April 17, 2021
The Legislative Session for 2021 has come to an end. It was not a great surprise to me, or our lobbyist, Ms. Kramer, as to how this would come out. The legislature has evolved into an extremely Liberal body. They spent a great deal of time on police accountability, and the result was the same as the anti-police sentiment that has spread throughout our country.
The biggest issue for law enforcement is the Police Accountability Act of 2021. This law was passed, vetoed and overridden by the Legislature. You can go on “mgaleg.maryland.gov.” Click on Legislation, then House . Put HBO670 in the search bar. Click on Analysis, and you can read all about the new law. If you don’t like what you are reading, click on Members, then House and Senate to find your representatives and let them know how you feel about their work. We are going to have to do this. We can’t sit by and let the people that did this continue in office.
There were very few bills that affect us as retirees. However, a bill placing the state retirees back into the state prescription plan was introduced, and quickly found its way to the Rules committee, where it died. By this action, we will be in the same position as we have been for the past several years, waiting on the Courts decision. So, we are safe for another year. I don’t know what the outcome will be of this issue, and speculation is a waste of time. We just have to continue to wait and see.
If you have any questions, give me a call. We need to support those Troopers that are out there doing the job under new set of guidelines.
Jack Howard
Legislative Committee
