The Maryland 2017 90 day legislative session reached the halfway point on Saturday, February 25th. The pace of activity is increasing as hundreds of bills are moving through the respective committees. There still is a tremendous amount of work to do, with many hot-button issues being debated and as work on the budget progresses-the only bill that must be passed. Bills that are receiving a lot of attention are HB 1 (House
Bill
) requiring Maryland employers to provide paid sick leave to employees, HB 1362, making Maryland a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants, and a bill that really only impacts Garrett and Allegany counties is HB 1325, completely banning natural gas development in Maryland. Debate continue to intensify and tempers often flare across party lines.
Hot Topic Legislation
HB 1/SB 230 Labor and Employment - Maryland Healthy Working Families Act
, also referred to as the "paid sick leave" bill is gaining momentum due to its high priority on the Democratic agenda. The bill was heard last year as HB 580 and passed through the House, but couldn't find its way out of the Senate Finance Committee. The bill would require companies, with 15 employees or more, to provide up to seven days of paid sick leave to full-time workers. By mandating small businesses carry this financial burden, the law could financially ruin them. The Economic Matters Committee passed the bill on Monday the 27th, and it is heading to the House where it will most likely pass.
HB 1362/SB 835 Maryland Law Enforcement and Governmental Trust Act
is a bill that would grant full sanctuary status to for undocumented immigrants in entire state of Maryland. The bill will prohibit Maryland law enforcement from engaging and/or charging an undocumented immigrant for being here illegally. This bill will protect undocumented aliens as they use Maryland as a sanctuary to work and play at tax payers' expense. With over populated schools, heighted demand for welfare programs, and needed use of medical care; Marylanders will be the ones paying for them to live here, when, instead, we should be paying for efforts to force them out.
HB 1325/SB 740 Oil and Natural Gas - Hydraulic Fracturing - Prohibition
is legislation that would create a State-wide ban of hydraulic fracturing, a technique used to harvest vast amounts of natural gas from tight shale formations. As you know, I am opposed to the ban bill because we need economic growth, and domestic energy production. However, I will not further belabor the issue. The House version of this law was heard in Environment and Transportation Committee last week. It is being heard today in the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee.
Clean Energy Veto Bill and HB 514 Energy Efficiency Programs - Calculation of Program Savings and Consideration of Cost-Effectiveness
are both pieces of legislation that will ultimately raise Marylander's energy bills, regardless of the legislative efforts to increase the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs by requiring energy suppliers to comply. Currently, less than 10% of Maryland's energy production is renewable, and to raise that to 25% by 2020 is out of reach. Therefore, energy suppliers must buy from power suppliers who produce renewable energy; mostly from other states because they cannot sell what does not exist in Maryland. This will clearly create an unfair tax on ratepayers who may or may not be able to afford their energy bill already.
The Conservative Political Action Conference
(CPAC), on February 25th, 2017 bestowed recognition on Delegates of the Maryland General Assembly for their commitment to upholding conservative principles through their voting records during the 2016 legislative session. ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp said, "Maryland has historically been one of the most liberal states in the country so it is with great pride we award the faithful from the Maryland General Assembly who persisted in supporting conservative principles." I am proud to say I was among 27 Delegates of the Maryland General Assembly to receive this honor.
Therefore, the weather is not the only thing that has been providing warm air in Annapolis this week. I continue to work with my colleagues to find ways to advance issues of concern for my district. Your various communications and messages help me to tackle the legislative issues here in Annapolis As in previous sessions, I will keep my focus on the important subjects that impact Western Maryland.
Many constituents traveled down form Western Maryland to testify on the hydraulic fracturing ban bill in the Senate. It is always a pleasure to see some friendly faces from home here in Annapolis. This remains a very contentious issue with very strong opinion on both sides of this issue. There are several bill being considered on this issue. It is highly likely that a bill will emerge that will either extend the moratorium or enact a total ban. I do not favor any ban on natural gas development.
With this in mind I will close this week with a quote from John Kennedy: "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought"
- John F. Kennedy
With Warm Regards,
Delegate Wendell Beitzel
Garrett & Allegany Counties
