“I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.” – Langston Hughes
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The Maryland General Assembly just concluded the 446th Legislative Session and I am extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish together. As Chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, I have worked diligently to ensure we make our state a more welcoming, equitable, and radically inclusive place where all have the ability to thrive. Before diving into the recap of the policies we passed to move our state forward, I want to thank you for the privilege of representing you in the Maryland Senate. Though my work resides within the state of Maryland, national and international efforts to undermine inclusive representative democracy serve to remind us that our democratic experiment is fragile and contingent. The annual 90-day legislative session is a shining example of that precious democratic process and I want to thank you for your engagement – together, we will continue to work toward a community that hasn’t yet been but one day must be.
My priorities for the Judicial Proceedings Committee this session included public safety, reforming the Juvenile Justice system, and expanding protections for renters. I was also proud to have been the lead sponsor of several pieces of critical legislation which will be signed into law later this summer. Apart from our legislative successes, I am happy to report that the District 20 Team was able to secure more than $16 million dollars in capital investments for our district. An overview of some of the most important issues the Maryland General Assembly addressed during the 2024 legislative session is provided below. I hope you find the contents of this letter informative. As always, please feel free to contact me at will.smith@senate.state.md.us if I can ever be of service to you.
The Judicial Proceedings Committee Continues To Lead The Way
This was my fifth year as Chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, and as Chair, I have always sought to address systemic inequity and implement long-overdue reforms. This session we continued to do just that, building on the progress we make every year.
Combating Maryland’s Opioid Crisis:
Over the past 11 years opioid overdose deaths have increased by 400%. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 40% of opioid deaths occur with someone else present, meaning they could have been prevented. Naloxone is a lifesaving medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. According to the Maryland Department of Health, 2,800 Marylanders died due to an overdose in 2021, nearly eight people lost every day. These were lives that could have been saved by the life-saving medication, naloxone. My bill, SB1099 will require Naloxone to be co-located with every AED device that is placed in every public building throughout our state.
Enhancing Public Safety in our Neighborhoods through Gun Safety:
Every year, approximately 796 people die and another 1,363 are wounded through gun violence in Maryland. Gun violence is a significant public health challenge here and throughout the nation. To better understand our gun violence challenges I invited experts from the Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, trauma center surgeons and professionals at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and representatives from Center for Hope to share their perspectives with the Judicial Proceedings Committee. Their insights and input assisted us in refining several critical pieces of gun violence prevention legislation this year, including the Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2024 (SB488/HB947) and the Extreme Risk Protective Orders Review Act (SB 905).
The most important role of government is strengthening community safety efforts, so all residents are secure when going about their daily lives. Unfortunately, the gun violence epidemic is making those efforts more challenging as firearms fall into the hands of bad actors and the gun industry puts profits over public safety. The legislature passed the Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2024 (SB488/HB947) to require firearm industry members to implement reasonable controls, so guns and ammunition don’t get into the wrong hands, and refrain from knowingly contributing to public harm.
We also advanced legislation to ensure we are equipped with the information to successfully implement our Extreme Risk Protective Order (ERPO). Maryland’s ERPO law empowers law enforcement, family members, and health care providers to prevent gun tragedies by petitioning the court to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who are behaving dangerously and at elevated risk of suicide or interpersonal violence. SB 905 allows researchers access to petitions and court records to support the Office of the Attorney General in completing a crime gun study. Gun violence is a public health crisis requiring a comprehensive public health approach. Data is the foundation of this approach, allowing researchers to understand the size and scope of the problem, what puts communities at risk, and how to reduce those risks with policies and programs to keep our communities safe.
Improving the Accountability, Rehabilitation, and Coordination (ARC) of our Juvenile Justice System:
The simple truth is the juvenile justice system in Maryland is not working optimally to provide the best outcomes for children. Unfortunately, crimes committed by young people have become the largest part of the crime perception problem in Maryland. Through legislation, the State budget, and executive action, we are improving the ARC of the juvenile justice system (HB814). The reforms addressed include:
- Expanding the jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Services to include those under 13 for certain firearms-related offenses and third-degree sexual offenses;
- Requiring a child in need of supervision petition to be filed for a youth accused of committing car theft;
- Ensuring young offenders to participate in treatment;
- Allocating $43M for the creation of the Governor’s Office of Children to ensure there is a single entity responsible for tracking youth across multiple agencies (SB360); and
- Increasing the transparency around young people involved in crimes involving a firearm (SB652).
Expanding Access to Affordable Housing and Renter Protections:
The availability and affordability of housing is critical to Marylanders enjoying an increased quality of life while reducing inflationary pressures. Fundamentally, for rental and housing prices to decrease, we need to reduce barriers to building housing across the state. In partnership with Governor Moore’s Administration, the MGA passed legislation to establish a Maryland Community Investment Corporation to provide financial incentives to build housing in low-income communities (HB599) and remove zoning and density restrictions for transit-oriented developments assuming strict criteria are met (HB538).
Additionally, we advanced the Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 (HB693) to raise the filing fees for eviction proceedings to disincentivize frivolous cases and establish an Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs within the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, which will be tasked with developing a Tenants’ Bill of Rights. The FY25 State budget also includes significant funding for affordable housing, including:
- $138.5M for rental housing programs;
- $50M for Project CORE to address vacant housing; and
- $21M for homeownership incentive programs.
Protecting Public Servants on the Frontlines of Democracy:
We are in a particularly troubling moment in American democracy as threats and violence directed to those on the frontlines of upholding our institutions continue to increase. Our judicial and election administration systems are integral to a functioning democracy, and the Judicial Proceedings Committee took steps to protect the individuals responsible for their performance. Following the murder of a Maryland judge last year, we passed the Judge Andrew F. Wilkinson Judicial Security Act (SB575/HB664) to allow current or retired justices, judges, magistrates, or court commissioners to request that their personal information not be published online. Further, we passed the Protecting Election Officials Act of 2024 (SB480/HB585) to hold those who knowingly and willfully threaten an election official or their immediate family accountable for their attempts to disrupt our electoral process.
Ensuring Equal Rights and Pay for All:
Demanding equal rights for all Marylanders and Americans, regardless of sex, is foundational to fulfilling our nation’s promise. The General Assembly reaffirmed our commitment to the principle of equality under the law this year when we passed a joint resolution (SJ1) calling on the Biden Administration to formally adopt the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Despite the requisite number of states having ratified the ERA, procedural hurdles have delayed its certification. Moreover, we passed legislation to increase wage transparency by requiring that employers include a possible salary range for a role when posting a job listing (SB525/HB649). Greater clarity in hiring is a critical step to closing the gender wage gap and ensuring equal pay for equal work.
Expanding Access to Contraceptives at Community Colleges:
As reproductive health is curtailed in states across the country, Maryland continues to lead in strengthening access to care and services. Last year, the MGA passed a set of policies to expand reproductive freedom in our State, including increasing the availability of reproductive care on college campuses. This year, we built on those efforts to ensure students and Maryland community colleges can easily find over-the-counter contraception options on-campus (SB527/HB367).
Significant legislation outside of the Judicial Proceedings Committee
Transitioning to a Greener, More Efficient Energy Grid:
The climate crisis poses an existential threat that requires urgent and immediate action. To meet this moment, it is vital that Maryland transition to a greener, more efficient, and more reliable energy grid through both enhanced energy generation and distribution. In addition to a $90M investment in decarbonization programs (SB360), the MGA passed several bills towards this aim that will:
- Require State agencies and electric companies to pursue federal funding under the Inflation Reduction Act to invest in demand-side methods and technology to improve reliability and efficiency (HB1393);
- Allocate 15% of all corporate tax revenue generated by data centers to the Maryland Strategic Energy Investment Fund while bolstering backup generation for critical infrastructure (SB474);
- Reform the EmPOWER program, which has saved ratepayers $4B, to align its goals to the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 by achieving greenhouse gas emissions reductions (HB864);
- Incentivize the development of solar energy in Maryland through the Brighter Tomorrow Act (SB783);
- Strengthen our ability to meet our offshore wind energy generation goals while retaining the existing ratepayer cap protections (HB1296); and
- Create a pilot program for the transition of natural gas infrastructure to network geothermal in low-income communities to benefit neighborhoods using available federal funding (SB570/HB397).
Safeguarding the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s Environment:
Protecting two of Maryland’s most important assets, our natural resources and the Chesapeake Bay, is of paramount importance. It is vital that we leave our State in a better environmental position for future generations. The legislature took a number of steps this year to bolster those preservation efforts. First, in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Sackett v. EPA ruling which hamstrung enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act, the MGA passed the Clean Water Justice Act (SB653/HB1101) to allow State civil actions to ensure clean waterways. Second, we passed the Whole Watershed Act (SB969/HB1165) to shift Maryland’s focus to whole watershed restoration, incentivize innovative practices, improve project quality, and responsibly fast track environmental restoration work across Maryland. Finally, the legislature passed a bill (SB1074/HB991) to establish an industrial sludge utilization permit to better regulate this harmful organic material which seeps into our waterways when used for farming without proper safeguards.
Allowing All Marylanders to Purchase Insurance on the Health Benefits Exchange:
Easy access to comprehensive health insurance should be available to all Maryland residents, regardless of immigration status. The Access to Care Act (SB705/HB728), passed by the MGA, mandates that the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange (MHBE) apply for a federal waiver to allow undocumented immigrants in Maryland to purchase health insurance through the Exchange. Having access to the Exchange will make it easier for individuals to purchase plans because of the availability of multilingual staff to guide them through a streamlined process that bundles coverage under one policy.
Melanie Nicholle Diaz Fire Safety Act:
On February 18th, 2023, a fire at the Arrive Apartment in Downtown Silver Spring injured 17 people and, tragically, took the life of Melanie Diaz, a 25-year-old activist in our community. In the aftermath of the fire, Melanie’s family has been fighting to improve fire safety standards in apartments across Maryland. SB0689/HB823 mandates the installation of advanced smoke detection and fire safety equipment and requires signage at all main building entrances when the building is not equipped with a sprinkler system. Additionally, the bill establishes a workgroup to develop best practices for the installation of fire alarms and automatic fire sprinkler systems in high-rise buildings built prior to 1974. I’m proud to have worked on this legislation with the Diaz family and my district-mate, Delegate Lorig Charkoudian.
$16,350,000 of Investment In District 20
The District 20 Team worked hard to bring back an unprecedented amount of capital investment to our community. Our efforts focused on bolstering community organizations and resources that enhance our quality of life and that assist our friends and neighbors in reaching their potential. We have also been intentional in finding ways to invest in historically neglected areas of our district (e.g. the White Oak community). We look forward to working with you in partnership to ensure the State continues to invest in our community.
$5,7500,000 in capital investment for schools in District 20
- Spring Brook High School: $3.1 million for infrastructure improvements.
- Spring Brook High School Track: $150,000 to replace and repair the Spring Brook Track.
- Montgomery Blair High School: $1.5 million for infrastructure improvements.
- Don Bosco Cristo Rey Highschool: $1 million for infrastructure improvements.
Silver Spring and Takoma Park – 1,250,000
- Smithville School Museum and Education Center: $800,000 to renovate and increase public awareness of this historic segregation-era school for African American Children in Silver Spring.
- Quality Time Annex (Downtown Silver Spring): $25,000 for capital investments which will allow for the childcare center to serve an additional 220 children with age-appropriate, developmental programs.
- Silver Spring YMCA: $125,000 for infrastructure improvements to the building (the gymnasium floor, building foundation, and the installation of a new roof). Funds will also be used to acquire new sports equipment.
- Leeland Renovation: $100,000 for the renovation, repair, and reconstruction of the Leeland Property, an affordable multi-housing co-op.
- Takoma Park Community Center – $200,000 for the renovation and reconstruction of the Takoma Park Community Center Renovation which will include a mental health services center.
$ 9.35 million secured for White Oak
The District 20 Team has been intentional in ensuring that traditionally neglected areas of our district are neglected no more. This year our team secured $9,350,000 to invest in White Oak.
- White Oak Neighborhood Revitalization: $2 million for the redevelopment of the long-shuttered White Oak Sears at the White Oak shopping center.
- Viva White Oak: $6 million in pre-authorized funds (fiscal year 2026) to provide a grant to the Maryland Economic Development fund to support the planning, design, and construction of the Viva White Oak project.
- Stonehedge Local Park: $350,000 for the renovation, repair, reconstruction, and accessibility improvements of Stonehedge Local Park (e.g. replacing playgrounds, enhancements for athletic fields, basketball courts, and the picnic area).
- Children’s National Hospital Tech Hill Pharmacy: $ 1 million for a pharmacy that will provide world-class health care to the residents of White Oak.
Senatorial Scholarships
Every student heading to a state college or graduate school from District 20 is eligible for my senatorial scholarship (if you are not sure if you reside in the 20th Legislative District, you can go to www.mdelect.net to check).
We are now accepting applications for scholarships. Please find instructions and detailed information about how to apply for a scholarship through my office by visiting www.WillSmithForMaryland.com/Scholarship. Applications are required to be completed and returned with all required documentation to my office by May 1, 2024. Funds will be applied to the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters.
Finally, I want to thank my amazing staff for all of their efforts in serving you and the entire state of Maryland. Our Chief of Staff, Josie Urrea, Legislative Aide, Jenna O’Connell, and Legislative Assistant, Scott Cronin, have done a masterful job and are responsible for every level of success we had this session. We are lucky to have them in our service.
It is a profound honor to serve you in the Maryland Senate. While I am proud of the progress we are making together, I know our work is not done. I look forward to our continued success together. Please stay in touch with me via social media (@Willcsmithjr) or email at will.smith@senate.state.md.us!
All the best,
William C. Smith, Jr.
Chair, Judicial Proceedings Committee
Maryland State Senator (District 20)