Convention of States Maryland had a banner week in the legislative offices of the General Assembly. This year marked the first time we presented the 34 Ready legislation, which lays the groundwork for assigning commissioners to the convention. Once again, Delegate Mark Fisher and Senator Justin Ready were proud to sponsor this important legislation in the House and Senate, respectively.
Hearings were soon scheduled, and the Senate was the first to drop on March 1st. To everyone’s surprise and excitement, our House hearing was set not long after, on the very next Monday, and for the first time in quite a while, it would be in-person testimony!
ENCOURAGE COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR FAVORABLE VOTES
With much anticipation, the COS Maryland team assembled outside the Education, Energy, and Environment committee room at 9:00 AM. Several bills were heard first, including one sponsored by Governor Wes Moore, who certainly caught sight of the Maryland team on his way out!
After several hours, SB1073 was finally up! Sen. Ready led the testimony, and quickly handed it off to the seven witnesses. Testimony went amazingly well, thanks to the articulate and passionate members and the skillful instruction of Testimony Coach Ce Harrison.
Just three days later, the team assembled once again to urge a favorable vote in the Rules and Executive Nominations House committee. This was their very first hearing for this session, and the 34 Ready legislation was first in line!
Delegate Mark Fisher introduced the bill, and graciously yielded over half his time to the witnesses, who delivered the same exceptional testimony as in the Senate! There were a large number of witnesses present as well who were in support of another piece of legislation, and they were all intently listening to the Convention of States message.
Afterward, both Ce Harrison and Delegate Fisher agreed it was the best testimony yet, and everyone had delivered a respectful, succinct, and powerful performance.
Watch all the amazing House and Senate testimony on our Rumble channel!
SB1073 and HB1202 are still awaiting a vote in their respective committees. You can reach out to the members and urge them to vote favorably to bring this essential legislation to the floor by clicking below.
