House reads Senate bills, refers them to committees; majority leader moves recess

The House of Representatives read multiple Senate bills for the first time and referred them to the appropriate committees Thursday during a pro forma session, and the chamber's majority leader moved to recess until Monday, March 10 at 8 p.m.

Under unanimous consent, the clerk read the bills and assigned committee referrals, including placing Senate Bill 7, sponsored by Senator M. Jackson, with the Environment and Transportation Committee. The actions occurred during a brief floor session that listed petitions, messages from the Senate and the consent calendar.

The clerk read the calendar and identified committee assignments, stating, "Senate Bill 7, Senator M. Jackson, Environment and Transportation." The majority leader then asked that "the reading of Senate Bill 7 be considered the reading for all the bills on the calendar," a procedural request made on the floor.

After the floor-wide reading request, the clerk said, "Hearing no objection, the bills are read the first time and referred to the appropriate committees. That ends the work at the desk. All committee bill hearings are listed on the Maryland General Assembly website." These statements indicate the chamber used unanimous consent to complete first readings and to refer the bills to committee.

Separately, the majority leader moved that "the House stands recessed until Monday, March 10 at 8PM. Legislative date, February 27." The transcript records the motion but does not record a response or formal adoption on the floor within the provided excerpt.

Committee hearing schedules for the referred bills are available on the Maryland General Assembly website, as noted on the floor. The legislative date recorded on the floor was Feb. 27.