ANNAPOLIS - Crossover was Monday, March 21 – which is the deadline for each chamber to pass its bills over to the other, without having to jump through extra procedural hoops. Although typically the week following crossover is quiet as we begin to work through the House bills that have crossed over, work has not slowed down in the Senate as we have had a record number of bills be introduced this session.

An advanced health directive allows individuals to prepare themselves for situations in which they are unable to make their own health care decisions and allows for them to preserve their autonomy by stating their personal preferences for care and treatment before the need arises. One of my bills that works with these directives, SB 994, passed unanimously through committee this week.

This bill will develop and implement a public awareness campaign to encourage the use of mental health advance directives in the state. This bill will greatly benefit all citizens of Maryland in need of mental health care and support, and will improve the lives of people with serious mental illness.

I had a number of other bills with movement this week as well, including two bills that will increase the salary of orphans’ court judges in Wicomico and Dorchester counties. These bills are in response to an increased workload that the judges in these counties have been facing, with the volume and complexity of their work evolving since their last salary increase eight years ago.

Another bill, which passed through the Senate this week and has moved on to the House, would allow the local detention center officers of Talbot County to become members of the Correctional Officers’ Retirement System.

District 37 Pages

The Maryland General Assembly Legislative Page Program is a great opportunity for the future generation of Maryland to learn first-hand about our state’s government and the legislative process. We had one page serve from District 37 this week: Taylor Gray from Dorchester County!

Senate of Maryland Celebrates 250th Anniversary on Maryland Day

On March 25, 1634, settlers from Europe arrived on an island they would name St. Clement’s in the mouth of the Potomac River, completing a journey that would lead to the establishment of the state of Maryland that’s still celebrated today as Maryland Day. At the time, a body which consisted of the governor and council, and a general assembly of all freemen, met as a law-making assembly. This group would later form the Upper House of the General Assembly, now known as the Senate of Maryland.

Capital Budget Passes Through Senate, Moves to Conference Committee

The FY2023 Capital Budget, which is the part of the budget allocating money for the acquisition or maintenance of fixed assets such as land, buildings and equipment, has passed through the Senate and will move on to conference with representatives from both the Senate and House finalizing it.

Between the Senate, House and Governor, District 37 is expected to receive over $9.5 million combined:

Caroline

• Federalsburg Activity Center - $50,000
• Benedictine School - $1,000,000
• Choptank Community Health System - $420,893
• Greensboro Judy Hoyer Early Learning Center - $500,000

Dorchester

• Harriet Tubman Pavilion - $100,000
• Community Center Repurpose - $500,000
• The Bayley House - $150,000
• Delmarva Community Services Jeanette Weinberg Intergenerational Center - $1,500,000
• Boys and Girls Club Cambridge Renovation - $750,000

Talbot

• Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - $1,000,000
• Building African American Minds, Inc. Academic Center - $1,050,000
• St. Michaels Community Center - $200,000
• Midshore Community Foundation Water’s Edge Museum - $675,000

Wicomico

• Youth Club Renovation - $150,000
• Christian Shelter, Renovation of Thrift Store and Refrigeration - $231,692
• Junior Achievement Eastern Shore - $1,000,000
• Salisbury Zoological Park - $250,000

Congressional Maps

Senior Judge Lynne A. Battaglia blocked Maryland’s new congressional map Friday afternoon, finding that the plan violates the Maryland Constitution and Declaration of Rights.

Battaglia sent the redistricting plan back to the General Assembly and ordered lawmakers to come up with a new plan by next Wednesday. Lawmakers can try to produce a new map or appeal Battaglia’s decision.

$291.7M Supplemental Budget

Gov. Larry Hogan submitted a $291.7 million supplemental budget to the General Assembly with substantial provider rate increases for health care and disability services providers, and additional resources to support child care providers and facilities.

• The supplemental budget commits $210 million to fund 4% provider rate increases across the board in the fields of behavioral health, developmental disabilities, Medicaid, foster care, non-public schools that serve children with disabilities, and other health care services. This is in addition to the provider rate increases provided in the governor’s original FY23 budget. As a result, most providers will see overall rate increases in the 7.5-8% range in FY23.
• The governor’s FY23 budget makes historic investments in public health, including record funding for local health departments.

Earlier this year, the governor announced that the state is committing $50 million for additional Child Care Stabilization Grants to assist providers dealing with the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This supplemental budget provides:

• $16 million to provide funds for retention and recruitment bonuses for child care providers and employees, to be administered by the Maryland State Department of Education.
• $15 million to establish a loan program through the Department of Commerce that will support critical renovations and improvements to child care facilities.

This is the governor’s third supplemental budget of the 2022 legislative session: the first, submitted last month, included resources for first responders, renters and homeowners; the second, submitted last week, provided for the resources to suspend the gas tax for 30 days.

2022-2023 Senatorial Scholarship Application

Our office’s Senatorial Scholarship is currently accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year! Please reach out to our office at adelaide.eckardt@senate.state.md.us to receive the scholarship application packet.

If you have previously applied to the scholarship, it will automatically renew for a total of four years after applying. The deadline for scholarships is Friday, April 1.