Crossover Day
The pivotal Crossover Day has come and gone. Crossover Day in the General Assembly’s deadline that bills passed by one chamber are to be sent to the other chamber to begin the legislative process there. Bills that are not sent by this date have slim odds of passing. In total, 1,985 bills have been introduced in the Senate and 2,329 bills have been introduced in the House of Delegates. Leading up to the Crossover Day deadline, my colleagues in the General Assembly and I were working at a rapid pace between committee voting sessions and multiple floor sessions each day as we performed due diligence on all of the introduced legislation. Every bill of mine except one has already passed the Senate and will have hearings in the house soon. If you would like to see what legislation I have sponsored or co-sponsored, you may do so at the following link:
Military Spouse Employment
Nearly 25,000 military spouses live in Maryland. Earlier this month, Governor Moore hosted an event called “Hiring Our Heroes: Military Spouse Employer Connect” in Annapolis. The event was meant to connect military spouses with state agencies and other employers to learn about employment opportunities. It also was designed to highlight new legislation that I have co-sponsored, such as the Families Serve Act, which expands job opportunities for military spouses, and the Time to Serve Act, which places enhanced protections for state employees who also serve in the National Guard or reserves when they are deployed. With Aberdeen Proving Ground being such an important component of our local economy, these bills will help the spouses of our servicementes obtain employment which will be a great benefit to Harford County.
Ticket Scalping Bill
SB0539 (Commercial Law - Consumer Protections - Sale and Resale of Tickets) recently passed the Senate unanimously and has made its way into the House of Delegates. This bill establishes clear and fair regulations within the ticket sales market to protect consumers from price gouging, the sale of fake tickets, and other dishonest practices. Deceptive and predatory practices have become all too common in the ticket sales industry to the detriment of consumers. I am proud of the work that was done in the Senate for this legislation and am eager to see its success in the House of Delegates.
Senatorial Scholarship Applications
Our Senatorial Scholarship program is still accepting applications for the 2024-2025 academic year. These scholarships can be used to cover the cost of vocational training, trade certifications, education at a two or four year institutions of higher education, and graduate school. The deadline is May 1st and you can view the application here.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact my office 410-841-3158 or marydulany.james@senate.state.md.us.
Sincerely,
Mary-Dulany James
Senator
Harford County
Maryland General Assembly