Maryland Senate adopts rules, confirms desk officers and reads prefiled bills as session opens
Loading...
Summary
During its Jan. 13 organizational session the Maryland Senate confirmed desk officers, adopted the previous session's rules with a scheduling exception, read five prefiled bills and reported 231 prefiled bills for referral to standing committees.
The Maryland Senate completed a series of organizational steps on Jan. 13, confirming desk officers for the 2026 session, adopting rules largely as written in 2025 with an exception for Rule 1.16, and reading several prefiled bills that will be referred to standing committees.
The clerk read a majority-leader order naming the desk officers: Secretary Nicole M. Alexander; Assistant Secretaries Veronica Blair and Caitlin E. Sanders; Journal Clerk Sean M. Noel; Reading Clerk Andrea C. Jones; Proceedings Clerk Nicholas D. Garrett; and Chief Paige Rochelle Thompson. The clerk reported, "With 44 votes in the affirmative, the order is adopted," confirming the slate for the session.
By order of the majority leader, the Senate also adopted the rules as in effect at the end of the 2025 session with the exception of Rule 1.16. The rules committee chair moved to special order Rule 1.16 until a later date; members agreed to place the rule on a special order calendar and the motion to special order was adopted without objection.
The clerk read five prefiled bills on the initial calendar and announced referrals to standing committees: Senate Bill 1 (Senator Augustine) on public safety and face-covering prohibitions in certain proceedings; Senate Bill 51 (Senator Folden) on video recording in self-contained special education classrooms; Senate Bill 101 (Senator Bailey) on higher education loan repayment and scholarships for correctional officers; Senate Bill 151 (Senator Folden) proposing an income tax credit for caregivers residing with elderly parents; and Senate Bill 201 (Senator Brooks) on transmission lines and advanced transmission technologies. The clerk stated there are 231 prefiled bills for the session.
The Senate also journalized a message from Governor Wes Moore submitting recess appointments made during the 2025 recess; those appointments were referred to the executive nominations committee for consideration.
With organization complete, the Senate adjourned until Jan. 15 at 10 a.m.
