An important date is coming up on Monday in Maryland’s legislative session: crossover! At crossover, bills have to pass through one of the chambers and make it over to the other chamber. Bills that have not made it through one chamber by Monday will be effectively done for this year (of course, there are always exceptions to the rule).
Here is the status of our priority bills:
Forest Conservation Act: Maryland is losing forest, and HB766/SB610 are trying to stem this tide. Last night, the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs voted a compromise bill out, and that will be hitting the Senate floor imminently. The House Environment and Transportation Committee has not brought the House version to a vote. Have you yet told your representatives that you want to better protect our trees?
Fix it, Fund it: This bill would create long-term and dedicated funding to the DC metropolitan-area Metro transit system and increase funding for MTA’s capital and operating budgets. The House version (HB372) has crossed over into the Senate!
Community Healthy Air Act: This bill creates a study of air quality around large chicken houses. There are currently amendments in the House, and the House Environment and Transportation Committee needs to vote ASAP to get this bill to the floor to of the House of Delegates by Monday.
Septic System Pollution: We have worked with various stakeholders to create HB1765, a bill that incentivizes local jurisdictions to create Septic Stewardship Plans, to better manage their septic systems and related nitrogen and bacteria pollution. This bill will be voted on today in the House Environment and Transportation Committee!
While not one of our priorities, a prohibition on the use of chlorpyrifos, SB500, failed on the Senate floor this year. The Senate will now consider legislation to study this pesticide that the EPA had been in the process of banning for agricultural use.
Thank you to all of our members who have written and called their legislators about these, and other, environmental bills!
