House of Delegates adopts favorable reports on dozens of bills, approves amendments and sets special orders

The Maryland House of Delegates on Feb. 10 adopted favorable reports on numerous bills across several committees, approved amendments on the floor and set special-order timing for select measures ahead of tomorrow’s session. The presiding officer repeatedly put measures to voice vote, declaring "the ayes have it" as committees’ favorable recommendations were adopted and bills were ordered printed for third reading.

Among the floor actions, the House adopted favorable reports or ordered bills for later consideration including (as read aloud in session) House Bill 273 (health insurance; small business health options program), House Bill 275 (Medicare supplement policies), House Bill 277 (insurance third-party administrators), Senate Bill 245 (public safety; immigration enforcement agreements), House Bill 20 (Baltimore City alcoholic beverages event promoters permit), Senate Bill 17 (Baltimore City alcoholic-beverage-related event promoters permit), House Bill 312 (correctional officers retirement system) and House Bill 3 (higher education nonresident tuition exemption for dependents of public safety employees). Most measures were approved by voice vote with the presiding officer announcing the outcome as "the ayes have it." The reading clerk recorded each bill and committee recommendation on the floor.

Floor members also adopted a floor amendment identified in the record as Amendment "8 5 3 2 2 1," described on the floor as adding Caitlin’s Law to the bill’s language; the amendment was moved, put to voice vote and adopted, and the bill was ordered printed for third reading as amended. Separately, an amendment to the Appropriations Committee’s report on a bill related to the Department of Disabilities (reported under House Bill 226 in the record) was adopted to clarify that the office of the attorney general will review policies developed by the department rather than naming a specific individual; the amendment and the report as amended were adopted by voice vote.

Several delegates asked to place bills on special order so committee amendments could be filed or debated at a later time; the House agreed to special orders for at least one bill explicitly (House Bill 28) until the appropriate time the next day. The majority leader moved and the House agreed to adjourn until Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 11:30 a.m.

The session included routine procedural steps: reading of committee reports, clerk’s entries, and repeated orders that bills be printed for third reading. Where the record registers "the ayes have it," those measures were approved by voice vote; roll-call tallies were not read into the house record in the transcript excerpt.

What happens next: most bills ordered printed for third reading will return to the floor for a recorded third-reading vote or further amendment, and the House scheduled additional committee hearings and special-order floor consideration for the following day.

Quotes from the floor included the presiding officer’s repeated announcement after voice votes: "The ayes have it."