North Baltimore Journal

ANNAPOLIS, MD — In letters addressed to Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, Governor Wes Moore this afternoon vetoed the following pieces of legislation from the 2023 Maryland General Assembly:

SB 144 - Public Utilities - Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programs - Energy Performance Targets and Low-Income Housing.

“House Bill 169, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed by me, accomplishes the same purpose. Therefore, it is not necessary for me to sign Senate Bill 144.”

HB 557 - Carroll County - Public Facilities Bond.

“Senate Bill 305, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed by me, accomplishes the same purpose. Therefore, it is not necessary for me to sign House Bill 557.”

SB 217/HB 472 - Transit - Commuter Bus Service - Procurement.

“As we work in partnership with the legislature at the task of rebuilding State government, one of my administration’s key goals has been to make the procurement process more efficient, transparent, and fair. In particular, my administration is working to ensure that small business owners and minority- and women-owned businesses have equitable opportunities to compete for and receive procurement awards. This commitment was underscored by my issuance of Executive Order 01.01.2023.03, which required state agencies to collect and report information on their procurement processes and progress in meeting MBE goals.”

“The specific proposal in this bill is of concern as well, in addition to the precedent it sets. The MTA has advised that switching to the competitive sealed method of procurement would lengthen the time of a procurement from 6-8 months to 12 months. This extended time frame and more extensive process for developing bids would in effect prevent smaller businesses, including some minority- and women-owned businesses, from being able to compete for the procurement. Furthermore, the reduction of competition resulting from this limitation in bidders would likely result in an increase in costs for commuter bus contracts. While the MTA is unable to determine what the potential increase would be, they point out that even a 15 percent increase in commuter bus contracts would cost the state an additional $8.4 million annually.”

In accordance with Article II, Section 17(c) of the Maryland Constitution, the following bills from the 2023 Maryland General Assembly will become law without the governor’s signature:

• HB 131 - Criminal Law – Unnatural or Perverted Sexual Practice – Repeal
• HB 239 - Accessory Dwelling Unit Policy Task Force
• HB 371 - Recordation Tax - Indemnity Mortgage Exemption - Threshold Amount
• HB 701 - Maryland Community Health Resources Commission and Offices of the Comptroller, Treasurer, and Attorney General - Compensation and Pay Scales of Employees
• HB 1071 - Criminal Law and Procedure - Cannabis - Fines for Smoking in Public, Stops, and Searches
• SB 54 - Criminal Law – Unnatural or Perverted Sexual Practice – Repeal
• SB 382 - Accessory Dwelling Unit Policy Task Force
• SB 545 - Towing or Removal of Vehicles - Reclamation Hours
• SB 610 - Primary and Secondary Education - Virtual Education
• SB 691 - Home Amenity Rentals - Sales and Use Tax Imposed and Local Tax Authorized

Original source can be found here.