Nearly 150 bills signed into Maryland law, with some focusing on criminal justice reform
The latest round of new state laws comes after the governor signed 94 bills after the end of the 2025 legislative session in early April.
While the bills have been signed by the governor, many do not go into effect until later in the summer or fall of 2025.
New bills on criminal justice reform, public safety
Several of the bills signed into law this week focus on criminal justice and prison reform.
The Second Look Act gives convicted criminals a chance to request a shorter prison sentence if the crime occurred while they were between 18 and 25 years old.
The bill allows incarcerated individuals to request that their sentence be reduced if they meet certain criteria, like having served at least 20 years of their sentence.
Gov. Moore also signed SB181, which requires the Maryland Parole Commission to consider the age of an incarcerated person when deciding if they should be granted parole.
Another bill, HB775, requires the Commissioner of Corrections to notify certain representatives when an incarcerated person dies in a correctional facility. It also requires the Department of Public Safety and Correction Services to comply with certain federal regulations.
The Organized Retail Theft Act of 2025 was also signed into law this week. The bill cracks down on people who commit thefts in multiple counties in an effort to stay below Maryland's $1,500 theft threshold.
142 bills signed into law
Of the 142 bills that Gov. Moore signed Tuesday, some also focus on the rising use of Artificial Intelligence, like HB956, which creates a workgroup to monitor and make recommendations about the regulation of AI.
Another bill, SB305, focuses on the rise of cryptocurrency. The bill establishes requirements for virtual currency kiosk operators and allows the Commissioner of Financial Regulation to investigate and enforce those requirements.
Here are some of the other bills that were signed into law this week:
Buddy's Law increases the amount of compensation from $10,000 to $25,000 for the owner of a pet that was injured or killed by another person or pet.
The Maryland Secondary Market Stability Act establishes a workgroup to study and make recommendations about licensing requirements for those who provide financial services.
SB186 establishes the Invasive Blue Catfish Pilot Program to slow the spread of the blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay.
SB550 authorizes Baltimore City leaders to impose a property tax on vacant and abandoned properties owned by certain organizations that would otherwise be exempt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Tensions in Maryland juvenile justice circles erupt over scathing audit
Three top officials overseeing Maryland's juvenile detention facilities were fired this week after a state ombudsman published a report containing allegations of numerous problems inside those buildings, including contraband drugs, food quality concerns, staffing shortages and a sexual incident among three young people who were incarcerated. The report, a mandated quarterly update on oversight work by the Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit (JJMU), was published on Monday and is based on observations from the first six months of the year, when former juvenile services secretary Vincent Schiraldi was still leading the department. The report lays blame for the alleged problems, some of which have been chronic for decades, at the feet of Schiraldi's team and encourages state officials to 'determine a new direction,' a recommendation that underscores tensions between Schiraldi and Gov. Wes Moore's (D) administration since the former secretary left his position in June. Schiraldi did not respond to a request for comment, but his former chief of staff, Marc Schindler, said the report contains inaccuracies that their team was not allowed to address before it was published, including context regarding allegations that their team tried to withhold information from the ombudsman. State law mandates that JJMU reports include a written response from the Department of Juvenile Services, but this one did not — deviating from a practice that has existed for decades across dozens of watchdog evaluations. 'Fair-minded people who look at this report will have lots of questions,' said Schindler, who was also Schiraldi's deputy secretary. Acting Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Betsy Fox Tolentino said in a statement that she received a copy of the report on July 29, the day after it was published, and the firings — which the corrections watchdog recommended — happened July 30. 'The report confirms, with some truly appalling detail, many of the same challenges that I have learned about during my first weeks in my role as acting secretary as I visited facilities, spoke directly with staff, and assessed urgent operational changes,' Tolentino said in a statement. 'I am deeply troubled by the unacceptable conditions that some of our young people are facing in our care and it is absolutely unacceptable that some of our staff do not feel safe at work.' Adina Levi, deputy secretary of residential services, was terminated, as were two of her team members, according to a letter obtained by The Washington Post and interviews with people who have knowledge of the firings. Levi did not respond to a request for comment. The report was published at a politically fraught time for Moore's administration, as a fractured coalition of state officials, lawmakers, law enforcement and advocates grapple with how to best care for the children in the state's juvenile justice system. Moore appointed Schiraldi to reform the department in 2023, a move hailed by youth justice advocates as a bold step forward for an embattled agency that was once investigated by the Justice Department. But after two and a half years on the job, Schiraldi resigned in early June amid intense scrutiny from Republicans, prosecutors and some community members who worried his approach was too soft amid a spike in juvenile crime that has since subsided. Moore initially praised Schiraldi's work, then later said he had 'ordered' his resignation. The governor immediately appointed Tolentino, who Schiraldi said he had recommended to succeed him and who had worked within the department for many years. She also worked closely with Schiraldi's team through her most recent role at the Roca Impact Institute. The JJMU audit is the first quarterly report to publish since the department's change in leadership and since Nick Moroney, the longtime director of the JJMU, resigned this spring. The JJMU, which has existed for decades, was housed under the Office of the Attorney General until last year, when the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation creating a new, independent Office of the Correctional Ombudsman. The juvenile monitors were relocated under the ombudsman's umbrella, and the governor appointed Yvonne Briley-Wilson to lead the office. The report — which combines two quarters — was overseen by Briley-Wilson because the JJMU director role has been vacant since the departure of Moroney. He said he left because he did not agree with Briley-Wilson's 'methodology' or the direction she was taking the unit he had led for more than a decade. Both Moroney and Schindler said that it's impossible to get a full picture of the incidents and allegations documented in the report because the ombudsman did not follow the state law that requires prepublication response from the department. The report includes potentially identifying information about children in the state's care, including details from their private medical files, which Moroney called inappropriate. He said the exclusion of a DJS response — and the call for specific individuals to lose their jobs — in the report was 'unprecedented.' He oversaw the assembly of dozens of such reports during his more than 17 years with the office, he said, and all included a written response from the department. The law requires the quarterly reports from the JJMU to include 'actions taken by the Department resulting from the findings and recommendations of the Unit, including the Department's response.' Briley-Wilson said in a statement that the JJMU 'regularly conducted investigations and submitted debriefing reports to DJS,' and that the report released this week was 'submitted appropriately and as required by law. We stand by the content and recommendations of the report.' Spokespersons for the governor and the Department of Juvenile Services did not respond to questions about the state statute requirements. Moore said in a statement on Wednesday that the findings were 'unconscionable, unacceptable, and must be addressed in the swiftest and most certain terms.' Tolentino, the governor said, 'is deeply engaged in the full-scale work to correct the systemic failures that contributed to the report's findings.' Among those findings was a May incident at Green Ridge Youth Center in Western Maryland, where three students had engaged in sexual activity with one another in a dorm sleeping area. The sexual conduct had taken place in a bunk bed behind a sheet that had been draped from the upper wrung, which violated the department's policy regarding privacy screens, according to the report. Surveillance video footage of the incident shows a Green Ridge staff member lifting up the sheet and walking away without removing it, though it is not clear from the report what the staffer saw behind the sheet. One of the involved young people had previously told staff he felt unsafe and had asked to be moved, according to the report, though it did not specify what had made him feel unsafe. The incident was reported by a young person to a case manager, and the department's inspector general and the JJMU were notified. In the report, Briley-Wilson said Schiraldi's team delayed providing the video footage and other requested documents to the ombudsman, writing that she had requested for numerous video files to be shared by email and was denied. Schindler said that department officials told Briley-Wilson's team that their requests were 'inconsistent with long-standing and mutually accepted practices' and that they could view the video in person at the facility to protect the confidential information of juveniles. He said that the ombudsman did not respond to numerous requests to meet with DJS leaders. 'Failure to include this information in the report resulted in an inaccurate portrayal of DJS's willingness to share information and its commitment to transparency,' Schindler said. The report outlined widespread issues with contraband and drugs in four of the state's juvenile facilities, including suboxone strips and vape pens. The report said that 'systemwide staff shortages have created potentially unsafe environments for both staff and students,' including situations where low staffing meant girls at Western Maryland Children's Center were put in 'pseudo-seclusions' in their rooms. The state employee union, AFSCME Maryland, has voiced similar concerns about staffing shortages. Criticisms regarding facility cleanliness, tattered clothing, spoiled food and the handling of an evacuation at Green Ridge during heavy rainfall in May were also documented in the report. On Wednesday, Tolentino sent Briley-Wilson a six-page response letter to the report, thanking the ombudsman for 'continued oversight and partnership' and saying she is 'fully committed to transparency.' That letter included a response to the report's many recommendations and what actions the department has taken so far to address them. 'The JJMU report provides a strong foundation for us to move forward,' she wrote, 'and address long-standing challenges that arose under previous leadership.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
GOP criticizes Moore's request for funds to hire federal employees amid hiring freeze
Del Jason Buckel (R-Allegany) and Sen. Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore), leaders of the House and Senate Republicans, in a 2023 file photo. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) House and Senate Republicans said they oppose a continuing effort by Gov. Wes Moore (D) to hire displaced federal workers. Moore asked the Legislative Policy Committee in June to approve the use of $30,000 with the current budget to help cover the salaries of two new part-time contractual employees to handle recruitment and hiring of federal employees, according to an analysis by the Department of Legislative Services. Since making the request, Moore announced a hiring freeze in most state agencies. The governor is also looking to reduce state payroll through a voluntary buyout program. House Minority Leader Del. Jason C. Buckel (R-Allegany) said the request is surprising. CONTACT US 'How can we, at the same time, pursue the hiring of former federal employees, unless they are in those critical positions he's outlined?' Buckel said in a statement. 'That is unlikely. If his administration needs to essentially hire additional staff whose job it will be to hire additional staff, that contradicts any notion about government efficiency. It seems disingenuous to take from state employees with one hand while giving to former federal employees with the other.' The relatively small amount comes from $2 million set aside by the legislature this year to fund a program to expedite the hiring of federal employees who are fired or laid off. Since February, the state has hired 251 people across all state agencies, according to legislative analysts. But just 7% of those — about 18 people — were hired through the program meant to help displaced federal workers, according to the Department of Legislative Services. 'We have a duty to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollar, particularly in these tight budget times,' Senate Minority Leader Sen. Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore) said. 'Our taxpayers cannot afford the unsustainable level of hiring the Moore Administration has pursued over the last three years, and they certainly cannot afford a phony hiring freeze. The Governor needs to be honest with the people of Maryland.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Dem Gov. Wes Moore says party ‘just gave up' on certain parts of US in 2024 campaign
Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., said the Democratic Party gave up on certain parts of the U.S. in the 2024 election, lamenting the party's focus on certain states. Former DNC chair Jaime Harrison spoke to Moore on his podcast 'At Our Table' and asked the Democratic governor if there was anything former Vice President Kamala Harris or the campaign should have done differently. Moore replied, 'I don't know…. It's always challenging if such a large percentage of the country, rightly or wrongly, feel the country is going in the wrong direction. It's just difficult to be the vice president, to come into that. I don't know what she could have done differently, or whatever happened. 'The thing I think we have to remember to do though, is, I've been deeply disappointed where it feels like there are certain areas and communities that we almost seemingly just gave up on.' He added, 'We just stopped competing. We stopped making the case. We came up with this philosophy where, listen, it all comes down to three states.' 3 Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., speaks during a taping of FOX News Channel's Special Report with Bret Baier, Friday, July 18, 2025, in Washington. AP Harrison agreed and added, 'We cede ground.' 'And it's like, do you know who hears this thing is only going to come down to three states? The other 47. Like, 'we don't even matter, man.' When we hear, 'We need to make sure we go after the working voter in Pennsylvania,' and that's the key, do you know who hears that? Everybody you're not talking about. And I just think we ceded a lot of ground,' Moore said. Moore argued that a lot of key Democratic voters felt taken for granted in 2024. 3 President Joe Biden waves with Vice President Kamala Harris at the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's 3rd Annual Independence Dinner in Philadelphia, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. AP 'And then we get upset, and then we're like, what happened with this group? What happened with that group? And they're saying like, 'Yo, what happened to the party?' I think there needs to be a real level setting about who is our base, man. And who are we fighting for? 'This is not a game for people. This is not game theory. This is not checkers. They're real life. These are real lives,' Moore continued. Moore spoke to Fox News' Bret Baier earlier this month and said he was not considering running for president in 2028. 3 Governor of Maryland Wes Moore speaks onstage during the 2025 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture presented by Coca-Cola – Day 3 at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 06, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Getty Images for ESSENCE 'And the thing is, I think that anybody who's talking about 2028 is not taking 2025 very seriously,' he added. Harrison recently spoke to Gov. Tim Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in 2024, about the Democratic Party. Walz wondered why the party comes off as being anti-success during their conversation. 'We, as Democrats, we want people to pay their fair share, but why are we against people being successful like that? We can't be. Why are we against? We should talk about businesses. Not all businesses exploit their workers, and we get ourselves stuck in that. And I think we lose them,' Walz said.
