Governor Larry Hogan’s Comprehensive 2018 Legislative Agenda

More Than Half Of The Bills Introduced By Governor Hogan Are Sponsored By Legislators From Both Sides Of The Aisle

Education – Strengthening Our Education System

Accountability in Education Act of 2018

• Legislation that will create an Office of the State Education Investigator General, which will be an independent unit within the Maryland State Department of Education.

Protect Our Students Act of 2018

• Legislation that will require academic performance to be counted as 80% of a school’s composite score, aligning Maryland with the national average.

Environment – Preserving Our Environment

Septic Stewardship Act of 2018

• Legislation that will allow Bay Restoration Funds to be used to reimburse homeowners for the cost of on-site sewage systems pumping if their County creates a Septic Stewardship Program.

Ethics – Holding Our Government Accountable

Government Accountability Act of 2018

• Legislation that will establish term limits for members of the General Assembly equal to those imposed on the governor.

Transparency Act of 2018

• Legislation that calls for all General Assembly meetings to be livestreamed.

General Assembly and Congressional Legislative Redistricting and Apportionment Commission

• Legislation that institutes a nonpartisan redistricting process to ensure free and fair elections.

Heroin and Opioid Crisis – Treatment, Prevention, and Enforcement

Substance Use Facilities and Program – Certificate of Need – Repeal of Requirement

• Legislation that will eliminate the Certificate of Need (CON) requirement for capital projects that offer certain levels of inpatient treatment.

Health Occupations – Certified Supervised Counselors – Alcohol and Drug – Qualifications

• Legislation that will strengthen the behavioral health workforce by allowing applicants for certification as a certified supervised counselor for alcohol and drug treatment to use supervised work experience in lieu of an internship in order to satisfy certification requirements.

The Overdose Data Reporting Act

• Legislation that will allow Emergency Medical Service providers and law enforcement officers to input and share data about opioid overdoses.

Crimes – Controlled Dangerous Substances – Volume Dealers

• Legislation that will allow for the prosecution of high-level drug traffickers who deal in large quantities of controlled substances.

Jobs – Creating Opportunities for Our State

More Jobs for Marylanders Act 2.0

• Legislation that will build on the success of the More Jobs for Marylanders Act by expanding the reach of the program to additional jurisdictions and allowing all eligible jurisdictions to select up to three industries or sectors in addition to manufacturing where tax credits would be applicable for each job created.

CyberMaryland Act of 2018

• Legislation that will encourage Maryland small businesses to improve their cybersecurity by providing for a tax credit of up to $50,000 for the cost of cybersecurity technology purchased from Maryland cybersecurity firms.

PRIME Act of 2018

• Legislation that provides a package of state income, property, and sales tax credits and exemptions to enable Maryland to put forward the most competitive bid possible for Amazon’s second headquarters, HQ2.

Public Safety/Crime – Securing Our Streets

The Accountability for Violent Criminals Act of 2018

• Legislation that requires second-time violent criminals to serve their full sentence, and make them ineligible for parole.  

Crimes – Firearms – Penalties

• Legislation that will address the problem of repeat violent gun offenders failing to serve adequate time for their crimes by doubling the minimum sentence from five to ten years for repeat offenders who use firearms to commit felonies and violent crimes.

Criminal Gang Offenses – Penalties, Procedure, and Elements

• Legislation that will assist prosecutors to more effectively target criminal gang enterprises.

Tax and Fee Relief – Protecting Our Taxpayers

Hometown Heroes Act of 2018

• Legislation that exempts retired law enforcement, fire, rescue, emergency response personnel, or correctional officers from state tax on the retirement income specific to their service in the public safety sector.

Income Tax – Subtraction Modification – Military Retirement Income

• Legislation that exempts military retirees from state tax on their military retirement income.

Protect Maryland Taxpayers Act

• Legislation that will protect Marylanders from state and local tax increases resulting from the federal tax overhaul.

Common Sense Spending Act of 2018

• Legislation that addresses mandated spending, which accounts for 84% of Maryland’s own source revenues, and ensures that future budgets prioritize key expenditures while giving leaders the flexibility to trim excessive cost increases that exceed revenues.

Alcoholic Beverages – Manufacturer’s License Fees Alteration

• Legislation that will reduce Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturer license fees.

Victims – Safeguarding Our Citizens

Repeat Drunk Driving Offenders Act of 2018

• Legislation that makes drunk driving a felony offense for those with three or more prior convictions.

Repeat Sexual Predator Prevention Act

• Legislation that allows courts to admit evidence of a defendant’s prior history of sexual assault during prosecution for subsequent sexual offenses.

Felony Human Trafficking Act of 2018

• Legislation that classifies felony human trafficking as a violent crime.

Address Confidentiality Program – Shielding Real Property Records of Program Recipients

• Legislation that enables victims of domestic violence to safely purchase a home without fear of their abuser finding their address.

Criminal Procedure – Victim Services Unit – Victims’ Compensation

• Legislation that creates a new victim services unit focused on restitution by centralizing data collection across state agencies.

Workforce Development – Preparing Our Workforce

Paid Leave Compromise Act of 2018

• Legislation that will provide paid leave benefits to Marylanders while fixing the most problematic elements of a bill passed by the Maryland General Assembly.

Small Business Relief Tax Credit

• Legislation that will provide $100 million over five years in tax credits to businesses with fewer than 50 employees that provide paid leave and other fringe benefits to their employees.

ACCESS Act of 2018

• Legislation that will implement computer science standards statewide for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Teacher Training and Professional Development for Computer Science

• Budgetary action that will provide $5 million to fund teacher training and professional development for computer science and provide grants to Local Education Agencies and individual schools for professional learning models and equipment.

Partnership with the University System of Maryland to Increase Degrees Awarded in STEM-Related Fields

• Budgetary action that will launch a $33 million partnership with the University System of Maryland to increase degrees awarded in STEM-related fields.

IN-MD Social Network Technology Platform

• Budgetary action that will create a one-stop shop for internships in STEM-related fields.

Maryland Technology Internship Program

• Budgetary action that will fund the program for the first time in history, the program will provide matching funds to companies for internship stipends.

Maryland Center for Cell Therapy Manufacturing

• Budgetary action that will invest $17 million, including $5 million in state funds to give academic researchers, start-up small bio-tech, and pharma companies the infrastructure they need to support the translation and production of cell therapies, which are at the cutting edge of battling cancer and other diseases.

Fostering Employment Act of 2018

• Legislation that will establish the Fostering Employment Program, allowing foster care youth or unaccompanied homeless youth access to Registered Apprenticeship opportunities, or access training through programs such as the EARN Maryland program.