Delegate Bromwell's 2018 Legislative Session Preview

When the 2018 General Assembly convenes on January 10th, the first order of business will be three bills approved during the 2017 session and vetoed by the Governor.

• Redistricting Reform which allows an independent panel to draw congressional district lines if five other states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina) join Maryland in a Mid-Atlantic Regional Compact and take similar redistricting action.

• Ban the Box in College Admissions applications in Maryland removes the space on college applications used for the applicant to divulge his or her criminal history record.

• Paid Sick Leave which requires businesses with 15 or more employees to provide five days of paid sick leave.

The Governor has proposed his own sick leave legislation. He views his proposal as a compromise that will not overburden small businesses. The bill requires businesses with 25 or more employees to offer paid sick leave. The benefit will be phased in over a three-year period. I do not support any legislation that forces businesses to provide paid sick leave as I feel that it places an undue financial burden on small businesses.

Leaders of both Houses of the Assembly have pledged to secure approval for The Rape Survivor Family Protection Act. The legislation provides that the mother of a child conceived by rape can take court action to terminate the rapist's parental rights. This is law in most states and is supported by The Maryland Catholic Conference, NARAL, the Attorney General, the Governor and more than 30 other organizations. Last year, the legislation passed both Houses, but died in conference committee.

Gun Control legislation in the form of a ban on bump stocks, the device that turns a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic weapon, will be debated in 2018. Las Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock, used bump stocks to make his rapid-fire assault possible, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds. Supporters of the legislation emphasize that the only purpose of bump stocks is to make killing more people possible.

Harsher sentences for repeat violent offenders. Governor Hogan plans to introduce emergency legislation calling for tougher sentencing for repeat offenders who commit a felony using a gun. The legislation will increase the minimum criminal penalty from 5 years to 10 years without parole or probation. The legislation also makes repeat violent offenders serve their full sentences without suspension, parole or probation. Additionally, the legislative package includes stronger laws targeting gangs that would allow prosecutors to try cases across jurisdictional lines. Governor Hogan regards these bills as part of a crime fighting package to stem violence in Baltimore City and statewide.

A school construction funding bill will be introduced to reduce overcrowding, repair old buildings and end the need for portable classrooms. The legislation hopes to accomplish this by designing, approving and building schools faster, reducing costs per student for new schools and incentivizing 21st century construction methods. According to the Department of Education, 65,297 students are in temporary classrooms, such as trailers. It is projected that there is $23.3 billion in statewide school construction needed by fiscal year 2023, which is unaffordable given current spending. However, those who support this bill emphasize the conversion of old buildings into schools and other similar strategies, allowing for the number of school construction projects to increase by 50% at no additional cost by just reducing the average cost per student.

Legislation to exempt veterans' military retirement income from state and local income taxes will make another try for passage. Under a 2015 law, a retiree can exempt the first $10,000 of military retirement income from state and local taxes. The 5-year cost of the full exemption would be about $100 million. Pennsylvania is the only state that offers the full exemption from state and local taxes.

The Governor wants to expand the Hometown Heroes Act to cover correctional officers. The 2017 Hometown Heroes Act exempts retired law enforcement and fire, rescue and emergency response personnel from state income taxes on a portion of their retirement income, but does not currently include correctional officers.

There are certain to be proposals introduced to combat the crippling heroin overdose epidemic raging here in Maryland and nationwide. In 2016, drug overdoses killed 64,000 people according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's a 20% increase over 2015. State data shows that fentanyl-related deaths soared to 799 by June 2017, compared with 469 fentanyl deaths in the first half of 2017. In all, there were 1,029 opioid-related deaths in the first half of 2017. That's more than triple the number during the same period in 2012.

Setting state standards for computer science training in public schools will be the objective of legislation for the purpose of creating a more tech-savvy state workforce. The state needs a well-trained workforce for the increasing number of technology jobs. There's broad agreement on the need to teach computer science and coding in our public schools in order to prepare today's graduates for today's jobs.

Look for legislation to expand job creation tax credits. Currently, the tax break is funded by $9 million annually and applies to areas hard hit by unemployment - Western Maryland, Baltimore and the Eastern shore. The legislation will put $15 million more a year into the program and allow companies in Caroline, Kent, Wicomico and Garrett counties to apply for the tax credit. Each county will pick three industries to be eligible for the credit, which currently applies only to manufacturers.

We can expect debate on legislation to curb rising violent crime in Baltimore City. Before the end of the year, City homicides rose to 300 for the third consecutive year. City crime spills over its borders into Baltimore County. Bringing these horrendous numbers down should be a high priority for the State.

When the 2018 General Assembly convenes, I will be reporting to you on a week-to-week basis about the introduction, debate, and fate of the legislation introduced as well as the Governor's budget and other topics of interest to you.

I want to wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!