Friend,

Last week, the 2024 Maryland General Assembly legislative session ended! In total, 2,714 bills were considered, and hundreds passed.

There were some big wins for Marylanders this session, with important bills about gender-affirming care, tenant protections, energy efficiency programs, and more headed to the governor’s desk.

Unfortunately, many great bills didn’t make it across the finish line, and some that did will do more harm than good. Read on for your 2024 session wrap-up!

GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE SHIELDING The passage of SB119 is a huge win for gender-affirming care patients and providers. Once it goes into effect, patients and providers will be protected from legal harassment and criminalization from other states like Texas and Ohio. Maryland is the 12th state to pass a shielding law that includes gender-affirming care! Our team is so proud to have played a part alongside our partners at the Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition to get this done.

EMPOWER PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS In the final hours of session, the House and Senate passed HB864. The bill updates EmPOWER, Maryland’s energy efficiency program. With the new improvements, the program’s goals now focus on reducing greenhouse gasses, expands the rebate program to cover costs related to electrifying and fuel switching, and adds important consumer protections. Now homeowners can save more on their energy bills and pollute less!

TENANT SAFETY ACT Another bill passed on the last day of session was the Tenant Safety Act, which gives renters more power to hold landlords accountable in court and recoup damages for unsafe conditions. Once it’s signed by Governor Moore, tenants can more easily withhold rent for things like broken heating or AC, rodent and insect infestations, mold, or other dangers.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR TREATMENT OF INCARCERATED TRANS PEOPLE We also worked with the Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition to continue advocating for incarcerated trans people by placing reporting requirements on the Department of Corrections. The department is required to report details regarding the policies, conditions, and treatment of incarcerated trans and nonbinary individuals, with an emphasis on housing decisions, healthcare access, and the use of solitary confinement.

Unfortunately, the General Assembly took steps backwards on youth justice reform this year rolling back key provisions of the 2022 Juvenile Justice Reform Act. The bill (HB814) will expand the net of the juvenile justice system, and make more kids, some as young as 10, 11 and 12, detention eligible for nonviolent crimes. This bill won’t make our communities safer – it will only hurt kids. We’ll be back next year to keep pushing for evidence-based youth justice reform.

Another one of our priority bills didn’t make it past the finish line this year. The bill would have required the Department of the Environment to consider environmental justice impacts when evaluating pollution permit applications. The bill did pass the House for the first time, which is worth celebrating! We will continue to advocate for environmental justice in Annapolis next session.

We were proud to support a tax fairness package that sought to close corporate loopholes, raise taxes on the wealthiest of Marylanders, and provide tax credits to low income individuals and families with childcare expenses. While this package did not pass, the House of Delegates did show their support for closing corporate loopholes by passing worldwide combined reporting. We know the need for new revenues isn’t going away, and we will continue to advocate for a fair tax system that ensures corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share.

Thank you to everyone who filled out an action alert, called their legislators, and made their voice heard this session. There's plenty of work to do in the interim, so stay on the lookout for more from us!

- The Advance Maryland Team

Paid for by Advance Maryland

c/o Progress Now

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