Gov. Martin O?Malley on Tuesday signed 173 bills passed by the General Assembly this year, dozens of them duplicate Senate and House versions of the same bill. They included:
PRIMARY DATE: Legislation (SB 1025) backed by O?Malley will move up next year?s presidential primary date from March to Feb. 12 in order to create a regional primary with Virginia and D.C. More states are moving their primaries to earlier in the year to try to gain more influence over the party nominations.
HIV/AIDS PARTNERS: Sponsored by Sen. Nathaniel McFadden, D-Baltimore City, this bill (SB 349) creates a pilot program in the city that would allow medical providers to give antibiotics for use by the sexual partners of patients who are HIV-positive or have AIDS. Doctors would not have to see the patients? partners in order to prescribe the medicine, an unusual measure that proponents said is justified because partners of HIV/AIDS patients frequently will not get medical care, and this measure will help prevent the spread of the disease.
ALCOHOL: Del. Susan McComas, R-Harford, finally won passage of a bill (HB 670) that bans the use of alcohol-without-liquid machines. These machines allow users to inhale liquor, giving a more rapid high. Some nightclubs have been advertising and selling the product.
FELONS: A bill (SB 488) by Sen. Gwendolyn Britt, D-Prince George?s, would allow persons convicted of a felony to vote immediately after they have served their sentences, rather than after the current waiting period.
“It brings Maryland in line with 38 other states,” said Senate President Thomas Mike Miller.
