2023 Maryland General Assembly Update
Week Ten: Carozza Bills Moving Through the Senate, Carozza Bill Hearings, Executive Nominations Update
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The Maryland General Assembly is in the throes of Crossover Week when bills must pass their original chamber to be guaranteed consideration in the other chamber. Bills that clear their original chamber after the 69th day of session would be assigned to the Rules Committee in the other chamber before being reassigned to the appropriate committee. With only three weeks left in the 2023 Legislative Session, this additional procedural step frequently is enough to prevent a bill from becoming law.
Four of my bills earlier in the session were approved by the full Senate, and another four are on track to pass the Senate in time for crossover. There is still a lot of work to do for passage of these bills in the House before final approval and sent to the Governor.
Monday, March 20th, is the final day of Crossover.
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CAROZZA BILLS MOVING THROUGH THE SENATE |
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DISCOUNT ON STATE PARK PASS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND FIRST REPONDERS |
The full Senate voted on Friday, March 17 in support of Senate Bill 823, which would create a $40 discount for law enforcement officers and first responders, including firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and 911 specialists who are Maryland residents, on the annual State Park pass. The pass currently costs $75 for a Maryland resident.
We learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that access to the outdoors is essential for health and wellbeing. Our first responders and law enforcement officers are on the front lines every day protecting our communities in high-stress environments, and providing this discount is a simple, meaningful way to promote their health and well-being.
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Behavioral Health Programs for Food Service Facility Requirements
The Senate Finance Committee approved Senate Bill 794 which would allow the Maryland Department of Health to adopt regulations that are appropriate to residential treatment programs for substance use disorder that have under 17 beds. In practice, this would allow these residential programs to not have to install an elaborate and expensive commercial kitchen usually seen in large industrial settings. SB 794 is on track for full Senate approval before Crossover Monday.
Requiring a commercial kitchen in a residential home that houses one of these programs could severely disrupt the program, destroy the comforting and supportive atmosphere of a small home these programs often require, and would be cost-prohibitive to many who run these programs.
The Maryland Department of Health divides Board and Care Homes into two categories: assisted living and residential treatment programs for substance use disorder, and both were originally the responsibility of the Maryland Department of Health’s Office of Health Care Quality. However, several years ago the Maryland Department of Health reorganized and created the Behavioral Health Administration. Residential treatment programs for substance use disorder became the responsibility of the Behavioral Health Administration, and the commercial kitchen exemption failed to be applied to both Board and Care Home categories.
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Commission to Study Trauma Center Funding
The full Senate voted in support of Senate Bill 493, which would establish a task force to study the adequacy of trauma funding across Maryland for operating, capital, and workforce costs. Trauma centers often require significant resources to operate effectively as they specialize in swiftly treating life-threatening conditions and promptly providing resuscitative care.
In 2003, the Maryland General Assembly created the Maryland Trauma Physician Services Fund to aid Maryland’s trauma system. In the 20 years that have passed, there has been no comprehensive review of this Fund despite the industry growing and evolving.
Unfortunately, the reason this legislation is necessary is because we know the Fund is not effective anymore. TidalHealth Peninsula Regional is the Eastern Shore’s only trauma center, a linchpin in Maryland’s Trauma Center System, and it is critically underfunded. At last estimate, the Fund provides less than 10% of the total cost that TidalHealth requires to keep its doors open.
I have also been advocating for additional trauma funding in the Fiscal Year ’24 budget to be targeted to TidalHealth’s trauma center. TidalHealth officials have told me that the trauma program is at a critical juncture. Without this funding, the Eastern Shore’s only trauma center could be in jeopardy.
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Negligent and Reckless Driving that Causes Death Must Appear in Court
The full Senate approved Senate Bill 252, which would require a person charged with negligent driving involved in a fatal accident to appear in court. A person convicted with reckless driving would be subject to up to five days imprisonment or a $1,000 fine or both. A person convicted with reckless driving already is required to appear in court.
Under current law, a person charged with negligent driving is subject to a misdemeanor and a maximum fine of $1,000, which they can pay without even appearing before a judge or facing the loved ones that are left behind.
Being able to face the person who caused such pain often plays a major role in the healing process and requiring that person to show up in court provides accountability. These types of cases, where there is a victim, should not be treated the same as a victimless vehicle accidents.
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Maryland Pharmacists and Pharmacist Technicians Bill to Serve More Patients
I testified in strong support of Senate Bill 647 before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. The legislation would cover four key areas, including extending the sunset of the Maryland Board of Pharmacy to July 1, 2033, allowing licensed pharmacists to delegate the mechanical act of administering certain vaccines to adults to one of their registered pharmacy technicians, allowing pharmacy technicians to perform administrative work at home, and adding a registered pharmacy technician to the Maryland State Board of Pharmacy.
Pharmacists are key healthcare anchors in our communities as they are local and easily accessible. This especially is important in rural areas where pharmacies are more likely to serve as the primary place of access to health care services for their communities.
The Maryland Board of Pharmacy protects Maryland consumers, ensures pharmaceutical service standards are met, authorizes the licensure of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and resolves complaints. Without the passage of Senate Bill 647, the Maryland Board of Pharmacy would cease to exist on July 1, 2023.
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Physician Assistant Modernization Act and Parity Act
Along with a panel of physician assistants and advocates, I testified in strong support of Senate Bills 673 and 674, the Physician Assistant Modernization Act and the Physician Assistant Parity Act, respectively. These bills would modernize the law regarding the working relationship between Physicians and Physician Assistants to better reflect current practice.
Pictured above: Senator Carozza and Tiffany Maxwell, University of Maryland Eastern Shore Department Chair and Program Director of the Physician Assistants program presented testimony in strong support of Senate Bills Physician Assistant Modernization and Parity Acts (SB 673 &674) before the Senate Finance Committee.
The United States is facing a projected workforce shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians and overall, Maryland is 16 percent below the national average of number of physicians available to clinical practice, and these numbers will become worse over time. This workforce shortage is similar to the workforce shortage that created the Physician Assistant profession in the first place during the 1960s.
Maryland hospitals already are struggling to maintain adequate coverage in the emergency room and to support many of the medical specialties, especially on the Eastern Shore. We need to take action now. Medicine is a team sport, and we need to build and train a strong supportive structure that better utilizes our Physician Assistants.
The Physician Assistant Modernization Act would enable Physician Assistants to enter into “Collaborative Agreements” instead of “Delegation Agreements” and the Physician Assistant Parity Act would allow Physician Assistants to contribute to tasks they were previously excluded from. Both bills are consistent with the education and expanded role of Physician Assistants since the profession was created six decades ago while still maintaining certain guardrails – education, requirements, licensing, collaboration, and identified out of scope practices.
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Handgun Permit Renewal Periods for Retired Law Enforcement Officers
Together with Director Rick Norman of the Maryland State Troopers Association, and Daniel Fickus of the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police, we testified in strong support of Senate Bill 825 before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. The bill would extend the expiration and renewal periods of handgun carry permits for law enforcement officers who retired in good standing. Currently, permits are valid for a two-year period after the initial issue date and are valid for three-year periods thereafter. Under this legislation, permits for retired officers in good standing would be valid for seven years after the initial issue date and would be renewed every five years thereafter.
This is a narrowly-focused bill that improves the process for handgun renewal for retired law enforcement officers and recognizes their years of service, good standing, and training.
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The Executive Nominations Committee held the nomination of Yolanda Maria Martinez to the Maryland Stadium Authority on Monday due to legal and financial issues. Martinez filed a personal bankruptcy in 2019 when she owed $6.2 million mostly related to a respiratory health care company that was shut down in 2018. Over the past 35 years, at least 64 lawsuits or liens for unpaid debts have been filed against her.
During the March 11th Hearing, I commented. "When our constituents raise concerns about a challenged fiscal history and background that’s being applied to an appointment to one of the most important and prestigious boards in the state, those are legitimate questions. They ask the question, ‘Are there others that didn’t face these challenges that might have been better nominees?”
Martinez was nominated by Governor Wes Moore to sit on the Board of the Maryland Stadium Authority, which oversees the management and maintenance of Maryland’s stadiums, including Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds.
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Several locals visited Annapolis this week, including Pastor Howard Travers of New Lyfe Church in Salisbury as a guest Senate chaplain on March 17th; Rick Renshaw, operator of Palmetto Corner, a licensed drug rehabilitation facility in Princess Anne and Parsonsburg, to testify in support of SB 794; Henry Brooks of Salisbury with the American Red Cross; and 35 students from Crisfield High School led by government teacher Randy Laird and with six chaperones for a hands-on experience of the State legislative process.
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Wicomico County residents Wendy Anspacher, Kelly Kennan and her daughters Charlotte and Gillian Houlihan, Delmar Middle School students
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Senator Carozza is pictured with Gavin McIntyre, a Senate Page and a senior of Washington High School in Somerset County, on the Senate Floor.
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Senator Carozza wears her mismatched socks for World Down Syndrome Awareness Day on March 21st. Socks look a bit like chromosomes when drawn on a page which is how the awareness campaign began.
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Following Legislation and Testifying
Not only does the General Assembly provide multiple ways to participate in your state government proceedings, but a full set of videos is also available online:
- Understanding the MD General Assembly
- Finding your legislator
- Searching for bills by number, sponsor, subject matter
- Understanding a bill
- Tracking a bill
- Searching media
- Creating a personal MyMGA Account
- Witness Sign Up-to testify on Bills
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I look forward to hearing from you soon! Please contact me on issues important to you.
410-841-3645
marybeth.carozza@senate.state.md.us
Don't forget to visit me on the web at: marybethcarozza.com
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Mary Beth Carozza
State Senator-District 38
Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset
410-841-3645
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