It?s official ? the state is apologizing for slavery, and Maryland governors are required to proclaim every February as Black History Month.
Those are just two of the 203 provisions Gov. Martin O?Malley signed into law on Tuesday, making official the actions of the General Assembly earlier this year.
O?Malley, however, said he is not sure what he will do with a bill that will permit parole for people convicted for a second time for drug dealing. The law currently requires a minimum 10-year sentence.
“We haven?t made a decision on it,” O?Malley told reporters, adding that “I need to talk to the bill sponsor,” Del. Curt Anderson, D-Baltimore City.
Anderson had a hard time winning passage for the measure, designed to encourage drug treatment over incarceration. On its first House vote,the bill lost by three votes, and on reconsideration, it gained only the minimum 71 votes needed for passage.
The final formal bill signing is scheduled for May 17, but the governor has until May 29 to sign or veto bills passed this session.
On Black History Month, O?Malley signed a bill requiring that he and future governors proclaim February as that month. The state and the nation have observed Black History Month for more than 30 years, but the governor was not required to make an official proclamation.
|
IT’S THE LAW |
“I can?t believe we?ve never done this before,” O?Malley said.
The governor is not required to act on joint resolutions that are enacted, but chose to sign the resolution that apologized for Maryland?s role in slavery.
“We still see the effect that it has today,” he said, pointing to the rash of homicides in Baltimore City.
O?Malley?s signature “gave it greater significance,” said Sen. Nathaniel Exum, D-Prince George?s, sponsor of the resolution on the Senate side.
The governor also signed two dozen local bills affecting liquor licenses and the sale of alcoholic beverages in jurisdictions across the state.
