Gov. Wes Moore signed more than 190 bills into law during a May 6 ceremony at the State House. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)
Gov. Wes Moore (D) approved what he called a “comprehensive” and bipartisan bill package Tuesday updating portions of Maryland law to ensure veterans have full access to state benefits they’re entitled to in health, education, transportation and other areas.
“I really have had the pleasure of working very closely with … both Democrats and Republicans in finding ways to be able to support Maryland’s veterans, and support Maryland veteran’s families,” Moore said at a bill signing ceremony in the State House.
The more than two dozen House and Senate veterans bills were just a fraction of the 193 bills total signed into law Tuesday in the Governor’s Reception Room. The veterans bill package was largely spearheaded by Sen. Bryan Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel), who previously said that inconsistencies in definitions in the law had led to “unequal” access to benefits and resources for veterans.
“As a veteran myself, I am truly moved by Sen. Simonaire’s tireless leadership,” said Moore, who served in the U.S. Army.
Sen. Bryan Simonaire (R-Anne Arundel) was the lead Senate sponsor of a slate of bills intended to help veterans in Maryland. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters.)
The governor also signed a series of education-focused bills, including the Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act that adjusts the state’s education reform plan known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The bill keeps much of the original plans in the Blueprint intact, but trims some of the funding to help keep the state afloat in a constrained fiscal year.
Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) highlighted one education bill that will let schools integrate “restorative” practices when students face disciplinary actions.
According to the bill’s fiscal note, restorative approaches help students practice conflict resolution, social emotional learning, and other ways for students to grow from, and take accountability for, problem behavior.
“We know that how kids show up determines what their outcomes will be,” Ferguson said at the bill signing of Senate Bill 68. “And we also know that we have tools that we can invest in to make sure that each child has the support and wrap around strategies that will make them as successful as possible.”
Ferguson said the legislation will give students and schools the chance “to look at conflict as an opportunity to improve, not just as a simple disciplinary action.”
Moore also signed an ethics bill sponsored by Environment and Transportation Committee Chair Marc Korman (D-Montgomery) that will require this, and future, governors to divest themselves of any conflicts of interest, or put their interests into a blind trust.
“People deserve a governor who makes decisions in the best interests of the people and not in the best interest of themselves,” Moore said.
In 2024, former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) came under fire after Time magazine reported that his real estate clients received lucrative state contracts while he served as governor. Hogan argued that he had held those assets in a “trust agreement” approved by the State Ethics Commission, but House Bill 239 would require the governor to place assets in, specifically, a blind trust if they decided not to divest from their conflicts of interest while in office.
Moore did not name names, but said that “nobody should be able to use the office of the governor as a get-rich-quick scheme for them or their families.”
“Gone are the days when a Maryland governor can make millions of dollars in office because they didn’t view their time in public services as a reason to stop their private profits,” Moore said. “Gone are the days when a Maryland governor has a vote on the Board of Public Works and has a personal stake in how contracts are actually being awarded.”
Due to the number of bills signed, most of the legislation did not get a shoutout at the bill signing Tuesday. Such is the case for several election law related bills like House Bill 426, which will boost post-election audits to ensure that Maryland elections are fair and accurate.
Advocates disappointed in paid family leave delay
One bill that did not get mention at the bill signing was legislation to push off the implementation of statewide paid family leave – a program that has already faced several delays since it was signed into law in 2022.
House Bill 102 was quietly signed into law Tuesday, delaying benefits from the Family and Medical Leave Insurance program (FAMLI) until 2028.
The program was supposed to begin in July, but the Moore administration proposed delaying implementation of the program amid a tight budget year and rapid policy changes at the federal level.
The Time to Care Coalition, an advocacy group that supports FAMLI, said it was “disappointed” by the governor’s decision to further delay the program.
“Life’s joys and tragedies don’t wait – welcoming a new child, preparing for deployment, taking care of a loved one with disabilities, or helping ease the pain of a parent at the end of life,” the coalition said in a written statement.
“Implementing this program is critical to giving workers and their families the ability to care for themselves and their loved ones,” the statement said. “Now Marylanders will have to wait until 2028 to receive benefits.”
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