INSIDE ANNAPOLIS
| LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK
A Look at the 2021 General Assembly Session BY RICHARD MONTGOMERY, DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATIVE RELATIONS
2020 Early Adjournment and Path Forward As surreal as the early adjournment of the 2020 Maryland General Assembly due to COVID-19 may have seemed on March 16, 2020, no one knew at the time how the spread of COVID-19 would transform the manner in which the legislature would conduct business in the months ahead. By virtually all accounts, Senate President Bill Ferguson, House Speaker Adrienne Jones, and the rest of Legislative Leadership made the right call in adjourning the 2020 session early, and by conducting almost all legislative business during the spring and summer remotely. While there had been some discussion of a possible Special Session of the legislature to convene in May 2020, the Presiding Officers concluded that, based upon the growing pool of knowledge on the transmissibility of the virus, whatever possible value there may have been in convening a spring or summer session of the legislature was greatly outweighed by the health risks to the members and staff. The Presiding Officers established the Joint COVID-19 Workgroup, which in conjunction with Governor Larry Hogan’s efforts at combating the disease, relied upon the expertise of as many of Maryland’s top communicable disease and workplace safety experts available to guide their decision-making on how to conduct the State’s necessary business safely over the summer, as well as looking ahead to the 2021 General Assembly session. The results of the expert guidance was the almost complete closure of the Annapolis legislative complex over the summer, as well as development of a strictly limited-access policy for the conduct of legislative business when the General Assembly convened on January 13, 2021. During the summer of 2020, not only was the COVID-19 Workgroup heavily
active, most other Standing Committees of the General Assembly, as well as other ad hoc committees developed their own manner of conducting regular business remotely. For the most part, these Open Meetings involved notice to the public via the General Assembly website, with links to pertinent documents. As for Committees which held public hearing with testimony by advocates and members of the public, a two-track system of participation was established: individuals wishing to testify on draft bills and other matters signed up electronically to testify via Zoom; and individuals merely wishing to watch the proceedings were provided an access link to watch a simulcast of the meeting via YouTube. The summer trial run of remote proceedings provided basic guidance for the legislature on how to continue business effectively during a continuing pandemic.
MSBA EXPANDS ADVOCACY HOMEPAGE AND EWEEKLY NEWSLETTER TO BETTER INFORM MEMBERS Two years ago, the MSBA introduced the MSBA Legislative Action Center and new Advocacy homepage on MSBA.org. Powered by Trackbill, the Legislative Action Center provides members with information on Bills within the MSBA legislative program. This year, we expanded the Advocacy Homepage by adding Practice Area Updates, which will make it easier for members to quickly review bills impacting their specific practice areas. In addition, the MSBA will introduce an “Inside Annapolis” section to its eWeekly Newsletter, bringing updates on the 2021 General Session directly to your inbox.
WEB EXTRA
Visit MSBA's newly updated Advocacy page. MSBA.ORG/ADVOCACY
MARYLAND BAR JOURNAL | VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3
19
