Sen. Salling provides legislative session Week 9 update

Crossover Day was this Monday, and the Senate has been extremely busy over the last week and a half. Committees have been going long into the night hearing and voting on various bills, and we have had several days with multiple floor sessions, pushing bills to the House of Delegates.

Looking forward, we have a lot of work ahead of us. The Senate will now begin to hear House bills in all of the Senate standing committees. Once the House Bills pass the Senate, they will go to the Governor’s desk for his approval.

MY BILLS

Two of my bills passed the full Senate before the end of crossover day and are on the way to be considered by the House of Delegates.

Senate Bill 358 requires that each State construction contract include a clause requiring a contract modification when there is a substantial increase or decrease in the price of materials due to certain causes. These causes include force majeure events (acts of God) such as an epidemic or pandemic. Price change adjustments are limited to a 10% cap. This bill will help to make sure that contractors will not be hurt as badly by sudden rising costs of materials, like we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic and during times of increasing inflation.

Senate Bill 907 would allow for grants of up to $200,000 for a film production taking place in the state of Maryland. Maryland has been a host to many production companies to film movies and television shows. Most notably are House of Cards, The Wire, The West Wing, St. Elmo’s Fire, Patriot Games, and Wedding Crashers. This bill will give our Governor the option to set aside $5 million in the budget to assist with the production costs of entertainment and film projects in the State. This bill will give many artists an opportunity to complete their projects and give Maryland an opportunity to be showcased on the world’s stage.

BUDGET STATUS

The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, of which I am a member, advanced House Bill 200, which is Maryland’s Fiscal Year 2024 Operating Budget. We still have a lot to do along with the Governor and the House of Delegates to finalize this year’s budget. I am working hard to make sure your tax dollars are being put to good use and I am fighting for the values of the 6th District.

BACK RIVER WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT EXPLOSION AND FIRE

Last Wednesday, there was an explosion and two-alarm fire at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Dundalk. Thankfully, no one was injured. I have been in contact with several officials involved, and I am working with them. Thank you to all of the first responders who quickly arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire.

The fire took place at the Synagro Technologies Facility within the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant. The building contained 12,000 gallons of thermal oil. According to the Maryland Department of the Environment, the oil was contained to the site and posed no threat to the environment or public health.

More updates on this situation will be available as the investigation moves forward.

SCHOLARSHIPS

My office is now accepting applications for Senatorial Scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year. This scholarship is for all eligible college students in District 6. Due to the sensitive nature of identifying information in various documents, applicants must mail their applications through the United States Postal Service. Please note that all applications must be postmarked no later than April 1, 2023 for consideration. If you would like more information on the requirements and how to obtain an application, please contact my office via the email address below.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas, please contact my office at johnnyray.salling@senate.state.md.us or at (410) 841-3587. The most efficient way to contact my office is through email; however, we do check our voicemails often and will do our best to respond in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Senator Johnny Ray Salling