During its one-day special session to swear in new House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, state lawmakers also took the opportunity to override 19 of the bills Gov. Wes Moore vetoed earlier this year.
While all of the vetoes brought forward were ultimately overturned, some received lengthy and heated debate, including a bill creating the Maryland Reparations Commission.
The commission will study and make recommendations on how the ancestors of those who were enslaved in Maryland could be provided with appropriate benefits.
In his veto statement from May, Moore argued there are already an amount of studies around the legacy of slavery in Maryland, and says he will be introducing a package of legislation in the new year to continue supporting Black residents.
“I will always protect and defend the full history of African Americans in our state and country. But in light of the many important studies that have taken place on this issue over nearly three decades, now is the time to focus on the work itself,” Moore said in his veto explanation statement.
Several Republicans rose to speak in support of sustaining Moore’s veto, but Democrats like Delegate Gabe Acevero (D-Montgomery County) argued the state’s history with slavery is too robust to not directly acknowledge and explore further.
“Maryland provided the rest of the country with a blueprint on how to not just enact a system that relegates Black or African folks to less than, but to codify it into law. It happened in this chamber,” Acevero said.
The veto was overturned by a vote of 93 to 35 in the House and 31 to 14 in the Senate.
The commission — costing the state around $60,000 per year — will submit a preliminary report by Jan. 1, 2027, and release a final report by Nov. 1, 2027.
Lawmakers also overturned three climate and energy-related bills, including one to study the impact of data centers in the state.
Moore said the study would require intense coordination between state departments and that its $500,000 price tag is a hefty one to consider during a budget crunch.
Several Republicans backed Moore’s decision, but Delegate Mike Griffith supported the override (R-Cecil & Harford Counties).
While he believes the General Assembly has perpetuated Maryland’s energy problems, he has concerns about the environmental impact of data centers.
“We've had a major role in creating this crisis. However, I commend this body for trying to take a deep dive in this to make sure we don't make another mistake,” Griffith said.
The veto was overturned by a vote of 111 to 24 in the House and unanimously overridden in the Senate.
Lawmakers also overturned vetoes of bills that will assess the total cost of greenhouse gas emissions in Maryland — known as the RENEW Act — and establish a Strategic Energy Planning Office to recommend policy changes to bolster the state’s electric grid and provide ratepayer relief.
Moore jumped ahead of the RENEW Act veto last week, announcing his newfound support for the $500,000 study and $30,000 in philanthropic funding for it.
The other veto overrides include:
- HB0056/SB0177 - Requires the State Department of Education, when funding is available, to use local food for local school systems with preference to providers that are certified local farms or certified Chesapeake invasive species providers.
- HB0328 - Authorizes the Director of the State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency to issue certain veterans’ and fraternal organizations a license for instant ticket lottery machines.
- HB0333/SB0691 - Establishes the Healthcare Ecosystem Stakeholder Cybersecurity Workgroup to develop strategies to prevent cybersecurity disruptions to the healthcare ecosystem.
- HB0384/SB0157 - Establishes the Maryland Disability Service Animal Program in the Department of Disabilities.
- HB1316 - Requires the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine to develop and publish a youth-centric technology and social media resource guide by the 2027-2028 school year.
- SB0168 - Prohibits the Department of the Environment from processing or making any recommendation on certain applications submitted for the purpose of constructing a confined aquatic disposal cell from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2029.
- SB0455 - Authorizes certain security guard agencies to apply for the appointment of special police officers in order to protect property owned or leased by the security guard agency's clients.
- SB0655 - Establishes an Artificial Intelligence Evidence Clinic Pilot Program within the Administrative Office of the Courts to provide expertise in artificial intelligence to the circuit courts and the District Court.
- SB0121 - Establishes that certain provisions of law relating to the inspection of recorded images apply to recorded images produced by a noise abatement monitoring system and extends by 2 years the reporting and termination dates of the noise abatement monitoring systems pilot programs in Montgomery County and Prince George's County.
