Del. Eric Bromwell's 2016 Legislative Session Preview

On Wednesday, January 13th, the 436th session of the Maryland General Assembly will convene. We can expect hundreds of bills and resolutions, some old and some new, to be introduced and considered.

One aspect of the 2016 session will be different from most, the Assembly will attempt to override Governor Hogan’s veto of measures dealing with criminal asset seizures, voting rights for former inmates, marijuana laws and taxes for online hotel booking sites. A veto override takes 29 Senate votes and 85 House votes. There are 33 democrats in the Senate and 91 in the House. The Senate President said it is likely that new versions of the bills will be passed. Indeed, all the bills deal with matters important to a majority of the Legislature or they would not have been approved in the first place.

I will say that having served under Governor Ehrlich, starting off a session with veto overrides will create a very different political atmosphere than was present this time last year. But as I said after the 2014 election and I reiterate now, I will not take part in partisan fights. My job as a Delegate is to move our state forward, whether that means working with a Republican Governor or a Democratic Legislature.

The 2016 agenda also includes bills to establish an independent committee to determine where redistricting lines are drawn. I continue to be a strong supporter of redistricting reform, and believe that politics MUST be removed from the process in order to begin to win back the trust of the electorate.

In addition, the recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force dealing with the statewide heroin epidemic will be considered. Those recommendations include: more emphasis on overdose prevention, a pilot recovery unit for inmates addicted to drugs and mandatory tracking of prescription data to help identify people who may be abusing powerful pain medications. I support not only these measures, but any others that effectively address the problem.
Governor Hogan has already increased access to Naloxone, and other similar drugs that are used to reverse the effects of an overdose. As was announced recently, a prescription for these drugs will no longer be needed in Maryland, a step that I strongly support and will increase access to these treatments of last resort. The fact of the matter is, while they are NOT the solution to this epidemic, these drugs will save thousands of lives in Maryland.

Requiring employers with ten or more employees to provide paid sick leave for their workers will be back again for consideration. Having grown up in a family-owned business, this is something that I cannot support. Business owners are struggling to make ends meet in this fragile economy, and another government requirement is just about the last thing they need.

The Senate President and the Speaker of the House both support legislation which establishes universal voter registration. Universal voter registration automatically places eligible residents on the state voter rolls by using government databases to identify eligible voters. California and Oregon have universal voter registration which automatically registers voters when they get or renew driver’s licenses. This is a new idea for Maryland to consider, and I look forward to hearing from constituents to help me decide if this is something you want to see?

We can also expect to see legislation dealing with Fantasy Sports, sports betting and online gambling. In addition, the topic of concussions received in sports and the brain injuries that result will be discussed in my committee, Health and Government Operations.

I will be reporting to you regularly on these and many other issues. Please do not hesitate to contact me on any issue of concern to you. I value your input as it enables me to bring your voice to Annapolis. As always, I look forward to hearing from you soon.