Maryland lawmakers pass gun bills, cannabis amid protests on House floor
Maryland House late-night chaos
Chaos erupted on the floor of the Maryland House of Delegates late Monday night. As the seconds ticked down to the end of the 2023 session in Annapolis, Republicans staged a dramatic floor protest, calling for the House Speaker to step down. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald recaps the event.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Chaos erupted on the floor of the Maryland House of Delegates late Monday night. As the seconds ticked down to the end of the 2023 session in Annapolis, Republicans staged a dramatic floor protest, calling for the House Speaker to step down.
As lawmakers approached a midnight deadline, Republican Minority members walked out over Democrats' last-minute changes to a bill that will prevent police from searching a car if they smell marijuana.
A shouting match broke out, and one Republican called on Democratic Speaker Adrienne Jones to step down.
The Maryland Legislative Black Caucus is demanding an apology to Jones who became the first Black woman Speaker in 2019. However, while Democrats argued the GOP's objections to the marijuana search bill came too late in the process, Republicans accuse Democrats of running out the clock to steamroll them.
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FOX 5 asked Gov. Wes Moore for a comment on the legislative chaos. His press secretary wrote:
"We can govern through partnership, bipartisanship, and a set of common values. What happened last night did the opposite, and we should all expect better from our leaders."
FOX 5 also reached out to Speaker Jones and Republican leader Jason Buckel. They did not respond.
By the end of the session, lawmakers passed a bill that would prevent someone from carrying a concealed handgun in sensitive areas like school playgrounds, hospitals or polling locations.
The legislature also voted to tighten gun storage laws to prevent minors from having access to guns.
The Maryland House gave final passage over the weekend to a measure that creates licensing regulations and tax rates needed to open a recreational marijuana market on July 1, after voters approved a constitutional amendment in November.
Medical cannabis stores will be able to get a dual license to sell recreational marijuana, and there will be additional licenses made available with an emphasis on equity concerns. The tax rate will be 9%.
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Lawmakers already had passed a package of legislation in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in June that struck down Roe v. Wade.
One of those measures will put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to enshrine the right to abortion in the Maryland Constitution. Voters will decide the ballot question in November 2024.
The legislature approved Gov. Moore's measure to speed up an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour to next year instead of 2025, but they rejected his pitch to automatically index future increases to adjust for inflation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.