Testimony regarding legislation under consideration during the 2024 session of the Maryland General Assembly

Date: January 30, 2024

Based on our national and state policy positions, The League of Women Voters of Maryland supports the following legislative priorities for the 2024 Session of the Maryland General Assembly:

The League of Women Voters supports the rights of all citizens to vote for their representatives in government. We support bills that would require Special Elections to be held to fill vacancies in the Maryland General Assembly, local County Councils and Boards of Education, and in vacant executive positions where applicable. These special elections may be conducted using ranked choice voting, also known as an instant run-off, to fill the vacant position expeditiously and reduce the cost of the election. We also support changes in the closed primary system that would allow unaffiliated voters to change their registration to affiliate with a party for the purpose of voting in the primary election. We further support requiring judicial elections at all levels, specifically the elections for Judges of the various Orphans’ Courts, be non-partisan, allowing all voters, those who are affiliated with a political party and those who are unaffiliated, to vote in the Primary Elections for Judges.
The League supports a criminal justice system that is just, effective, equitable, transparent, and that fosters public trust at all stages, including policing practices, pre-trial procedures, sentencing, incarceration, and re-entry.
We support juvenile justice systems that use specialized judges, counseling services, and administration of juvenile cases, all geared to dealing with families, and (1) small, regional juvenile institutions; (2) Individually designed training and treatment programs and local or regional diagnostic services for juvenile offenders; (3) Coordination of programs and services for juvenile offenders provided by the state agencies; and (4) 24-hour supervised residential work and restitution centers with treatment programs available.
There are numerous bills seeking to tinker with the Juvenile Justice reforms of 2022. We oppose bills that would increase the number of serious crimes for which juveniles could be prosecuted as adults. We strongly oppose bills that would weaken parental notification requirements when a juvenile is taken into custody or violate a juvenile’s constitutional right to the counsel and advice of an attorney during questioning. We favor referring juveniles who have committed a violent crime or who used a gun for evaluation by the department of social services, whether in addition to or in lieu of referral to the State’s Attorney, as there is evidence that treatment and rehabilitation is more effective than punishment in reducing recidivism in juveniles.
The League also has a strong interest in the preservation of the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of the ecosystem and maximum protection of public health and the environment. To this end we support the following:
The Transportation and Climate Alignment Act of 2024: The transportation sector is Maryland’s largest source of pollution, making reductions in GHG emissions from transportation and decreasing total Vehicle Miles Traveled critical to meeting the State’s ambitious climate goals. When planning future transportation projects, they must align with Maryland’s GHG and VMT reduction goals. This bill would require the Maryland Department of Transportation and regional transportation planning agencies to mitigate increases in GHG emissions and VMT that would result from any new highway expansion project over $10 million.
EmPOWER Maryland Reform: EmPOWER Maryland, the state’s home energy efficiency program established in 2008, has the goal of reducing electricity consumption and lowering household utility costs. The program aims to improve energy efficiency through measures like weatherization and appliance updates, rebates, and other financial incentives. Critical updates to EmPOWER are needed in 2024 to ensure that the program is working to reduce GHG emissions and deliver meaningful cost savings for low-income households.
Recovering Impaired Watersheds: Establishing a pilot program to identify and improve a limited number of impaired watersheds in Maryland to improve watershed health. The goal is to quickly remove watersheds from the impaired waterways list.
Clean Water Justice Act: This bill would support environmental justice by giving Maryland citizens standing to sue in state court over violations of certain Maryland environmental laws. Marylanders currently do not have the right to bring action in state court against polluters.
This is far from an exhaustive list of bills that the League of Women Voters supports this year. As always, we remain supportive of public education at all levels, including an emphasis this year on expanding preschool education and restoration of funding for Community Colleges throughout the State. We also request that you push to obtain funding to provide a remedy for the deteriorating and inadequate facilities at several HCPSS buildings.
Sufficient available, affordable and suitable housing for all citizens remains a consistent priority, as do expanded behavioral health programs to combat drug addiction.
The League of Women Voters of Maryland is still studying and evaluating legislation proposed for this session. You may hear from us about additional bills in the future.
Thank you for this opportunity to address the legislative program mid-session.
Sincerely,
Krista Threefoot, President