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Police reform passes in Md. legislature; mandatory minimums eliminated Police and sentencing reform pass, tax-relief fails in Annapolis
(about 2 hours later)
The Maryland General Assembly approved sweeping changes in criminal sentencing policies and adopted broad new police training and accountability procedures on Monday, the final day of the state’s annual legislative session. The Maryland General Assembly approved sweeping changes in criminal sentencing policies and adopted broad new police training and accountability procedures Monday, the final day of the state’s annual legislative session.
Lawmakers hailed both bills as major reforms that would significantly alter how criminals are punished and how the public interacts with police.Lawmakers hailed both bills as major reforms that would significantly alter how criminals are punished and how the public interacts with police.
“It’s a meaningful step,” Larry Stafford, executive director of Progressive Maryland, said of the police bill, which passed the House and then the Senate with about an hour left until the end of the annual legislative session. “There will have to be more steps in the future.”“It’s a meaningful step,” Larry Stafford, executive director of Progressive Maryland, said of the police bill, which passed the House and then the Senate with about an hour left until the end of the annual legislative session. “There will have to be more steps in the future.”
Advocates were disappointed that the bill does not give civilian review boards independent investigative powers. But Stafford said he was pleased with other areas of the bill, including an investment in community policing and tax credits for police officers who live in the communities where they work.Advocates were disappointed that the bill does not give civilian review boards independent investigative powers. But Stafford said he was pleased with other areas of the bill, including an investment in community policing and tax credits for police officers who live in the communities where they work.
Despite a spurt of momentum early on Monday, lawmakers appeared unlikely to pass a paid-sick-leave bill that would have made Maryland just the fifth state in the country to require paid time off for employees who are ill. Noah’s Law, a widely watched drunken-driving bill involving ignition locks, also received final passage, after languishing for years in the House Judicial Proceedings Committee. But a tax-relief bill championed by Gov. Larry Hogan (R) failed to advance, as did a bill — pushed by progressive groups — that would have required employers to provide paid sick leave.
As the clock ticked toward midnight on the session’s final day, lawmakers were still wrestling with tax relief and several other measures. A controversial bill to provide a $37.5 million tax credit to Northrup Grumman passed its final legislative hurdle with a 74 to 59 vote in the House. Lawmakers approved a bill allowing Montgomery County to establish its own loan authority to refinance the college loans of residents. Hogan expressed strong support for both Noah’s Law and the criminal-justice bill known as the Justice Reinvestment Act.
Noah’s Law, a widely watched drunken-driving bill involving ignition locks, also received final passage, after languishing for years in the House Judicial Proceedings Committee. [Can criminal justice bill right the wrongs of the war on drugs?]
Gov. Larry Hogan (R) expressed strong support for both Noah’s Law and the criminal justice bill. The sentencing legislation would eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, increase penalties for some violent crimes and allow some nonviolent offenders to be released from prison earlier. It also would lower the age at which older inmates can receive geriatric parole and would limit the ability of judges to impose long sentences for probation violations.
[‘Noah’s Law’ edges closer to final passage ]
The Justice Reinvestment Act would eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, increase penalties for some violent crimes and allow some nonviolent offenders to be released from prison earlier. It also would lower the age at which older inmates can receive geriatric parole and would limit the ability of judges to impose long sentences for probation violations.
The bill, which passed the House and Senate by wide margins, is similar to bills enacted in about two dozen other states in recent years, embraced by both Democrats and Republicans as a way to reduce prison populations and costs and also address long-standing sentencing disparities and injustices.The bill, which passed the House and Senate by wide margins, is similar to bills enacted in about two dozen other states in recent years, embraced by both Democrats and Republicans as a way to reduce prison populations and costs and also address long-standing sentencing disparities and injustices.
“It’s a great bill,” said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), an early proponent in Maryland of sentencing reform.“It’s a great bill,” said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), an early proponent in Maryland of sentencing reform.
Del. Christopher R. West (R-Baltimore County) called the bill a “major accomplishment,” saying it would bring about a “new norm” in criminal justice by focusing on dependency treatment, drug counseling, education and job training instead of incarceration. Del. Christopher R. West (R-Baltimore County) said the legislation would bring about a “new norm” in criminal justice by focusing on dependency treatment, drug counseling, education and job training instead of incarceration. “I believe this bill will be regarded as that single piece of legislation passed in 2016 with the most far-reaching consequences,” West said. “It is a genuinely bipartisan bill.”
“I believe this bill will be regarded as that single piece of legislation passed in 2016 with the most far-reaching consequences,” he said. “It is a genuinely bipartisan bill.” Del. Patrick L. McDonough (R-Baltimore County), who voted against the legislation, said he was concerned about a lack of treatment slots for those who would be directed to rehabilitation under the measure. He also questioned whether the bill would truly improve public safety. “If this bill is flawed, we are going to pay in bloodshed,” he said. “We’re talking about putting more people in a safety net that doesn’t exist.”
Del. Patrick L. McDonough (R-Baltimore County), who was among the lawmakers voting against the legislation, said he was concerned about a lack of treatment slots for those who would be directed to rehabilitation under the measure. He also questioned whether it would truly improve public safety as intended. Toni Holness, public policy counsel for the ACLU of Maryland, applauded lawmakers for recognizing that “being tough on crime has not given us a return on our investment.” But she took issue with stiffer penalties for violent crimes that were added to the bill in exchange for doing away with mandatory minimum sentences. Such penalties, she said, run counter to the intention of the bill — to reduce the prison population.
“If this bill is flawed, we are going to pay in bloodshed,” he said. “We’re talking about putting more people in a safety net that doesn’t exist.” [Police reform bill draws strong praise, sharp criticism]
Toni Holness, public policy counsel for the ACLU of Maryland, said her organization is happy to see the General Assembly recognize that “being tough on crime has not given us a return on our investment.” But she took issue with stiffer penalties for violent crimes that were added to the bill in exchange for doing away with mandatory minimum sentences. Such penalties, she said, run counter to the intention of the bill — to reduce the prison population. The police reform bill passed the Senate 45 to 1 and the House 90 to 49. The bill makes broad changes in how officers are hired, trained and disciplined, and allows people to make complaints about police officers anonymously. It is based on recommendations from a legislative work group created last year after the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.
Lawmakers struggled Monday to reach a deal on the paid-sick-leave bill, with the proposal’s prospects appearing to rise and fall throughout the day. The House and Senate had split in recent days over whether the bill should require localities to place civilians on police review boards. The final version of the legislation leaves that up to individual jurisdictions.
The measure, which easily passed the House last week, would require all employers to grant sick leave to their employees and mandate paid sick leave for businesses with more than 15 employees. Workers under 18 and seasonal laborers would be exempt. A controversial bill to provide a $37.5 million tax credit to Northrup Grumman passed its final legislative hurdle Monday with a 74 to 59 vote in the House.
The legislation seemed to gain momentum after Senate Finance Committee Chair Thomas M. Middleton (D-Charles) said he negotiated a compromise that would limit the amount of paid days accrued in a year to five instead of seven and restrict workers from claiming the benefit in their first three months on the job. But the bill to expand the earned income tax credit for the working poor and provide other modest tax relief failed, in part because the House and Senate could not agree on whether to include tax breaks for higher earners.
But the bill’s prospects appeared to dim during a late afternoon hearing with the Senate Finance Committee, when Middleton said he would not bring the measure up for a vote “at this time.” Both chambers had previously passed tax-relief packages that would lower the burden on middle-income taxpayers while expanding a credit for the working poor, including by extending the benefit to people without children. However, the House last week rejected a Senate provision that would reduce rates on high earners.
[New life breathed into sick-leave measure] “We just couldn’t reach an agreement,” Miller said. “They didn’t like our high brackets. In other words, we took care of everybody in the state, top to the bottom . . . and the House chose to just cut the income tax for the middle and lower brackets.”
The police reform bill passed the Senate 45-to-1 and the House 90-49. The bill makes broad changes in how officers are hired, trained and disciplined, and allows people to make complaints about police officers anonymously. It is based on recommendations from a legislative work group created last year after the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Hogan — who campaigned on a platform of reversing tax hikes and reducing fees — said he was disappointed that the tax relief package that passed the Senate failed to make it out of the General Assembly.
The House and Senate had split over in recent days whether the bill should require localities to place civilians on police review boards. The final version of the legislation leaves that up to individual jurisdictions. “This morning all of you and all of us thought we were this close to real meaningful tax relief and unfortunately the Speaker of the House and Senate President dropped the ball and failed to get it done,” he said at an early morning news conference after the legislature adjourned. “It’s very frustrating and disappointing.”
Also undecided was a tax-relief package that Hogan has pushed for. Del. Jay Walker (D-Prince George's), a member of a conference committee trying to negotiate a deal, said the group's talks had failed Monday afternoon but could resume before midnight.   [Why Americans overwhelmingly want paid sick leave]
Both chambers have passed tax-relief packages that would lower the burden on middle-income taxpayers while expanding a credit for the working poor, including by extending the benefit to people without children. However, the House last week rejected a Senate provision that would reduce rates on high earners. Despite a spurt of momentum early on Monday, lawmakers also did not pass a paid-sick-leave bill that would have made Maryland just the fifth state in the country to require paid time off for employees who are ill. Some lawmakers reportedly floated the idea of tying the sick leave bill to the tax relief package, in hope of generating enough support to pass both. But no formal effort ever materialized.
 Walker said senators involved in the conference-committee talks wanted a larger tax break for the wealthy than the House members were willing to accept. At Hogan’s news conference, a radio reporter told the governor that Miller had said Hogan would have vetoed a bill that tied tax cuts to the paid sick leave bill. Hogan dismissed the idea.
“Mike Miller doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” the governor said. “It sounds like they just couldn’t get along with one another, and I had no part in that fight.”
House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said he remains hopeful that the House and Senate can resolve their differences on tax relief next year. “I think that’s one of the things we wish we had gotten together more on,” Busch said. “But there are a lot of issues on the table for that next year . . . I think those issues will resolve next year.”
But Miller said “there is a possibility the speaker and myself can call the General Assembly into special session for a single day” to address both tax relief and sick leave.
“Just those two proposals. Limited special ssesion for one day to do those two proposals,” he said, “They should go together in other words, provide business with a tax cut but at the same time, saying working men and women who are trying hard to make ends meet deserve earned sick leave. Both bodies support it and our people support it.”
[New efforts to fight addiction taking shape in Md.]
The Senate gave final legislative approval Monday morning to a bill that would require doctors and pharmacists to use a statewide database to help identify abuse and over-prescribing of painkiller medications. The approved measure, sponsored by Sen. Katherine Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County), aligns with a recommendation made by Hogan’s heroin and opioid task force.The Senate gave final legislative approval Monday morning to a bill that would require doctors and pharmacists to use a statewide database to help identify abuse and over-prescribing of painkiller medications. The approved measure, sponsored by Sen. Katherine Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County), aligns with a recommendation made by Hogan’s heroin and opioid task force.
Monday night, the House gave final approval to a bill designed to increase voter registration, in part by expanding requirements for state agencies and public colleges to provide opportunities to join the rolls. Lawmakers stripped out language requiring the state to do a one-time automatic registration of eligible voters who are not already enrolled. On Monday night, the House gave final approval to a bill designed to increase voter registration, in part by expanding requirements for state agencies and public colleges to provide opportunities to join the rolls. Lawmakers stripped out language requiring the state to do a one-time automatic registration of eligible voters who are not already enrolled.
The House failed to act on a bill that would have allowed voters to make a decision on whether to legalize daily fantasy sports. Miller said Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D), who was visiting the chamber, should file a lawsuit to ban the games from operating in the state. “I know he’s capable of handling it,” Miller said.The House failed to act on a bill that would have allowed voters to make a decision on whether to legalize daily fantasy sports. Miller said Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D), who was visiting the chamber, should file a lawsuit to ban the games from operating in the state. “I know he’s capable of handling it,” Miller said.
Arelis Hernández contributed to this report.