By J.J. McQueen
Special to the AFRO
Just weeks into the 2022 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly is faced with a number of important tasks. On the final leg of Governor Larry Hogan’s tenure, Democrats and Republicans are working to find common ground on intense issues as he expects to leave the office on a high note. It includes addressing the need for tougher and longer sentences for crimes, tax relief for families and small businesses, and possibly restoring healthcare for Maryland retirees.
While Democrats hold the majority of the voting strength, the entire General Assembly will have to make unified decisions during this general session. The state of Maryland currently sits with a surplus of $4 billion, and has the opportunity to see more with the idea of legalizing recreational marijuana. It is an idea on which Senate President Bill Ferguson and Speaker Adrienne Jones differ on with respect to how the outcome is decided.
Ferguson sees it as a matter of the voting body deciding, and Speaker Jones prefers to let the public decide at the ballot box. Whichever happens, the final choice could impact law enforcement’s ability to keep pace with the constant spinning wheel of how police officers enforce the current laws connected to marijuana possession.
Understanding what is at stake, Democrats and Republicans are ready to tackle climate change in Maryland, COVID relief for Maryland families and businesses, redistricting, ‘Ghost Guns’, and what to do with the surplus.
“Marylander’s health and the economy, that is going to be the lens by which we look through everything that moves through these chambers,” said Ferguson.
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