Unfortunately, while most Marylanders were celebrating the Fourth of July holiday, others were mourning the loss of their loved ones after mass shootings in Baltimore and Salisbury.
The Democratic Supermajorities’ failure and unwillingness to act on commonsense legislation to make the theft of a firearm a felony and to increase penalties and accountability for repeat, violent offenders is costing lives.
Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey called on Governor Moore and Senate and House Leadership to call a special session to address violent crime, but they refused. This lack of action is unacceptable.
“It’s unfortunate the governor and Senate president have turned their backs on the people of Baltimore,” Senate Minority Leader Senator Steve Hershey said in a statement to The Daily Record. “If a mass shooting occurred in a school, office building or shopping center we’d see immediate action aimed at strengthening gun control laws. But 30 people shot at [a] neighborhood party in their backyard is not horrific enough to warrant their attention for more than seven days.”
Joint Republican Caucus Calls for Special Session on Automatic Gas Tax Increase
Just as summer kicked into gear and families hit the road for vacation, Marylanders started paying more at the pump on July 1st when the gas tax automatically increased by more than 10%, making Maryland’s total gas tax 47 cents per gallon. This annual, automatic increase is the handiwork of Maryland Democrats who in 2013 rammed through a law that tied the gas tax to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or inflation, so that it would increase every year at the rate of inflation without a new vote of the Maryland General Assembly.
House and Senate Republicans called on the General Assembly to call a special session to address the gas tax, but it fell on deaf ears, despite Governor Moore’s agreement that action is needed.
Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey & Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready: The Automatic Gas Tax Must be Repealed