their refund.
Reusing State Properties for Affordable Housing: There is currently a shortage of 85,000 affordable housing units in Maryland. This bill will require the State to assess the suitability of excess state-owned properties for affordable housing and to donate or sell those properties for use as affordable housing.
Two of my bills became law without the Governor’s signature:
Extended Benefits for Unemployment: This law will ensure that unemployed Marylanders receive up to 13 to 20 additional weeks of unemployment benefits when unemployment is especially bad and when the extended benefits are fully paid for by the federal government.
Reform the Enterprise Zone Tax Credit: Repeated evaluations of this tax credit have shown it is not effective. The state spends tens of millions of dollars per year on this program and the costs are growing at a staggering rate. This bill make modest reforms to the program, including more transparency about tax credit recipients.
The Senate cross-files of two bills I sponsored were signed into law:
Expand the State Veterans Commission: This bill adds one seat on the Maryland Veterans Commission for a representative of the Reserve Organization of America.
Transparency in Elections Procurement: This legislation codifies the 20-year precedent that governs the funding obligations between the State and counties for voting machines and related systems so that counties have a reasonable expectation for the costs they must bear.