Abortion, Gun, Clergy Abuse Laws Top 2023 MD General Assembly Action

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Maryland General Assembly closed its 90-day legislative session at midnight Monday with numerous bills passed, including ones focused on abortion rights, guns, child sexual abuse lawsuits, and more.

Here's a look at some of the top bills passed in 2023:

Abortion

Maryland voters will decide next year whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution as lawmakers aim to make the state a haven for those seeking the procedure. In March, the General Assembly decided to send the proposed constitutional amendment to voters, who will see the referendum on the 2024 ballot. If voters approve the referendum, Maryland residents would have a "fundamental right to reproductive freedom, "which would include the right to obtain an abortion.

Guns

The Associated Press reported that lawmakers passed new gun laws after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York state law similar to Maryland's "good and substantial reason" standard for permits to carry concealed handguns. One bill allows private property owners to decide whether to allow guns on their property, while the other removed the "good and substantial reason" language from the state's law, according to The AP.

Clergy Sex Abuse Lawsuits

The General Assembly also passed a bill removing the state's statute of limitations for when child sexual abuse lawsuits can be filed against public and private institutions.

The bill coincided with the Maryland Attorney General's release of a damning 463-page grand jury report detailing allegations of sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the cover-up of that abuse by the leadership of the Catholic Church.

The redacted report, which a judge ordered released in February, details "a long history of widespread abuse and systemic cover-up by clergy," according to a statement by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown.

Gender-Affirming Healthcare

Lawmakers expanded state Medicaid coverage to include additional gender-affirming treatments. The Trans Health Equity Act approved state coverage for treatments, including hair alteration, voice modification surgery and therapy, physical alterations to the body, fertility preservation and more.

Minimum Wage

The state will now accelerate its planned increase of the minimum wage to $15 per hour, according to The AP. Under the new legislation, the new wage will take effect in January rather than 2025.

Other measures passed include:

• State budget: The passage of a $63 billion state budget includes a nearly $1 billion downpayment on future education reform efforts via Maryland Matters.
• Cannabis sales: Lawmakers established rules for regulation, licensing, and taxing for recreational cannabis sales, which begin July 1, via The Washington Post.
• Horse racing: The legislature passed a bill creating a nine-member Maryland Thoroughbred Operating Authority to oversee delayed plans for infrastructure improvements at Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, via The Associated Press.
• Offshore wind: On Monday, state lawmakers passed the POWER Act, which sets a goal of generating 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2031, via The Associated Press.
• Police prosecution: A law passed by the General Assembly gives the state's attorney general independent authority to bring criminal charges against police officers involved in officer-involved deaths, via The Associated Press.