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Committee Hears 'Mason’s Law' After Teen Swept Into Storm Drain; Sponsors Seek Statewide Remediation
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Summary
A committee hearing on SB189, known as Mason’s Law, drew emotional testimony from the Kearns family and officials from Mount Airy who urged municipalities be required to install grading, trash racks or covers on hazardous open drainage inlets to prevent further deaths. Sponsor and witnesses discussed costs, timelines and possible municipal funding.
A Maryland Senate committee on July 31 heard emotional testimony urging passage of SB189, called Mason’s Law, a bill that would require municipalities to install approved grading systems, trash‑rack grates or other safeguards over open drainage inlets identified as hazards.
Senate sponsor testimony described the July 31 flash flood that claimed 13‑year‑old Mason Kearns and said the legislation is intended to prevent similar deaths. The sponsor said his staff worked with the Kearns family, the mayor of Mount Airy and a town engineer to draft language and that Mount Airy’s initial survey found 48 inlets needing corrective action out of roughly 2,000 surveyed, or about 2.4 percent.
Lieutenant Governor Bridal Miller (testifying as a constituent) said SB189 “requires Maryland municipalities to construct or install an approved grading system over an open drainage inlet, allowing stormwater to flow as designed without putting lives at risk,” and urged the committee for a favorable report while acknowledging some municipalities will need time and resources to comply.
Mount Airy’s mayor described the town’s immediate inspection after the July 31 storm and gave cost estimates: an in‑house engineering review costing about $22,500 and contracted remediation of the town’s identified problems estimated around $76,800. He said the apartment inlet implicated in Mason’s death was replaced at the owner’s expense and that many other fixes — signage, loose grate repairs — are less costly.
Mason’s mother, Erica Kearns, told the committee she had allowed her sons to play in the rain without imagining the danger and implored lawmakers, “Please pass Mason’s law,” asking the state to treat these measures as common‑sense safety, likening them to seat belts or pool fences. Clay Kearns, Mason’s brother, and first responders described traumatic rescue efforts and the limits that an unprotected inlet created.
Committee members asked technical questions about why the bill applies to municipalities rather than counties, how the proposal intersects with existing stormwater plans, and whether current codes require trash racks or similar measures. Panelists said municipalities were chosen to start with a more uniform, identifiable rollout and that parts of the work — custom retrofit designs and some grates — are not standardized and can be costly to tailor. Witnesses and committee members discussed potential amendments to include private property in some cases and to provide funding and timing flexibility for municipalities.
The hearing concluded with the chair thanking the Kearns family and witnesses. The bill did not receive a committee vote at the hearing; next steps would be committee consideration of amendments and any floor scheduling decisions.
