ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland lawmakers holding the majority in Annapolis laid out sweeping legislative priorities Tuesday that will have an impact on your safety, your health and your money.
While Maryland voters re-elected Republican Governor Larry Hogan in November, Democrats grew their majority in the part-time legislature. The clock is ticking in Annapolis. The 90-day legislative session ends April 9th.
Here are their top priorities:
Raise the minimum wage to $15. The “fight for 15” did not pass last year, so lawmakers are bringing it up again. “A $15 per hour minimum wage would give almost 600,000 working people a raise and help lift them up from poverty,” bill sponsor Del. Diana Fennell told WJZ Baltimore earlier this month.The federal rate is $7.25 per hour, while in Maryland it’s currently $10.10. A bill in Annapolis would gradually raise it to $15 an hour by 2023. Governor Hogan said he feared such a measure would hurt small businesses.
Raise the age to buy cigarettes to 21. The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is pushing to raise the age to buy cigarettes in the state from 18 to 21. Six states have already done it. The main sponsor of the bill, Delegate Dereck E. Davis, says he thinks the bill is overdue but expects a tough fight from retailers who profit off the sale of tobacco products.
Banning “3D guns.” The bill, introduced by Senator Joanne Benson of Prince George’s County, would ban 3D-printed, plastic guns in the state and make it illegal for somebody to have the tools to build one. While it sounds like something from a dystopian science fiction movie, lawmakers underscore the serial-number-less “ghost guns” are untraceable. This is not prohibited under federal law. Maryland has some of the most stringent anti-gun laws in the country.
State Republicans have posted their own legislative priorities including a cut to income taxes, a new state registry for murderers and a new division of special police officers that could be placed in schools.
Governor Hogan will address the legislature in his state of the state address on Wednesday. During a Monday appearance on PBS, Hogan said that his address would include details on a major tax cut for Marylanders.