On Friday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to buy health insurance from state insurance markets, but not without heated debate from lawmakers.
HB728, sponsored by Rep. Bonnie Callison (D-Montgomery), passed Friday with a party-line vote of 101 in favor of the bill and 34 against. Four Democratic votes and four Republican votes were not recorded.
The bill, called the Access to Care Act, would allow undocumented immigrants without health insurance to access the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange and purchase lower-cost insurance plans. The bill would encourage exchanges to seek federal exemptions to achieve this goal.
The discussion on the floor was heated.
Rep. Mark Fischer (R-Calvert) called the bill “ridiculous,” saying there are not enough primary care providers across the state to justify increasing the number of patients waiting to be seen by illegal aliens. He claimed that there was a shortage.
“It's very difficult to get an appointment to see a doctor or even a family doctor in the state,” he said.
“I'm curious as to why this happened.'' [Health and Government Operations] The committee found it OK to provide health insurance to people who are not U.S. citizens when U.S. citizens living in Maryland, which built these hospitals and developed this health care system, can't even get insurance. Thought. We care about medicine itself,” Fisher said.
Joseline Peña-Melnyk, D-Prince George's and Anne Arundel, chairwoman of the Health and Government Operations Committee, said the bill is “not ridiculous,” saying it would allow undocumented immigrants without medical care to go to the emergency room to seek medical care. She said she often goes to treatment rooms, which contributed to the state's prolonged treatment. Emergency room waiting time.
“Where can these people get treatment? Do you know where they go? They go to the emergency room,” she said.
Thanks to HB 728, “we saved a lot of money… because hospitals spent $120 million to $150 million on free care last year,” she added. “Not only that, but some people don't get treatment. When they start going to the ER, it costs a lot of money because they don't spend money on prevention.”
HB 728 moves to the Senate. The cross-filed bill, SB 705, was discussed in the Senate Finance Committee earlier this month but has not yet been voted on.
The bill passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate at the end of the legislative session.
paint a picture of environmental protection
Meanwhile, lawmakers debated paint this week.
Sen. Chris West (R-Baltimore, Carroll) says his wife “puts a lot of pressure on me” to buy two gallons of paint to paint a room in their house every four or five years. .
The problem, he says, is that all the unused paint containers are left in his basement and remain there for a long time.
To that end, Mr. West co-sponsored Senate Bill 325, a paint management bill, with Sen. Benjamin Brooks (D-Baltimore County). Mr. West and Mr. Brooks joined 31 other senators to approve the bill on the Senate floor earlier this week. Twelve Republicans voted against it.
This would require architectural paint producers, distributors, and retailers to participate in a paint recycling program administered by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).
This type of paint is defined as an interior or exterior coating sold in containers of 5 gallons or less. This does not include industrial, specialty, or OEM coatings.
Businesses will have to pay a planning review fee to the department for approval, which can take up to six months. You must submit an annual report and pay an annual fee.
The goal is to reuse certain paint products and not dispose of them as household waste.
Some counties collect household hazardous waste (HHW), such as paint, pesticides and batteries, only once a year, according to the agency.
“Because HHW can cause personal injury, contaminate septic tanks and wastewater treatment systems, and pose a hazard to children and pets, MDE recommends that local HHW collection programs properly recycle and dispose of HHW materials. ,” the Ministry of Health said. Legislative Bureau Financial Report and Legislative Analysis.
Sen. Chris West (R-Baltimore, Carroll). Photo by Brian P. Sears.
The memo also states that special fund spending will increase to $70,200 in fiscal year 2026, but decrease to $64,300 the following year.
“Most of my constituents don't like paying taxes…because they think more money will be wasted,” West said. “The fees are different. For a program where you pay a fee and you see that the program is actually accomplishing something. I don't think my constituents are upset about that.”
Sen. Johnny Mautz (R-Middle Shore) said the fee would result in higher costs for consumers and retailers.
“Inflation exists everywhere,” said Mautz, who voted against the bill. “This is another example of the government adding fuel to the fire of inflation and burning everyone out.”
The bill was moved to the House of Representatives on Wednesday and referred to the Committee on Environment, Transportation, and Economic Affairs.
The House version of the paint bill, sponsored by Rep. Regina T. Boyce (D-Baltimore City), was approved Friday on a 99-37 vote.
Del. Jefferson L. Grist (R-Upper Shore) called the bill a “stupid bill.”
“If you buy a gallon of paint and don't use it all, you're probably going to store it in the garage or a closet somewhere. [or] In the basement,” he said. “You're not going to take it back to the store and throw it in a container and have it reused. In a pure, practical sense, that's not going to happen. Consumers are probably going to waste money on something they don't intend to use. You will be charged a fee.”
Rep. Mark Corman (D-Montgomery), chairman of the Environment and Transportation Committee, said the bill's purpose is simple.
“We are following the efforts of other states to be cleaner, greener and reduce waste,” he said.
Sydnor casts a tough vote.
A bill to protect military personnel and veterans from discrimination received an in-principle vote from one Maryland state senator.
Senate Bill 501, sponsored by Sen. Dawn Gile (D-Anne Arundel), would make military members, reservists, veterans, and dependents a protected class under state law. If this becomes law, discrimination based on military status will be prohibited.
Maryland's current protected classes include race, gender, age, religion, and sexual orientation.
The Senate passed the bill 45-1 this week, sending it to the House.
Sen. Charles E. Sydnor III (D-Baltimore County). Photo: Daniel E. Gaines.
For Sen. Charles E. Sydner III (D-Baltimore County), the term was too much, but not because he opposed military service.
Sydner said it's “always” difficult to be the only dissenting voice on a popular issue.
“Someone will read this and say Sydnor is against discrimination against veterans. I voted for a lot of items that we provide to military members,” Sydnor said.
Military issues have taken center stage this year, with Gov. Wes Moore (D) declaring 2024 the “Year of Military Families.”
Giles' bill, which Moore also supported, would designate military status, including military spouses, as a protected class for employment purposes.
Adding military personnel to the list of state-recognized protected classes was a step too far for Sydner.
“The more you add non-traditional protected classes, the more you dilute the essence of the protected classes,” he said. “It quickly loses its meaning.”
