Busy Saturday: Maryland House passes Trans Health Equity Act, advances price-gouging and data protections, backs a new state spirit – WTOP News

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The Maryland Home of Delegates voted Saturday to approve the Trans Well being Fairness Act — a invoice that only a yr in the past disappeared from the chamber’s agenda forward of a ground vote.

Delegates debated the laws for about 25 minutes early Saturday afternoon earlier than passing the measure 93-37.

Del. Anne Kaiser (D-Montgomery), the lead sponsor of the invoice, was joined by 59 cosponsors this session.

Kaiser mentioned she thought it was necessary to function a voice for the trans neighborhood within the chamber.

“What’s being mentioned nationally about trans persons are the identical lies that have been mentioned about gays and lesbians 20 years in the past,” mentioned Kaiser, who was one of many first brazenly homosexual members of the Normal Meeting. “And that’s a part of the rationale I really feel the fervour and the connection to our trans brothers and sisters.”

She counseled Del. Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery) for defending the invoice within the chamber throughout ground debates earlier within the week.

Republicans within the chamber launched a few amendments to try to curtail the laws, however these have been voted down.

Whereas the invoice generated important debate, it adjustments state coverage solely modestly.

The invoice would require Maryland Medicaid, starting on Jan. 1, 2024, to offer protection for added gender-affirming remedies, that are at present disallowed within the state’s plan however generally coated by non-public insurance coverage. The expanded remedies embrace hormone remedy, hair alteration, voice remedy, bodily alterations to the physique, and fertility preservation.

The state’s Medicaid program already covers remedies together with psychological well being providers, hormone substitute remedy and gender reassignment surgical procedure.

The invoice doesn’t raise state insurance policies on present necessities to qualify for gender reassignment surgical procedure: Sufferers have to be 18 or older, have a analysis of gender dysphoria, endure no less than one yr of steady hormonal remedy when really helpful by a psychological well being skilled, and obtain two referrals from a psychological well being skilled earlier than the surgical procedure.

Through the 2022 legislative session, comparable laws handed the Senate chamber and out of Home committee, however by no means got here up for a vote on the ground and the committee’s vote was faraway from the invoice web page.

Comparable laws is predicted to come back up for debate within the Senate on Monday.

Worth gouging

Lawmakers need to get robust on value gouging following issues that arose initially of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The Home gave preliminary approval to Home Invoice 775 which might restrict non-seasonal value will increase on important items and providers to fifteen% throughout a state of emergency. The invoice would additionally give the governor the facility throughout a state of emergency to designate important items and providers.

The Workplace of the Legal professional Normal reported that it acquired a whole lot of complaints of value gouging throughout the pandemic on objects together with meals and cleansing provides.

The Senate gave last approval to the cross-filed Senate invoice on Friday.

Baby on-line protections

The Home gave preliminary approval to a invoice that may require social media corporations and different apps to evaluate how kids may use or be affected by their on-line actions.

Home Invoice 901, modeled on comparable legal guidelines in Europe, would require social media corporations working in Maryland to carry out assessments on how kids are probably to make use of their merchandise. The businesses would even be required to evaluate how they use the non-public info of youngsters and the way it may doubtlessly expose them to dangerous on-line content material.

The businesses would even be required to think about how their merchandise have an effect on kids’s privateness, well being, security and psychological well being.

The Senate model of the invoice awaits motion by the Finance Committee.

The Spirit of Maryland

Marylanders who’re followers of state symbols might quickly have a possibility to toast the addition of a brand new one.

The Home of Delegates unanimously permitted Home Invoice 178 which might make Maryland Rye Whiskey the official state spirit.

Previous to Prohibition, Maryland was the third-largest distilling state within the nation behind solely Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Del. Kirill Reznik (D-Montgomery), sponsor of the invoice, instructed the Home Well being and Authorities Operations Committee he envisions an financial increase to the state from the adoption of the state image just like how Kentucky markets Kentucky Bourbon and the Bourbon path.

“I’ve discovered Maryland Rye in six totally different states not Maryland,” he instructed the committee. “Now, I deal with Maryland Rye not produced in Maryland the identical manner I deal with Maryland-style crab muffins on a restaurant menu exterior of Maryland however it’s a actual factor and it’s one thing that’s a part of our historical past and our heritage and one thing we have to wrap ourselves round for the advantages of the financial system and tourism and enterprise.”

There are roughly two dozen official state symbols together with the state crustacean (Blue Crab, after all), cat (Calico), dinosaur (astrodon johnstoni) and cake (Smith Island).

There’s even an official sport (jousting) and crew sport (lacrosse).

Not each proposed image makes it.

In 2017, David Shore, 10 of Bethesda, made a powerful push to have chromite named the state mineral (he even had a pro-bono lobbyist and testimony from the state geologist).

There have been additionally a couple of unsuccessful makes an attempt to have the gentle crab named the official state sandwich.