Priority Bills: Most Introduced & First Testimony Provided

This past week saw most of our priority bills introduced, and we provided testimony on our first bill to have a committee hearing.

Bills Introduced

Most UULM-MD priority bills now have numbers (and most have hearings scheduled). The full list to date is:

Climate Change

• HB 61 / SB 81 - Charter Counties - Enforcement of Local Building Performance Laws (Building Energy Performance Standards Act of 2022)

• SB 528 - Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022

• HB 108 / SB 524 - Public Utilities - Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programs - Energy Performance Targets and Low-Income Housing

• HB 10 / SB 61 - Maryland Transit Administration - Conversion to Zero-Emission Buses (Zero-Emission Bus Transition Act Revisions)

• HB 596 -Constitutional Amendment - Environmental Rights

Other Environmental Bills “of interest”

• HB 171 / SB 135 - Climate Crisis and Environmental Justice Act

• HB 141 / SB 23 - Equity in Transportation Sector - Guidelines and Analyses

• HB 307 / SB 292 - Environment - Packaging Materials - Producer Responsibility

Criminal Justice

• HB 269 / SB 53 - Juvenile Law - Juvenile Interrogation Protection Act

• HB 459 - Juvenile Justice Reform

• HB 25 - Rehabilitation and Education for All Prisons (REAP) Act

• HB 67 - Correctional Services - Step-Down Programs - Cause of Action

• SB 512 / HB 604 - Office of the Attorney General – Correctional Ombudsman

Immigration

• HB 114 / SB 129 - Access to Counsel in Immigration Proceedings Program

• SB 265 / HB 559 - Probation Before Judgment – Probation Agreements – Probation Not Deportation

In addition, three measures that were priorities last year have also been reintroduced this session. While we are monitoring their progress, UULM-MD does not have an active Advocacy Team to provide testimony and alerts to contact lawmakers. We provide this information for anyone who wishes to contact their lawmakers, submit testimony, or volunteer to lead our Advocacy Team.

• Economic Justice – HB 8/SB 275 - Labor and Employment – Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program – Establishment (Time to Care Act of 2022)

• Gun Violence – HB 425/SB 387 - Public Safety - Untraceable Firearms

• Gun Violence – HB 659 - Firearm Safety - Storage Requirements and Youth Suicide Prevention (Jaelynn's Law)

Hearings Held

For the first time this session, we provided testimony in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on a juvenile justice bill, SB 53 - Juvenile Interrogation Protection Act. Meanwhile, an important environmental justice measure, SB 23 / HB 141 - Equity in Transportation Sector, was heard in the Senate Finance Committee and the House Environment and Transportation Committee, respectively. The coming week will see committee hearings on several priority bills (see post on Upcoming Hearings).