Senator Addie Eckardt, District 37 Weekly Wrap-Up March 23, 2018

This Week in Annapolis This week has been busy as the Senate Committees have started to hear and vote on legislation that the House of Delegates has passed this Session so far. I have also begun to present my legislation that has passed the Senate to the House of Delegates Committees; so far, 15 of my primary sponsored bills have made it through the Senate and will be moving to the House.   SB 1048 – Secure and Accessible Registration Act, which passed the Senate on March 16, 2018 with a 31-13 vote, would automatically register qualified individuals to vote in Maryland through the Motor Vehicle Administration, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, local departments of social services, and the Mobility Certification Office in the Maryland Transit Administration. This would then require an individual to go through the process of having to undo the registration. Additional costs would be attributed to the need for new software allowing for the communication of the registration agencies and the State Board of Elections. This legislation removes the choice of individuals to determine whether or not they would like to be registered voters, taking away the opportunity for initiative and self-engagement. SB 651 – Environment – Expanded Polystyrene Food Service Products – Prohibition, which would prohibit the use of polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam, throughout the State of Maryland. Amendments were tried twice until SB 651 was re-referred to the Senate Finance Committee, which voted unfavorably on this legislation on March 16, 2018.   SB 707 – Criminal Law – Firearm Crimes – Rapid Fire Trigger Activator would prohibit a person from transporting, manufacturing, possessing, selling, offering, purchasing, or receiving a rapid fire trigger activator in the State of Maryland; violators would be subject to a maximum of three years imprisonment and/or a fine of $5,000. After numerous amendments were offered and defeated, this legislation passed the Senate Chamber with a 36-11 vote on March 19, 2018. The cross-filed version of this legislation, HB 888 was amended to grandfather those who currently own rapid fire trigger activators and would address any activity regarding these that occurs after October 1, 2018.  SB 747 – Wildlife Management – Shooting at Nighttime, which would prohibit the Department of Natural Resources from authorizing someone with a Deer Management Permit to shoot a firearm at night to kill deer, was successfully voted unfavorably by the Senate Chamber on March 19, 2018 with a 14-33 vote. SB 996 – Income Tax – Subtraction Modification – Retirement Income (Hometown Heroes and Veterans Act of 2018) passed the Senate unanimously on March 19, 2018 and will now be moving to the House of Delegates for a hearing. While this initiative began as two separate bills, it was amended to expand the existing retirement income tax subtraction modification for military service workers and correctional officers who are 55 years or older from $10,000 to $15,000. HB 1302 – Public Safety – Extreme Risk Prevention Orders, which was voted on favorably by the House of Delegates, was heard in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on March 23, 2018. This legislation would allow any interested individual to report someone that is of extreme risk; a judge would then be able to issue an extreme risk prevention order, requiring the reported individual to relinquish all firearms. This legislation could be better amended to allow interested individuals the ability to report someone where then officials can discuss options and make the necessary arrangements, opposed to immediately removing their rights to bear arms.   SB 610 – Natural Resources – Forest Conservation Act – Standards and Requirements would modify the existing Forest Conservation Act (FCA) by: redefining what forest areas are priorities for retention and protection, modifying the standards for approval of clearing of priority retention areas, increasing the reforestation requirement for approved clearing of priority retention areas, modifying the timing of the review of a forest conservation plan, authorizing local governments to enter into agreements for tree planting, and requiring DNR to publish and periodically update an FCA manual. This legislation is still being worked on by the sponsor and activists and will be addressed again by the Senate on March 26, 2018. My Bill Hearings This Week On March 21, 2018, I presented SB 1101 – Health Insurance – Provider Panels – Procedures and Credentialing Practices to Senate Finance Committee; this legislation would streamline the credentialing process of healthcare providers, by limiting the time from 120 to 60 days, as well as broaden the coverage of insurance providers. School Safety On March 22, 2018, I attended the hearing on HB 1816 – Safe Schools Act of 2018; this emergency Administration bill requires each local school system to develop a school emergency plan, to complete safety assessments of every public school annually, establishes a Safe school Fund, and increases the mandated appropriation for the Maryland Center for School Safety. On March 23, 2018, SB 1263 – Public Safety – School Mental Health Services and Mental Disorder Weapon Restraining Order and SB 1264 – Primary Secondary Schools – Law Enforcement Presence were heard in Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee: SB 1263 would expand prohibitions on making a threat of mass violence, require local school systems to establish threat assessment teams and mental health counselor services, and establish procedures for the issuance of mental health disorder weapon restraining orders; SB 1264 would require each public school to have an armed school resource officer or have a State Police officer assigned to the school. While school safety bills are working their way through the legislative process, 13-year-old McKinsey Brown is working to increase awareness and classroom preparedness throughout Queen Anne County and now Talbot County. Through the raising of funds, McKinsey has been purchasing Teach Emergency Action Care Help (T.E.A.C.H.) kits, portable and waterproof trauma kits which would allow first responders to initiate care before more advanced medical assistance can arrive on the scene. With the help of Governor Hogan’s enhanced school funding, McKinsey recently helped Queen Anne County Schools to implement T.E.A.C.H. units in 14 schools with approximately 40-50 units per school. McKinsey now attends school in Talbot County and will be continuing to strive to achieving her mission and greatest hope of placing T.E.A.C.H. kits in every classroom across the nation; for more information regarding McKinsey’s project, please contact Kids Helping Kids at boconnor0410@gmail.com. Capital Budget On March 10, 2018, the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee heard approximately 400 State Bond Bill requests; this week, the fiscal 2019 local Senate legislative initiatives were released, granting funding to key projects throughout the State. In Dorchester County, $175,000 was allocated to Patriot Point, a facility targeted at providing outdoor recreational activities for our nation’s wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families. The Chesapeake Grove – Senior Housing and Intergenerational Center, also in Dorchester County, received $1,00,000 for the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center at Chesapeake Grove. The Avalon Theatre, located in Talbot County, was granted $150,000 for key renovations in order to make the facility ADA compliant and more accessible for all audiences. Wicomico County received $100,000 for Rotary Labyrinth. A separate source of funds was used to fund the House of Delegates projects: The YMCA Senior Center, located in Talbot County, was granted $500,000 for the expansion of a new intergenerational YMCA/Senior Center facility. $500,000 was also allocated to Wicomico County for the Salisbury Revitalization project, including the new Main Street streetscapes and installation of broadband fiber optic cable in Salisbury. District News On March 17, 2018, Carpenter Street Saloon held their 35th Annual Shopping Cart Races; thank you for continuing to host this event and for donating the proceeds to local community partners.   Congratulations to the Wicomico County Farm Bureau who, on March 17, 2018, celebrated their 88th anniversary. I was joined by Delegate Mary Beth Carozza as we greeted Liz Williams, Miss Wicomico County Farm Bureau. On March 23, 2018, Sandy Davis, Carol Murphy, Ellen Bethel, and Sandy Truitt from the Delmarva Republican Women came to visit Annapolis and discuss Session so far.