WE SUPPORTED

Automatic Voter Registration

HB1007 - Freedom to Vote Act (Luedtke) required MVA and certain social service agencies to provide electronic records to Board of Elections. If the person is eligible to vote, they will receive a notice by mail that they are registered to vote unless they opt out.

SB350 - Universal Voter Registration (Mano et al) required MVA and certain social service agencies to provide electronic records to Board of Elections. If the person is eligible to vote, they will receive a notice by mail that they are registered to vote unless they opt out.

SB380/HB458 - General Assembly and Congressional Legislative Redistricting and Apportionment Commission (President of the Senate et al/Speaker of the House et al) proposed an amendment to the Maryland Constitution’s guidelines for redistricting. It called for an independent commission to draw the Congressional and Legislative lines after every census. The plan went to the Secretary of State who submitted it to the General Assembly. ns

SB472/HB580 - Labor and Employment – Maryland Healthy Working Families Act (Pugh el al/Clippinger et al) required employers with 10 or more employees to provide employees with earned sick and safe leave and required employers with 9 or fewer employees to provide employees with unpaid earned sick and safe leave. Senate Finance hearing 3.3; House Ways and Means hearing 3.1

HB1047/SB294 - Earned Income Tax Credit – Expansion (Hixson et al/Madaleno et al) would increase the eligibility income threshold for childless individuals, and permit childless individuals to earn a State tax credit equal to 100% of the Federal tax credit and to claim a refund of the amount that exceeds the total tax payable by the individual. It also moved from 2018 to 2016, the date when the state EITC increases for other individuals from 26% to 28%. Hearing 3.1 House Ways and Means, hearing 3.1; Senate Budget and Taxation

HB211/SB198 - Neonicotinod Pesticides – labeling, signage, and restriction on sales and use (Healy/Nathan-Pulliam) prevents the sale of certain seeds, material and plants that have been treated with neonicotinoid pesticides unless they display a prominent label and after January 2017, unless they also sell a restricted use pesticide. House Environment and Transportation/ Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs

HB599/SB496 - Poultry Litter Management Act (Lam el al/Madaleno et al) requires poultry contract operations to maintain a specific nutrient plan, and the integrators to be responsible for the removal and delivery of all excess manure which must be delivered to specified facilities. House Environment and Transportation/ Senate Education, Health and Environmental affairs.

SB323/HB610 - Geenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act- Reauthorization (Pinsky et al/Barve et al) requires Maryland Department of Energy to submit a plan that reduced statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 40% from the 2006 levels by 2030. Senate passed with amendments – sent to House Environment and Transportation; House Economic Matters

SB 921/HB 1106 - Clean Energy Jobs – Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard Revisions (Pugh et al/Frick plus et al) increases the renewable energy portfolio to 25 percent of electricity production by 2020. In addition, the bill includes a substantial financial commitment to clean renewable energy jobs training The bill also provides support for minority and women-owned clean energy business through a Clean Energy Business Development Account. Senate Finance hearing 3.8; House Economic Matters hearing 3.3

HB 1013 / SB 908 – Maryland Open Transportation Investment Decision Act of 2016 (Beidle et al/ DeGrange et al) requires the state to develop transportation goals and a scoring system based on set criteria that would encourage those projects with the highest scores to be implemented. This system would provide more continuity across administrations and possibly less waste of funds for unbuilt projects. By developing ranking measures, most projects would be able to be evaluated with a more transparent system and it's likely that planning funds wouldn't be wasted on projects that would never be built. House Appropriations hearing 3.1; Senate Budget and Tax hearing 3.14

HB 1010 – Maryland Transit Administration Oversight and Planning Board (Lierman et al) establishes an oversight board that would ensure a planning document from the MTA every three years to enhance continuity of transportation planning. The Board's goal would be to improve public transportation that may include strategic planning, study groups, and goal setting. Maryland Port Authority, Maryland Aviation Administration and WMATA all have boards whereas MTA currently does not. House Environment and Transportation hearing 3.4

HB453 Maryland Education Act (Speaker et al) provides a 60% credit up to $20,00 per year to a business entity which provides assistance for expenses in public or nonpublic prekindergarten, elementary or secondary schools. To cover the cost of the credits, a Maryland Education Tax Credit Reserve Fund would be established. House Ways and Means hearing 3.7

HB1343/SB 706 - Maryland Education Credit (Hayes et al/DeGrange et al) This bill also allows tax credits to businesses for contributions to student assistance organizations which provide assistance to students attending public or nonpublic schools. These bills require the “student assistance organizations” either provide innovative educational programs to public school students or grants to public schools to support innovative educational programs, or provide financial assistance to students attending eligible nonpublic schools in the state - first to students eligible for free and reduced price lunches and then to other students based on financial need. House Ways and Means hearing 3.7, Senate Budget and Taxation hearing 3.9