Mid-Session Update

Congratulations on all the work we’ve accomplished so far in this year’s Maryland General Assembly session! Over 50 of our members have met with their legislators in Annapolis, and over 250 of us have sent over 1,000 emails to our legislators to support our priorities.

Good news! As of Crossover Day on Monday, March 23, some of the bills we support have passed or made progress. See below for details.

Our work isn’t over! From now until the end of the legislative session on April 13th, we’re continuing to support our priorities that are still in progress.

Please check your email for action alerts to email your State Senators and Delegates in support of these bills.

Status of our Priorities:

Passed:

Immigration: The bill ending 287(g) agreements (SB245) passed as emergency legislation and was signed by Governor Moore in February!

• This bill ends harmful 287(g) agreements which send local police to act as ICE. Read more here.

Made Progress:

• Housing: The Bring Back Main Street Act (SB829) passed the Senate after being amended to a study.

  • Please look out for action alerts to email your delegates supporting this bill.

• Immigration: The Data Privacy Act (HB711) passed the House on March 21 and crossed over to the Senate!

  • This bill will close loopholes to protect personal data in Maryland state databases like driver’s license records from being shared with ICE. Read more here.

• Healthy Homes: Protecting the SEIF:

  • We've been organizing to protect the Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF) for its intended purpose of clean energy upgrades. Read more here.

  • The House committee included $73 million in the budget for clean energy heat pumps, which is good, but the Senate committee did not. The two committees will negotiate to decide on the final budget.

• Healthy Homes: The SEIF bill:

  • The bill we supported, which would have protected SEIF funds in future years (HB1040), was combined with over ten other bills into the Utility Relief Act (HB1532) (emergency legislation) and passed the House on March 17.

  • We support HB1532 with amendments: restoring EmPOWER funds which are proposed to be cut, specifically funding induction stoves and heat pumps, and stronger oversight over corporate utilities.

• Housing: The Transit and Housing Opportunity Act (HB894) passed the House and crossed over to the Senate! 

  • This was not one of our priorities, but is in alignment with bills we have supported in the past, and we are happy to see it making progress.

  • This bill makes it easier to build homes near rail transit stations and could result in 7,000 new homes near transit.

Unfortunately, two of the bills we supported did not make it out of committee so they will not pass this year:

Did Not Progress:

• Housing: The Starter & Silver Homes Act (SB36) did not make it out of committee.

  • This bill would have made it easier to build smaller, less expensive homes to make homeownership more accessible.

  • The Senate leadership decided not to move the bill forward.

• Immigration: The Community Trust Act (SB791) did not make it out of committee.

  • This bill would have closed off a destructive pipeline transferring people from local and state police custody to ICE.

While not all of our priorities have advanced, we still have made strong progress, and we couldn't have made it to this point without you.

Thank you for all your hard work which is helping us make an impact statewide this year, and let’s keep it up!