Hogan signs first bills of 2016 session into law

Listen to this article

ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Larry Hogan signed the first bills of the 2016 legislative session into law Monday in an earlier-than-usual ceremony driven by politics as much as public policy.

Democrats wasted no time in the moments following the ceremony to criticize the Republican governor who has railed against mandates for signing a measure they say creates one.

Hogan signed three bills into law, including measures that return $60 million over the next two years in money transferred from Program Open Space; another bill that extends the age from 18 to 26 that children of police officers killed in the line of duty can collect survivors benefits; and a bill that requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030.

The survivors’ benefits bill was emergency legislation. It passed this session following the deaths of Harford County Sheriff’s Deputies Pat Dailey and Mark Logsdon, who were killed in the line of duty earlier this year.

Dailey had more than 30 years of service, and he is survived by two sons who are 20 and 17 years old. Under the old law, one of Dailey’s sons was not eligible for a survivor benefit, because he is older than 18. The other was eligible for a line-of-duty death benefit for about three months.

“Our state owes families like theirs a tremendous debt, and providing these extended benefits is one small way that we can honor their sacrifice,” Hogan said.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. appeared visibly emotional as Hogan spoke about the bill in the moments before signing it into law.

 Push to pass bills

The unusual ceremony was made necessary after the legislature sent more than two dozen bills to the governor by Friday — the deadline for the so-called six-day rule that requires Maryland governors to sign, veto or allow legislation to pass into law without a signature. The move gives the legislature an opportunity to override any vetoes before the 90-day session ends in a week.

Hogan Friday wasted no time announcing the first veto. Within hours of passage, the governor issued a statement announcing his veto of a bill that would require the department of transportation to develop a scoring system for ranking transportation projects.

Democrats, irritated with decisions made last summer to cancel the $2.9 million Baltimore Red Line light-rail project and to funnel money into roads programs in rural areas, said the bill would provide more public transparency regarding how projects are added to and removed from the six-year construction plan.

An override of that veto is expected in the coming week, though scheduling an override vote could initially prove difficult as the House of Delegates is short a few Democratic members because of illnesses.

Democrats wasted little time Monday criticizing the governor for doublespeak on the issue of mandates.

Pat Murray, executive director of the Maryland Democratic Party, said in a statement that Hogan has lost credibility on the issue after signing the open space program bill into law.

“After telling Marylanders that mandates are bad, Larry Hogan created a new one when he signed HB 462. Larry Hogan promised change and delivered political doublespeak, and he threw away his credibility on mandates today,” Murray said in a statement.

Hogan said the bill supports his commitment to restoring funding for the program that was used by two previous governors to fill in holes in the state budget.

“This bill helps fund parks and conservation projects throughout the state and creates a repayment plan for those funds wrongly transferred to the general fund,” Hogan said.

Environmental measure

The greenhouse gas reduction measure sets a new 40 percent emission-reduction target for 2030. It builds on a 2009 state law that required Maryland to reduce emissions 25 percent by 2020 from 2006 levels. Hogan noted the measure includes important protections for businesses to make sure the ambitious targets don’t cost the state jobs.

“The bill reflects Governor Hogan’s commitment to finding common ground for the common good,” said Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles. “When we do this right, we create a climate of opportunity for balanced environmental and economic progress that also boosts energy security and community resilience.”

Supporters say the measure is one of the most ambitious greenhouse gas reduction requirements set by a state legislature.

“The bipartisan support for our Greenhouse Gas Emissions bill illustrates the recognition that climate change is the single most important global issue for future generations,” said Del. Kumar Barve, a Montgomery County Democrat who sponsored the bill, along with Sen. Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George’s.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.