Advocacy Update: Maryland General Assembly Begins the 2024 Legislative Session

The 90-day Maryland General Assembly session commenced on January 10, 2024, with a focus on juvenile justice, affordable housing, economic growth, the budget deficit, transportation, and more. Some anticipated issues include:

• Public safety and juvenile justice: Several bills related to criminal and juvenile justice include increased penalties, additional services for juveniles, and terms of custodial interrogation of juveniles.
• Transportation funding: Legislators will consider ways to continue projects given reduced funding, including increased registration fees and tolls.
• Health care: Lawmakers will review solutions to lower emergency room wait times, increase funding for healthcare education programs to fill vacancies, increased mental health services funds, and providing health care access to undocumented Marylanders.
• Affordable housing: Governor Moore will introduce bills to expand affordable housing development, promote federal funding to the state, and increase protections against eviction for renters.
• Climate change: Legislators will look at the implementation of recent bills focused on protecting the environment and consider additional resources needed to support the state’s energy goals.
• Aid in dying: The Legislature will again consider how physicians may help terminally ill patients seek prescriptions for drugs to help them end their life.
• Decency issues: Speaker Jones has indicated that the House will prioritize a “decency agenda” that confronts hate speech and provides protections from discrimination and attack based on race, gender, and religion.

Throughout the Legislative Session, MSBA will share regular updates on bills that impact the legal profession via our Advocacy page.