Md. lawmakers cap legislative session
Tuesday marks a big night for the General Assembly in Maryland, with a mere few hours left until the end of the state's 90 day legislative session.
While some measures remain in limbo before lawmakers, a number of legislative measures have passed.
On the issue of health, the general assembly has passed a bill that will form a commission to monitor federal actions affecting health care in Maryland. Another bill requires businesses with 15 or more employees to provide five paid sick days.
Lawmakers have also passed a measure that identifies and assists struggling schools in Maryland. This bill makes academic performance 65 percent of evaluating school success.
A few other passed measures include a ban on fracking and preserving oyster sanctuaries in the Chesapeake Bay. Sanctuaries will remain barred to watermen until a survey on the oyster population is completed next year.
Another bill would take the Board of Public works out of the process of approving school construction plans.
The Associated Press reports the latest on developments on the last day of the Maryland General Assembly's legislative session include:
3:00 p.m.
The Maryland General Assembly has approved limits on school testing.
The legislature on Monday passed a bill that limits mandated testing to 2.2 percent of the school year. That would be about 24 hours in elementary and middle schools. It would be about 26 hours in high schools, except for eighth grade, which would be limited to about 25 hours.
The measure now goes to Gov. Larry Hogan.
The bill passed unanimously in both houses of the legislature.
9:50 a.m.
Maryland lawmakers are putting the finishing touches on a legislative session that has been full of measures aimed at countering President Donald Trump and the GOP-led Congress.
The Democrat-led legislature, which adjourns at midnight Monday, has passed legislation aimed at protecting health care from cuts in Washington.
It also has empowered the attorney general to sue the federal government without the governor's permission. And the attorney general will get an extra $1 million a year in future budgets to help pay expenses to do that.
The Maryland General Assembly also approved a blueprint for identifying and assisting troubled public schools that blocks public school privatization supported by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. To do that, the legislature overrode a veto from Republican Gov. Larry Hogan last week.
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