Senator Eckardt Weekly Wrap Up

This Week In Annapolis  We have officially reached the end of the 2018 legislative session, with only one day left; April 9, 2018 is the 90th day of Session in which all of the legislation needs to have made it through both the Senate and the House of Delegates in order to become law. I am looking forward to seeing the success of many of my bills, as well as many others that will directly benefit District 37 and all of Maryland. On April 4, 2018, Governor Hogan vetoed HB 1783 – 21st Century School Facilities Act; this veto was overridden by the legislative body on April 5, 2018. This legislation transforms the Interagency Committee on School Construction to a Commission (IAC), requires periodic public school facilities assessments, streamlines the State approval process for school construction projects, and provides at least $400 million for public school construction annually as soon as possible, as well as allocating $10 million for school safety improvements. This legislation removes the Board of Public Works’ (BPW) authority to adopt regulations and grant final approval with respect to public school construction projects and transfers this power to the IAC. By the removal of the historic oversight of the BPW, which is comprised of the governor, comptroller, and treasurer, the power is now given to an unelected and unaccountable IAC, which historically has included individuals with potential conflicts of interest. Governor Hogan also vetoed SB 639 – Education – Public School Personnel on April 4, 2018, which was overridden by the legislative body on April 5, 2018; this legislation makes it more difficult for public school staff to be dismissed or suspended from their position if they have been identified for misconduct. Through this bill, the power of these decisions is removed from local school boards and is now given to an arbitrator who may or may not be a Maryland resident. Local school boards are directly involved in the community and know the dynamics of the school system and what is best for students and families; the arbitrator will not necessarily have the same relationship and knowledge.    On April 5, 2018, SB 1265 – Maryland Safe to Learn Act of 2018 was moved out of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and was presented on the Senate floor. This bill, which was amended to be a compilation of many school safety bills, addresses the organizations involved in school safety, funding, mental and behavioral health, and security throughout Maryland’s schools. This legislation was heard in the House of Delegates Ways and Means Committee on April 6, 2018. HB 1302 – Public Safety – Extreme Risk Prevention Orders was reported favorably with amendments by Senate Judicial Proceedings on April 5, 2018. Prior to amendments, this legislation would have allowed for any interested individual to report someone that is of extreme risk and a judge would then be able to issue an extreme risk prevention order, requiring the reported individual to relinquish all firearms. Senate Judicial Proceedings amended the legislation to now only allow licensed health officials, law enforcement officers, a spouse, a cohabitant, a relative, someone with a shared child, a current partner, or a legal guardian the ability to report. Despite the red votes of me and my colleagues, on  April 6, 2018, this legislation passed the Senate body.

Pharmacy Benefit Manager Legislation Many years ago, the legislature established Pharmacy Benefit Mangers (PBMs) to monitor the cost of prescription drugs and reimbursement rates for small and local pharmacies. However, it has recently come to my attention that PBMs, specifically CVS Caremark, have been taking advantage of these pharmacies, began to lower the reimbursement rates to make it nearly impossible for them to continue their work. We then appealed to the Maryland Insurance Agency and the Department of Health to create stronger regulation over the PBMs. Through bipartisan efforts, the Maryland General Assembly has been passing legislation to address this issue:  SB 1079 – Pharmacy Benefits Managers – Revisions authorizes the Insurance Commissioner to adopt regulations to govern PMBs and to establish a complaint process to address recent grievances and appeals. This bill is effective beginning on June 1, 2018 and applies to contracts between a PBM and a pharmacy established through January 1, 2019.

My Bill Hearings This Week On April 4, 2018, I presented SB 1248 – Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Businesses Account – Funding to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. This legislation would restore the 1.5% of video lottery terminal funding to the Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Businesses Account, which is used to spark the development of these businesses.

District News Thank you to Maryland Secretary of Agriculture, Joe Bartenfelder, for hosting another successful Egg Hunt and Easter celebration on March 31, 2018.