Annapolis — The Maryland House of Delegates on Jan. 8 approved a slate of joint statutory committee appointments by unanimous consent, recorded minority leadership appointments and gave first reading to House bills 292 through 306, the clerk announced during the opening session of the 2025 legislative session.

The appointments included membership on the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee and the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, among others. The speaker named House members to multiple joint statutory committees; the appointments were adopted after the clerk announced them and no member objected, and they were ordered journalized.

Why it matters: committee assignments and leadership appointments determine which lawmakers will shape hearings and priorities this legislative session and steer initial review of introduced legislation.

The clerk read a roster of appointees to the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee that included Jared Solomon as House chair and additional members named on the House floor. The speaker also announced appointees to the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families and to the Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Biotechnology. After the appointments were read, the clerk stated, “Hearing no objection, the appointments are adopted.” The House then ordered the appointments journalized.

In addition, the clerk read minority leadership appointments submitted by minority leadership. The list included the minority leader, minority whip, assistant minority leader and several deputy minority whips; the clerk again said there was no objection and the appointments were ordered journalized.

The House gave first reading to House bills 292 through 306. Those bills were read the first time and referred to the appropriate committees, the clerk said; the transcript does not specify the subject matter of each bill beyond their bill numbers.

Several committee organizational meetings were announced to occur at 11 a.m., including sessions of the Appropriations Committee; Judiciary Committee (with a 1 p.m. briefing from the Maryland State Police); Environment and Transportation Committee; Ways and Means Committee (followed by a chair-sponsored lunch for members and staff); Economic Matters Committee; and Health and Government Operations Committee. Multiple county delegations and caucuses also announced times and formats for their organizational meetings and caucuses, including virtual meetings by some delegations.

The session recorded 126 members present earlier in the proceedings when the clerk initially called the roll; later in the morning the clerk reported 129 members present. Near the close of the transcript, the majority leader moved that the House stand adjourned until Friday, Jan. 10, at 11 a.m. for a pro forma session; the transcript records the motion but does not include a recorded vote or the motion's final disposition.

Ending: The appointments and organizational scheduling set the structure for committee work in the coming days; the first-reading referrals place bills 292–306 into committee review. The transcript does not record further debate on the bills or any roll-call votes on measures during the portion of the session provided.