Talbot County council votes to ask governor to veto Maryland House Bill 791 after sheriff warns of enforcement and safety impacts

The Talbot County Council voted to send a letter to the governor asking him to veto Maryland House Bill 791 after the county sheriff warned the measure would disrupt how local detention centers coordinate with federal immigration authorities and could increase civil liability for local personnel.

The sheriff told the council the bill — which had passed both chambers of the Maryland legislature and was on the governor’s desk — "is going to cause more chaos in the streets" and "more stress in the immigrant community," saying that current local practice lets federal agents meet detainees at the detention center’s sally port rather than pursue them on the public streets. "Our detention center gives them notice," the sheriff said, and the change would force federal agents to look for individuals in the community.

Mr. Stant, speaking on behalf of the director of corrections, described the existing notification protocol: federal authorities monitor a system that flags incarcerated individuals and contact Talbot County about 24 hours before discharge so agents can meet the person at release. "We do not hold anybody one second longer than we're required to do," Mr. Stant said, and he warned that the bill would prevent that notification practice and could expose sworn personnel to "personal civil liability." He asked the council to reaffirm its prior opposition to the legislation.

Council members discussed the bill’s narrow exceptions for active judicial warrants and certain felony convictions and reiterated that detention holds in Talbot County occur under judicial order. A council member said the county previously registered opposition during the General Assembly’s review process and that the council should send a formal veto request to the governor immediately.

A motion to draft and send a letter asking the governor to veto House Bill 791 was moved and seconded; the secretary called the vote and recorded "I" votes from Council members Callahan, Milky and Hay. The motion passed. The mover and seconder were not identified in the transcript; the roll call recorded in the meeting transcript lists Callahan, Milky and Hay as voting in the affirmative.

Council members said the letter would be drafted promptly and could be transmitted by email and regular mail. The council also announced a closed session on April 28 to discuss personnel, with a public meeting to follow at 5 p.m.

The council and speakers at the meeting referred throughout to "House Bill 791." A speaker later misstated the bill number as "7919" before correcting to "791," which the council used in its motion and vote.

What happens next: the council directed staff to draft the veto letter and transmit it to the governor’s office; the transcript does not specify when the letter was actually delivered or whether the governor acted on the request.