It’s was the day after the 2022 General Assembly adjourned for the year.
Annapolis, Md. (KM) – A total of 79 bills were signed on Tuesday in Annapolis by Governor Larry Hogan, Senate President Bill Ferguson and House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones. Some of those measures included tax relief for retirees, an end to gerrymandering and a balanced budget.
Despite disagreements between he and legislative leaders, Governor Hogan said all sides were able to come to agreement on many issues facing Maryland. “For eight years, we’ve sent a very clear message that unlike just down the road in Washington, where there seems to be more divisiveness and dysfunction, we actually can come together in a bipartisan way to change things for the better,”: he said.
Similar comments came from Senate President Ferguson. “It is in no small testament to the work of sitting at a table, having hard conversations and getting things done,” he said. “That’s what Marylanders want, and that is what we, the Maryland General Assembly with the Hogan Administration, were able to accomplish this year.”
Speaker Jones had similar remarks, but she also mentioned a few bills that were vetoed by the Governor, and those vetoes was overridden. One includes paid family leave. “Paid family and medical leave will provide Marylanders with a safety net when they have a baby and when they have a medical emergency,” she said.
Another issue was abortion. “We are preparing for some of the most restrictive abortion actions that we’ve seen in a generation by expanding access to reproductive care, and expanding access to health care for those in need,”: she said.
Other bills signed into law include $500-million to Re-Fund the Police; recording funding for schools, school choice and school construction; extending tax incentives to new and existing businesses to relocate or expand in Maryland; and a $50-million grant fund to boost economic development activity, stimulate private sector investment and grow jobs in the state’s rural sectors.
This bill signing comes one day after the 2022 Maryland General Assembly adjourned for the year.
By Kevin McManus