2024 Maryland General Assembly Update
Week Thirteen: State Budget, Capital Projects, Last Push on Carozza Bills,
Locals in Annapolis
Annapolis, MD – The Maryland General Assembly adjourns Sine Die (from the Latin “Without Day”) on Monday, April 8th at midnight. Both the Senate and the House of Delegates met on Saturday to meet this important deadline.
STATE BUDGET AGREEMENT REACHED
The Senate and House agreed on and approved a $63 billion budget and companion budget reconciliation bill on Friday.
“When negotiations began, the Senate and the House were over a billion dollars apart, but the Senate held the line against the House’s $1.26 billion tax and revenue package,” said Carozza.
Senator Carozza voted for the budget bill but did not vote for the reconciliation bill which included the increased vehicle registration fees and tobacco taxes. “I believe there are better ways to pay for Maryland’s budget priorities like extending the timelines on the costly Kirwan Blueprint education plan and reducing the $90 million targeted for climate change.”
CAPITAL BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
The Maryland General Assembly also moved forward on the capital budget this week which includes important local funding for Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset counties. A final vote on the capital budget will occur on Monday, April 8th. Here are the District 38 highlights:
Worcester County:
- $1.61 million, Berlin Barrack
- $500,000, Ocean City/Worcester Co Sports Complex Planning Funds
- $25,000, Worcester County Humane Society
- $23,500, Elks Lodge No. 2645
Wicomico County:
- $59.4 million, Salisbury University Blackwell Hall Renovation
- $250,000, Wicomico County Humane Society
- $125,000, Perdue Shorebirds Stadium, Eastern Shore Baseball Museum
- $75,000, Christian Shelter Life Skills House
- $50,000, Parsonsburg Fire Company Community Center
- $21,500, Delmar Main Street Gym
- $20,000, Delmar Fire Department
Somerset County:
- $5.8 million, Eastern Correctional Institution High Temperature Distribution and Perimeter Security Improvements
- $4.4 million, University of Maryland Eastern Shore New Agricultural Research Education Center
- $3.1 million, University of Maryland Eastern Shore Campus Flood Mitigation
- $6.8 million, Eastern Correctional Institution Hot Water and Steam System Improvements
- $150,000, Mission First Housing Development Corporation
- $125,000, Somerset County Courthouse
PROGRESS ON JUVENILE CRIME
When the 2024 legislative session began, one of the most important legislative priorities was to address the unintentional consequences caused by juvenile law reforms passed in 2022 regarding juvenile interrogation, supervision, detention, and notification.
Over the past year, Senator Carozza has worked with local state’s attorneys, law enforcement, school leaders, the private sector, nonprofits, and faith-based leaders on juvenile crime initiatives to increase the safety of our schools and neighborhoods.
As a result, Senator Carozza, along with Senators Ron Watson (D-District 23) and Chris West (R-District 42), introduced a bipartisan anti-crime package to fight crime and make our streets and communities safer. In addition, Governor Wes Moore, Democratic leadership in the General Assembly and the Senate-House Republican Caucus introduced their own anti-crime legislation.
“The persistent community concern, the active grassroots effort, and substantive anti-crime initiatives offered by the Wicomico County State’s Attorney and her team to increase accountability of violent offenders and insist that the Department of Juvenile Services follow up with violent juveniles really pushed the Democratic leadership to introduce and work out juvenile reform legislation this session,” said Senator Carozza.
House Bill 814, sponsored by House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-District 10) and Chair Luke Clippinger (D-District 46), passed the Maryland General Assembly on Friday and makes important strides in reforming juvenile law regarding supervision, detention, and notification.
Under this legislation, the Department of Juvenile Services now is required to notify the State’s Attorney Office of all felonies, an important step to ensure children ages 10-12 who commit serious and troubling offenses are required to engage with substance abuse or mental health treatment through the juvenile court system. Failing to attend treatment is now considered good cause to extend probation. Courts also have more authority to detain dangerous juveniles.
“This is important public safety legislation to address the increase in juvenile crime across Maryland, and some of our local and bipartisan ideas were included in the final package,” said Carozza.
CAROZZA BILLS MOVING THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE
Senator Carozza sponsored or cross filed several bills that have passed the Senate and are on track for final approval by the Maryland General Assembly including:
- SB 60 allows out-of-state recreational vehicle dealers to display-only at Maryland recreational vehicle shows.
- HB 186 enables the Eastern Shore Code Counties (Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Worcester) to set a new hotel rental tax rate to 6 percent maximum.
- SB 167/HB 806 modernizes and updates the work relationship between physicians and physician assistants to better reflect current practice and improve patient access to quality health care, especially those in rural areas.
- SB 763/HB 977 authorizes the Somerset County Commissioners to sell in whole or in part the Somerset County Industrial Park located on Revells Neck Road.
- SB 807/HB 975 authorizes the Somerset County Commissioners to establish an Emergency Services Advisory Council.
- SB 808 requires the Maryland Department of Agriculture, in coordination with other State agencies and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, to establish guidance for farmers regarding the development and implementation of anaerobic digestion technology.
- SB 829/HB 976 allows the Somerset County Commissioners to allocate the appropriate funding for Somerset County’s volunteer fire companies for fiscal year 2025 through fiscal year 2030.
- SB 897/HB 1064 relieves the tax liability on the death benefits of the families of first responders who died in the line of duty.
- SB 1034/HB 1162 establishes a 9-1-1 Specialist Recruitment and Retention Workgroup to identify and examine recruitment and retention challenges that affect 9-1-1 Specialists.
LOCALS IN ANNAPOLIS
Rabbi Rutberg of Temple Bat Yam in Berlin gave the invocation in the Senate on Thursday.
Senator Carozza formally introduced Rabbi Rutberg to her colleagues in the Senate after the prayer, highlighting his 38 years of serving as a rabbi, his service as a U.S. Army Chaplain who has received 2 Army commendation medals, and his leadership in increasing interfaith cooperation. Specifically, Senator Carozza acknowledged Rabbi Rutberg’s role in leading an interfaith service for Israel after the October 7th attack.
DJ Wiz and DJ T-Dome with T & S Entertainment Group, also known as Steve Gustus and Tucker Williams respectively, visited Annapolis this week after being invited by Senator Carozza to see the Maryland General Assembly in action. Senator Carozza has attended many local community events covered by the two disc jockeys over the years.
