ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  Governor Larry Hogan[R] announced he was lifting several COVID-19 restrictions statewide, the Maryland House of Delegates moved forward with a plan to legalize sports betting, and Senators Chris Van Hollen[D] and Ben Cardin[D] outline what the American Rescue Plan means for Maryland.

Stories of the Week

  • Governor Hogan announced in a press conference on Tuesday that Maryland will begin to relax certain COVID-19 restrictions. This decision came in the wake of rising vaccination rates and falling infection rates. The provision included the lifting of capacity rates on bars and restaurants, opening large indoor and outdoor venues at 50% capacity, and lifting travel advisories. The mask-mandate is still in effect across the state. These new measures went into effect on March 12th.
  • The Maryland House of Delegates appears to be moving forward with an expansion of sport betting throughout the state. This comes in the form of House Bill 940, which sets up regulations for instituting sport betting across the state. This follows a 2020 ballot referendum in Maryland where voters overwhelmingly supported its legalization. This bill would establish several in-person sites and allow for online-betting. The state would take in about 15% of the industry’s revenue in the form of taxes, intending for them to go toward further funding education.
  • President Biden signed the American Rescue plan this week, which is a $1.9 trillion-dollar COVID relief package. Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen outlined the specifics this week as to benefits and relief for Maryland. In Total Maryland is set to receive $6.355 Billion in local and state government funding, as well as another $6.25 Billion in direct relief payments to Maryland citizens. The bill is supposed to add a child and work tax credits for Marylanders and increase unemployment benefits throughout the state.

Bills to Watch

SB 861: St. Mary’s County – Public Facilities Bond: This bill gives the St. Mary’s County Board of Commissioners the ability to borrow up to $30 million in bonds to use for improvements to public buildings and facilities. Status: Passed in the Senate

HB 231: Crimes – Mitigation and Defense – Race, Color, National Origin, Sex, Gender Identity, or Sexual Orientation: Perception of a victims race or sexual orientation is no longer a viable avenue for crime mitigation. Status: Passed in House, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee

HB 78: Public Health – Maryland Commission on Health Equity (The Shirley Nathan-Pulliam Health Equity Act of 2021): This bill would establish a commission that will advise and research topics to promote health equity among people of different racial, economic, cultural background throughout the state. Status: Passed in House.

Contact Tyler at tylerchesser@thebaynet.com