ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today presided over the first bill signing ceremony of 2024, where he signed into law the Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act. The bipartisan legislation supports businesses and workers who have been affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The law will create a new, permanent scholarship program for the families of transportation workers who die on the job, and will allow for more flexibility in work search requirements for unemployment insurance.
“Two weeks ago, a piece of the Baltimore skyline and Baltimore spirit plunged into the river. But Marylanders have rallied,”
said Gov. Moore. “When tragedy struck our state, we banded together to support those affected by the Key Bridge collapse. Together, we are proving what it means to be Maryland Tough and Baltimore Strong."
The Governor also signed five bills included in the Moore-Miller Administration’s legislative agenda – all dedicated to making Maryland the state that serves. These bills will support Maryland road workers, expand job opportunities for Maryland’s military families, expand workers compensation presumptions for firefighters, and protect election workers.
"We said we would focus on four key priorities this year: Make Maryland safer, make Maryland more affordable, make Maryland more competitive, and continue to make Maryland the state that serves. Ninety days later, we have made real progress on each of these goals,"
said Gov. Moore. "Today, we gathered to celebrate bills that elevate service in our state. By moving in partnership with the Maryland General Assembly, we are making Maryland the best place in the world to change the world.”
For the second consecutive year, the Moore-Miller administration's entire legislative package passed with bipartisan support. The 16 bills passed will support the governor’s priorities to make Maryland safer, make Maryland more affordable, make Maryland more competitive, and continue to make Maryland the state that serves.
“This session we proved once again that our administration will work in partnership to create progress within the state,”
said Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller. “Today, I am proud to witness the signing of two bills I championed from day one, The Road Worker Protection Act and the Families Serve Act -- which both support the men and women who serve our state and country, from service members and their loved ones to those who build and maintain our roadways.”
Included among Governor Moore’s champion pieces of legislation signed today are:
The Maryland Road Worker Protection Act, implements the legislative recommendations of the Governor’s Work Zone Safety Work Group to protect Maryland road workers and initiate a culture change among motorists to adopt safer driving behaviors.
The Protecting Election Officials Act,
addresses the epidemic of threats and harassment targeting election officials that pose a fundamental threat to Maryland’s ability to conduct free and fair elections.The law creates a new misdemeanor charge in the Election Law Article for threats against election officials or their families.
The Caring for Public Employees in Safety Professions (CAPES) Act, expands workers compensation presumptions for firefighters to cover thyroid, colon, and ovarian cancers.
The Families Serve Act, supports Maryland’s military families by expanding job opportunities for military spouses. The law requires that spouses of members of any branch of the uniformed services receive a 10 point credit to selection tests when applying for State jobs, and authorizes private employers to grant hiring and promotion preferences to spouses of a full-time active-duty member of any branch of the uniformed services.
The Time to Serve Act, increases the amount of disaster service leave for executive branch employees from 15 to 30 days. In addition, state employees who serve in the National Guard and military reserves may use up to 30 paid leave days for training or service duty, increased from 15 leave days.
To view the complete list of bills signed into law today, visit:
https://governor.maryland.gov/news/Pages/bill-signings.aspx.
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