Maryland General Assembly scorecard: How Eastern Shore fared
From heavily modified cars to not-so-mobile homes, the Eastern Shore had a good deal at stake during the Maryland General Assembly session that wrapped up Monday.
Here's a look at what became of the bills with the biggest impact on the Shore:
Ocean City car events: A bill passed on the final day allowing the State Highway Administration to create zones similar to work zones where speed limits can be lowered and higher fines can be given to those who violate traffic laws.
This bill would only go into effect in Worcester County. The bill was created in response to motor vehicle events in Ocean City, such as H2Oi and Cruisin', where there have been issues with participants obeying the laws of the road.
Once signed into law, the bill will go into effect immediately because it is an emergency measure.
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Free Wor-Wic tuition for Somerset: Students from Somerset County would have received free tuition to Wor-Wic Community College under a measure that died in the legislature, but a separate bill that did pass may have the same effect.
The proposed Somerset scholarships would have been similar to the two-year-old program in Wicomico County, which is funded by the county and covers tuition and fees for county residents.
State Sen. Jim Mathias, D-38-Worcester, the bill's sponsor, said it appears that a statewide bill will give students a similar boost. The Maryland Community College Promise Program would provide tuition for an associate degree or certificate to residents whose income is less than $150,000.
The program is expected to make available up to $30 million in grants in 2020, its first year. Mathias said he is concerned that with that cap, it may be difficult for Somerset students to obtain.
Negligent driving: Delegate Mary Beth Carozza, R-38C-Worcester, saw a bill fail for the second time in as many years that would have made someone causing life-threatening injury by motor vehicle or vessel due to negligent driving face prison time.
The measure would have increased the maximum potential penalty from a $500 citation to up to 18 months in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. Both the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee declined to move the bill forward.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge crossing: The Maryland Transportation Authority is exploring whether it should build a third span across the bay or some other connection to ease miles-long backups.
That is a highly unpopular idea in Kent County, where many political leaders fear a direct connection with the Baltimore area will spoil its bucolic atmosphere.
Their most powerful tool is an obscure law that gives Eastern Shore counties, by majority vote, veto power over a bay crossing. Legislation overturning that measure failed in the House this year.
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Crisfield golf carts: A bill to allow golf carts on Route 413, the main artery through Crisfield, was approved and then signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Larry Hogan.
In 2016, local legislators were successful in passing a bill that allows golf carts to be operated on certain streets in Crisfield as a way for boaters docked at Somers Cove Marina to access stores and restaurants in town.
Under the 2016 bill, golf carts could be operated only on streets that are not part of a state or federal highway system, which ruled out Route 413, although the carts are allowed to cross the road at certain points.
The Crisfield Police Department will be conducting a meeting regarding the new golf cart law on Tuesday, April 24, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Mobile home rights: A Salisbury mobile home park controversy triggered a successful push to add more protections against certain landowner practices.
Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes, D-37A-Wicomico, sponsored legislation after Delmarva Now published a report about residents' complaints at the Cedarhurst Mobile Home Park.
Cedarhurst residents own their homes, but not the land where they're parked. A new owner, Sunrise Capital Investors, gave them 30 days' notice late last year that it was raising the rent by about $150, sparking the complaints.
Sample-Hughes' measure requires landowners to get in touch with residents at least 60 days ahead of a rent increase and to notify them of an impending sale of the community.
Seacrets intervention: The popular Ocean City nightclub and distillery may increase the amount of annual alcoholic products it sells at retail from 15,500 to 31,000 gallons. The bill passed both houses unanimously.
Currently, any spirits sold beyond 15,000 gallons must first be shipped to the company's distributor in Jessup, Maryland. It must be trucked back to Ocean City, and Seacrets has to pay a retail invoice to the distributor for its own product.
The new limit should give the expanding distillery a break from all that back-and-forth until 2022, said Carozza, the bill's sponsor.
Shore spending: Local legislators were able to secure state funding for local nonprofits with several bond bills.
- $250,000 to Coastal Hospice for the Macky and Pam Stansell House of Coastal Hospice at the Ocean in Worcester County
- $100,000 to the Rotary Club of Salisbury Foundation for the Rotary Labyrinth project in Wicomico County
- $75,000 to the Pocomoke Little League for field lights at the Little League's baseball field in Worcester County
However, bond bills introduced on behalf of the Delmarva Discovery Center in Pocomoke and the Teackle Mansion in Princess Anne got unfavorable reports by the House Appropriations Committee and received no funding this year.
Gov. Larry Hogan has until May 28 to sign or veto bills. If Hogan doesn't take any action on a bill, it automatically goes into law.
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