LOCAL

Local lawmakers' bills start to surface

Tamela Baker
tbaker@herald-mail.com

ANNAPOLIS — The “bill,” that bit of paper — or more recently, electronic document — that outlines in legal terms how an elected official wants to change state law (or enact a new one), travels a circuitous route from introduction to passage in the Maryland General Assembly.

That’s if it gets to passage at all.

But this year they’ve been a bit slow to get out of the starting gate, and several legislators have said they’re still waiting for drafts of bills they requested weeks ago.

They’re beginning to filter through, however, and the first wave of bills from local legislators has surfaced.

Sen. George Edwards, R-Washington/Allegany/Garrett, has the most on the board so far with six.

Some are local bills for Allegany County, but he’s also filed legislation to change the way members of the Tri-County Council for Western Maryland, which includes Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties, are selected.

The Tri-County Council is a regional development council that, among other things, administers programs available through the federal Appalachian Regional Commission. Currently, six of the council’s 26 members are mayors from each county appointed by representatives to the Maryland Municipal League. Edwards’ bill would have each county’s commissioners appoint two mayors to the council instead.

He’s also sponsoring a bill to exempt any unit of state government from recording costs for real property.

And he’s bringing back a bill from last year that would allow law enforcement agencies to sell confiscated weapons to licensed firearms dealers. The bill was approved in the Maryland Senate last year, but stalled in the House.

Del. Neil Parrott, R-Washington, has five bills so far. The first to go to hearing is a measure that would exempt law-enforcement officers who work for agencies in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia or Washington, D.C., from having to take firearms safety training in order to qualify for a handgun permit. That bill was heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

Next week, the House Environment and Transportation Committee will hear his bill to prohibit local governments from regulating lemonade stands run by minors.

Health care providers couldn’t provide birth control devices for minors without parental consent under another Parrott bill. He’s also bringing back a bill to require photo identification for voters at polls.

It’s the sixth time Parrott has sought the measure, but it has never gotten out of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Del. Mike McKay, R-Washington/Allegany, also is bringing back a bill that died in committee last year. That bill would make prison chaplains eligible for the state’s correctional officers retirement system.