A Look At Bills Clearing The Maryland General Assembly

SICK LEAVE

Businesses with 15 or more employees would be required to provide five paid sick days.

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GAS DRILLING

Maryland has banned the hydraulic fracturing drilling process known as fracking.

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SCHOOLS ACCOUNTABILITY

A blueprint for identifying and assisting struggling schools in Maryland has been approved in response to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. It makes academic performance 65 percent of the formula to identify struggling schools, along with a variety of other indicators also playing a role in evaluating performance.

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TRUMP-MARYLAND-LAWSUITS

The General Assembly approved a resolution enabling the attorney general to sue the federal government without the governor's permission. Separately, the attorney general's office will receive $1 million in future budgets to pay for added expenses for bringing lawsuits against federal government actions that hurt the state.

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HEALTH CARE

A commission will be formed to monitor federal actions that could affect health care in Maryland.

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HEALTH OVERHAUL-BIRTH CONTROL

Maryland would steer $2.7 million to fund family planning services at Planned Parenthood if the federal government cuts funding.

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SEXUAL ABUSE-LAWSUITS

The statute of limitations for a survivor of child sexual abuse to file a civil lawsuit against an abuser has been extended from the age of 25 to the age of 38.

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Maryland's five largest electric utilities will be required to provide customers with energy-efficiency programs and services to cut energy consumption by 2 percent a year. It extends the EmPower Maryland initiative, which was first enacted in 2008.

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OYSTER SANTUARIES

Oyster sanctuaries in the Chesapeake Bay will remain barred to watermen until a survey on the oyster population is finished next year.

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COWNOSE RAYS

A moratorium on fishing for cownose rays has been set until July 1, 2019. The Department of Natural Resources will prepare a fisheries management plan by Dec. 31, 2018.

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COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Maryland Environmental Service employees will have collective bargaining rights similar to those of most state employees. MES will be required to recognize an employee organization that is elected to represent them.

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PRINCE GEORGE'S HOSPITAL

The state will provide $100 million for operating grants for the Prince George's County Regional Medical Center from fiscal year 2018 through 2028.

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CAPITAL BUDGET

The state's $1.1 billion takes the Board of Public Works out of the process of approving school construction plans.

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PRE-K

A working group will study the implementation of universal access to prekindergarten for 4-year-olds.