Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland Shared voices for liberal religious values in Maryland

Priority Bills that have Crossed Over

March 21, 2019 - 9:00 pm

The following bills have been passed by one chamber and sent to the other chamber for consideration ahead of the crossover deadline Monday, March 18. For current descriptions of all bills, including those that have been amended and passed by the House or Senate, please refer to the table here

Economic Justice         *** Bill Passed by General Assembly ***

HB 166/SB 280 - Labor and Employment – Payment of Wages – Minimum Wage (Fight for Fifteen) - The House and Senate versions were reconciled by a Confence Committee and its report was accepted and passed by both chambers. The bill is now enrolled and will be sent to the Governor for signature or veto. 

Climate Change

SB 249 - Regional Initiative to Limit or Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Transportation Sector - Authorization (Regional Transportation and Climate Protection Act of 2019) - Passed the Senate with Amendments and Sent to the House [in Environment & Transportation and Economic Matters Committees] The companion HB 277 has passed 2nd Reading in the House, but with different amendments.

SB 516 - Clean Energy Jobs – Passed the Senate on March 20 and will need to be referred by the House Rules Committe to the Economic Matters Committee before it can be considered. 

Death With Dignity

HB 399 - End-of-Life Option Act (Richard E. Israel and Roger 'Pip' Moyer Act) - Passed the House with Amendments by a close margin (74-66) and Sent to the Senate [in Judicial Proceedings]  

Gun Violence

HB 367 - Public Safety - Education - Firearm Funding – Passed the House without amendment and sent to the Senate [in Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs and Judicial Proceedings] 

SB 346 – Public Safety – Regulated Firearms – Sell, Rent, Transfer or Loan – Passed the Senate with Amendments and sent to the House [in Judiciary]  

SB 622 - Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention – Crime Firearms – Study - Passed the Senate with Amendments and sent to the House [in Judiciary]  

HB 740 - Criminal Law – Firearms – Computer–Aided Fabrication and Serial Number (3–D Printed Firearms) - Passed the House with Amendments and sent to the Senate [in Judicial Proceedings] 

Healthcare

HB 814/SB 802- Maryland Health Insurance Option (Protect Maryland Health Care Act of 2019) - Both bills have passed their original chamber with identical amendments and sent to the other chamber for consideration. Once both houses approve the same bill, it will be enrolled and sent to the Governor for signature.

HB 697/SB 868 - Health Insurance - Consumer Protections and Maryland Health Insurance Coverage Protection Commission – Both bills have passed their original chamber with identical amendments and sent to the other chamber for consideration. Once both houses approve the same bill, it will be enrolled and sent to the Governor for signature.

Immigration

HB 214/SB 144 - Victims and Witnesses - U Nonimmigrant Status - Certification of Victim Helpfulness – Both bills have passed their original chambers with identical language [in Judiciary (SB 144) and Judicial Proceedings (HB 214)]. Once both houses approve the same bill, it will be enrolled and sent to the Governor for signature.

SB 537 - Higher Education - Tuition Rates – Exemptions - Passed the Senate without Amendment and Sent to the House [in Appropriations]  The House version, HB 262, has been reported out of committee without amendment and will be on the floor of the House on Friday, March 22. Once both houses approve the same bill, it will be enrolled and sent to the Governor for signature.

HB 1165 - State Government – Government Agents – Requests for and Use of Immigration Status Information - Passed the House with amendments and sent to the Senate [in Judicial Proceedings] 

HB 1273 - Immigration Enforcement – Public Schools, Hospitals, and Courthouses – Policies – Passed the House and sent to the Senate [in Judicial Proceedings] 

Restorative/Criminal Justice 

SB 621 - Correctional Services - Diminution Credits – Education – Passed Senate with Amendments and sent to the House [in Judiciary]  

HB 1001/SB 774 - Correctional Services - Restrictive Housing - Reporting by Correctional Units and Requirements Relating to Minors – Both bills pass their original chambers, but with different amendments which will need to be resolved [in Judiciary (SB 774) and Judicial Proceedings (HB 1001)] 

Priority Bills That Need Action

March 20, 2019 5:00 pm

Things are moving fast, so please continue to check Facebook, and Twitter for up-to-date information and actions to take on UULM-MD priority issues. The session ends on April 8 so crucial decisions are being made often with little notice. Despite the number of priority bills that have made progress, there are significant bills that still need your help. For current descriptions of all bills, please refer to the table here

Climate Change 

SB 516 - Clean Energy Jobs - Passed the Senate on March 20 and was sent to the House. In order to be considered, the House Rules Committee must refer it to Economic Matters. 

The House version, HB 1158 is still in the House Economic Matters Committee.  Please contact all of your delegates and urge them to bring the Clean Energy Jobs Act to the House Floor for a vote and to support this Legislation. 

You can email or call your legislators at any time, leaving a voice mail message when offices are closed.  Just be certain that you leave your name and address so that legislators will know that you are from their district. If you don’t know them already, you can find the email addresses and phone numbers of your Legislators here. 

Death With Dignity 

HB 399 - End-of-Life Option Act (Richard E. Israel and Roger 'Pip' Moyer Act) -  

Passed the House with Amendments by a close margin (74-66) and Sent to the Senate [in Judicial Proceedings] 

The Senate version, SB 311  is still awaiting action in Judicial Proceedings and needs your calls or emails to its members. You can find an article about the potential amendments that may be added to help the bill pass the Senate here .  We believe the bill is solid and offers sufficient protections for users.  Over 40 years of experience in other states show there is no need to amend the bill to require psychiatric evaluations prior to use.  That delay will ensure that potential users will often not be able to secure the drug prior to death.  Most assessments for depression are done by General Practitioners and Internists in Maryland and we see no reason to change that in this bill.  We urge you to contact legislators to push back against a requirement for psychiatric evaluations. 

Healthcare  

HB 768/SB 759 - Health - Prescription Drug Affordability Board - Currently in the Senate Finance Committee and the Health and Government Operations Committee. 

The Senate Finance Committee might vote on the Prescription Drug Affordability Board legislation as early as this week. If your Senator is on the Senate Finance Committee, please contact him/her and strongly urge support for SB 759 and to oppose efforts to weaken the bill by the drug corporations. The main concern is that amendments would be added to the bill to remove the Board's authority to set upper payment limits on what Marylanders can pay for high cost drugs.  This would, of course, take away from the Board the key power needed to make prescription drugs more affordable. 

Act now on these important measures. Constituents can have a major impact on lawmakers, especially when everyone calls! 

See Full List of Priority Bills and Actions to Take

For a full list of priority bills filed to date, their status and actions to take, please click here.