2015 Legislative Agenda
After our first legislative planning session, we decided to focus on education in the General Assembly in order to strengthen and create relationships with current and new members. Due to the string of bicyclist deaths, including the hit-and-run deaths of Dwight Calvin Johnson, Tom Palermo, and John Bushman, Sr. as well as the left-hook death of Andrew Gerard Malizio, we supported a more active legislative agenda.
Senate Bill 547/House Bill 588 – Three Foot Fix
Sponsored by Senator Klausmeier and Delegate Lafferty, this was our latest attempt to remove the exception that allowed cars to pass with less than three feet on narrow roadways and added a slow to pass provision. This bill failed in both the Senate and House committees. For a more in depth analysis, please see our post here.
We thank Senators Klausmeier, Guzzone, Lee, Raskin, and Ramirez; and Delegates Lafferty, Fraser-Hidalgo, Aumann, Carr, Frush, Lierman, Luedtke, McIntosh, Miele, and Lam for their support.
Status: Failed.
Senate Bill 371/House Bill 450 – Bicycle/Pedestrian Priority Areas
This law from Senator Rosapepe and Delegate Carr put a time frame requirement on the State Highway Administration to determine bicycle/pedestrian priority areas.
Status: Passed, Signed by Governor Hogan 4/14.
Senate Bill 86 – “Yellow” Hit-and-Run Alert System
Sponsored by Senator Simonaire, Senate Bill 86 creates an alert system for fatal or presumed fatal hit-and-runs. See our write up about the bill here.
Status: Passed, to be signed by Governor Hogan.
Senate Bill 605 – Aggressive Drunk Driving
This legislation from Senator Raskin authorizes a finder of fact to determine that a person with a BAC of 0.15 or more who causes personal injury or death while driving was acting with malice, allows for punitive damages.
Status: Passed the Senate but received unfavorable report from House Judiciary Committee.
House Bill 539
Sponsored by Delegate Lierman, House Bill 539 – requires SHA to evaluate classifications of and speed limits for specific urban State highways.
Status: Received an unfavorable report by the House Environment and Transportation Committee.
Senate Bill 84
The partner legislation to Senate Bill 86, Senate Bill 84 increases penalties for felony hit-and-run from ten years to fifteen years.
Status: Received an unfavorable report from the Senate Judiciary Proceedings Committee.
Related Posts
- Legislative Session Wrapping Up
- Three Foot Fix – Failed in the Legislature
- 2015 Bicycle Symposium Report
- Support The Better 3′ Bills Introduced in House & Senate
- A Better 3′ Law! This Week in Annapolis, February 6, 2015
- Change in Hit-and-Run Legislation Needed
