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Committee considers a bundle of technical, name‑change and committee housekeeping bills
Summary
The Education, Energy and the Environment Committee heard several short, primarily technical bills including a name change for the Maryland State Firefighters Association, statutory updates replacing gendered or sectarian language with neutral terms, and routine corrections to committee names and veterans programs; sponsors said the measures are i
The committee heard several short bills that are largely technical or ceremonial in nature and drew limited discussion. The items included a mix of name changes, terminology updates and small program adjustments.
MSFA name change: Sen. Cheryl Kagan presented SB 164 to update the Maryland State Firemen's Association name in state law to reflect the organization's June membership vote to become the Maryland State Firefighters Association. Kagan said the change aligns Maryland with 45 other states and modernizes gendered language in statute. Chief Robert Phillips, legislative chair of the association, asked for a favorable vote.
Replacing sectarian and gendered references: SB 24 would replace repeated statutory references to the term "church" with "faith institution" and change references to "clergyman" to "member of the clergy." Senator Kagan framed the measure as removing outdated and gendered language. Committee members asked technical questions about consistent usage across code sections and definitions and said they would follow up.
Committee and committee‑name housekeeping: Senator Simon Ayre presented SB 153 to update statutory cross‑references and membership language after the committee name and jurisdiction changed earlier in the session; sponsors said stakeholders had been consulted and that the bill corrects more than 50 statutory references.
Veterans and program technical updates: SB 57 contains corrective language aligning statutory sections dealing with transfer of unclaimed veterans remains and related terminology; sponsors described it as consensus technical legislation supported by the Department of Veterans and Military Families and the State Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors. SB 172 would add the Maryland Department of Disabilities to the Maryland Veterans Trust Board, which sponsors said is a logical inclusion given overlap in veterans' disability issues. SB 182 expands the Maryland Veterans Service Animal Program language to include military families of veterans and additional related services; the sponsor said the program has expanded since 2017 and stakeholders support the change.
Process and outlook: Committee discussion was limited and generally supportive; most sponsors provided only brief, explanatory testimony and asked for favorable reports. No formal votes or final outcomes were recorded in the transcript on these items.
