2024 Maryland General Assembly Update

Week Five: State of the State, Community College Funding, Carozza Bill Hearings, Stephen Decatur Football Champions Honored by Senate, and Locals in Annapolis 

GOVERNOR'S STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

I attended Governor Wes Moore’s second State of the State Address on Wednesday in front of a special joint session of the Maryland General Assembly.

“When Governor Moore highlights public safety as his top priority in his State of the State address, my constituents expect his words to be backed up by commonsense anti-crime bills. That’s why I, along with Senators Ron Watson (D-District 23) and Chris West (R-District 42), have introduced several bipartisan public safety bills to fight crime and make our streets and communities safer that we have asked the Governor to support. We believe you can have a rehabilitative justice system while still holding repeat violent offenders accountable.”

Governor Moore recently released his $63 billion spending plan for the 2025 fiscal year. While this budget spends less than last year and does not raise taxes, there is a sharp number of fee increases being proposed by the Administration through legislation and the regulatory process to address the current fiscal structural gap. No long-term plan has been presented to prevent the impending financial crisis.

“Given this year’s budget challenges, the Maryland General Assembly needs to cut back and extend timelines for the big-ticket items like the Administration’s $1 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Plan and the $3.8 billion annual Blueprint Education Plan over 10 years. That’s the only way to ensure fair funding for our Shore priorities.”

COMMUNITY COLLEGE FUNDING

I spoke at the Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC) Student Advocacy Day on Tuesday. MACC’s priority for the 2024 legislative session is restoring full funding to the Community College Cade funding formula, which received a devastating $22 million reduction in the Governor’s proposed FY25 budget. Wor-Wic Community College had a large turnout of students and school leadership (above)



“Community colleges are anchor institutions in our communities that are crucial to Maryland’s economic competitiveness through the workforce training they provide. Rural communities on the Eastern Shore face unique challenges, and Wor-Wic Community College has been crucial in addressing these challenges by training local EMS staff, nurses, police, and correctional officers, as 90 percent of all Wor-Wic students stay on the Shore and strengthen our home community.”

The Cade funding formula was established in 1996 with the goal of ensuring quality at Maryland’s community colleges and establishing more equitable funding for all public higher education institutions in the State.

“As a member of the Senate Education, Energy, and Environment Committee representing Wor-Wic Community College, I will continue to fight to restore the Governor’s devastating cuts to community colleges. Our community colleges cannot be forced to reduce their budgets and course offerings at a time of increased student enrollment and workforce shortages in every major industry across the Shore and State of Maryland.”

HEARING HELD ON MY CHILD CUSTODY

 EVALUATORS BILL

Along with a panel of witnesses with expertise in child custody cases dealing with allegations of child abuse and domestic violence, we testified on Thursday in strong support of Senate Bill 365 before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Senate Bill 365 would establish basic training and qualifications for child custody evaluators who play an important role in determining child custody outcomes. These requirements would help ensure the safety and well-being of children involved in the most sensitive and difficult custody cases.

" While serving on the Workgroup to Study Child Custody Court Proceedings Involving Child Abuse or Domestic Violence Allegations in 2019-2020, I have heard too many stories where children were put in danger again and again because the court has ordered the child be in the presence of their abuser, and a majority of those decisions were based on the conclusions of an unqualified and untrained custody evaluator. In Maryland, we know of at least 21 children who have been murdered by a parent since 2008. Five of those children were already involved in a family court-related proceeding and could have been saved if the system had not failed them. We need to protect these children.”

"Courts follow the recommendations of the Custody Evaluators in over 90 percent of custody cases. Two years ago, the General Assembly supported a bill requiring training for judges and magistrates presiding over child custody cases involving child abuse or domestic violence. It only makes sense that child custody evaluators be trained along the same lines as the judges who rely so heavily on their recommendations. "

HEARING HELD ON MY

 FAIRNESS IN GIRLS’ SPORTS BILL

I joined with Jonathan Alexandre with the Maryland Family Institute, Evie Edwards with the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, and Idaho Representative Barbara Ehardt who is a former NCAA player and coach, to testify in support of Senate Bill 381 before the Senate Education, Energy, and Environment Committee on Wednesday. SB 381 would simply ensure a level playing field for girls’ sports where biological girls only (born female) compete against biological girls (born female), and the bill applies only to high school interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity teams.

“This bill would protect the hard-earned opportunities for girls to compete in organized high school sports fairly, and to earn athletic awards and scholarships, just as I did as a student athlete. I played varsity high school tennis for four years at Stephen Decatur High School in the number one girls’ single position for four years. By holding that position at the high school level, I then had opportunities to compete in regional and state tournaments that put me in the strongest position to be considered for a college athletic scholarship. As a result, I was offered and accepted a tennis scholarship to play for The Catholic University of America, a scholarship that was a lifeline for helping my family to pay for the cost of my college.” 

In the early 20^th century, women began fighting for their own spaces in sports, and through tremendous effort and hard-won accomplishments, Title IX was enacted on June 23, 1972, which was designed to eliminate discrimination against girls and women in education and athletics. Before Title IX, only 294,000 girls played high school sports compared to 3.7 million boys. In 2019, 3.4 million girls participated in high school sports compared to 4.5 million boys. “We have made immense progress, and we should not undermine that progress by allowing biological boys to take away the opportunities of girls by playing on girls’ high school teams.”

STEPHEN DECATUR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS

RECOGNIZED ON SENATE FLOOR

The Stephen Decatur High School Seahawks Football team was honored in Annapolis on Tuesday on the Senate and House floors of the Maryland General Assembly. The Seahawks won the Bayside Championship, the East Region, and the 2A State Championship for the first time in school history.  

“As a proud Decatur graduate and student-athlete myself, I am overjoyed that our Seahawks brought the first football state championships to the Eastern Shore since Cambridge South Dorchester won in 1996. The team took the ‘Seahawk Celebration’ to Buckingham Elementary School, Showell Elementary School, and Ocean City Elementary School, where many of the team members attended, to give inspirational remarks and share encouraging words with the younger students. I was honored to present an official Senate Resolution on the Senate Floor to our State Champions”

During the state football championships, an overall sportsmanship award is given to one school for all classifications. Maryland has expanded the football classifications from four to six so there were 12 schools playing for a state title. Stephen Decatur High School was extremely proud to bring home the John H. Cox Sportsmanship Award this year given to the school that exhibits the best sportsmanship from its players, coaches, cheerleaders, and fans.  

Sherlyn Hall, a student at Washington High School and Academy in Princess Anne, served as a House Page this week and met with me as part of the Page program.

Each year, 105 Pages and 36 alternates from around the state spend two nonconsecutive weeks in Annapolis to learn about how a bill becomes a law.

LOCAL IN ANNAPOLIS THIS WEEK

Members of "Maryland's Coast" Tourism Department from Worcester County, including Director Melanie Pursel (next to Senator Carozza) and Weston Young, Chief Administrator Officer.

Danny Thompson, Director of Somerset County Economic Development

Some of the others visiting Annapolis this week were:

Wor-Wic Community College students and leadership including Dr. Deb Casey, President, and Wor-Wic personnel and students including Gavin Stephens, Ricky Thorne Jr., Canesha Handy, Daisy Harper, Bryan Newton, and Kimberly Purvis; (see article above)

Seaside Christian Academy personnel and students Nick Raimondi, Gwen Cordner, David Hobbs, Ana Raimondi, Zoe Prout, and Haley Mikulski; 

Wicomico County Executive, Julie Giordano; UMES Pharmacy students;

Representatives from the Maryland Physical Therapists Association Scott Gardner, Chris Gardner, Kim Durant, Katarina Travis, Angela Skolnitsky, Mackenzie Grube, Maggie McPherson, Adrian Sisch, Matthew Manich, Paige Wilde, Eric Varlas, Zachary Angell, Devon Williams, Carl Suarez, Jessica Wallace, Jerome Thomas, Lauren Miller, Melody Davis, Stephanie McAlliota, Joshua Hette, and Patrick Law; 

Local Chamber of Commerce representatives including Kerrie Bunting, Worcester County/Ocean Pines; Bill Chambers, Salisbury; and Amy Thompson with the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce; Reverend Margaret Brack of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Salisbury; Judy and Kelly Kennan, Salisbury; 

PARTICIPATING IN THE 20TH ANNUAL

 TASTE OF THE EASTERN SHORE

Several local elected officials and representatives from the Shore traveled to Annapolis for the 20th Annual Taste of the Eastern Shore including

(left to right) Pat Schrawder, District Representative for Senator Carozza; Aaron Levinthal and Carrie Samis, Beach to Bay and Main Street, Princess Anne; Jenny Rhodes, Farm Credit; and Snow Hill Mayor Mike Pruitt.

SNEAK PREVIEW- JUVENILE QUESTIONING BILL HEARING

Senate Bill 326, JUVENILE LAW QUESTIONING OF A JUVENILE... sponsored by Senator Mary Beth Carozza, would supplement the existing “public safety” exception to the Juvenile Interrogation Act by allowing for juveniles to be questioned by law enforcement without first being forced to talk to an attorney only in cases in which the police have probable cause to believe the juvenile has committed a “crime of violence” or a crime involving a firearm. SB 326 will be heard on February 13^th before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

“These narrow exceptions would allow law enforcement to question juveniles only for crimes of violence and crimes with a firearm. It would help protect juveniles from adult criminals who often pray on and coerce juveniles into serious crime, and also would protect the community as a whole.”

STAY INVOLVED

We welcome your visit to Annapolis and encourage you to follow the fast pace of legislation by signing on to the General Assembly Website where you can find useful information. At the bottom of the page, click on video tutorials for full descriptions. Below is a link to the site.

IN SERVICE,

MARY BETH

By Authority: Friends of Mary Beth Carozza, James R. Bergey, Jr., CPA, Treasurer