No matter what happens, things are never dull in Annapolis. That is a guarantee.
Weeks 8, 9, & 10 in Annapolis
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Moving into Crossover
We are entering the week of Crossover down in Annapolis. It has been very busy over the past few weeks with a threat in the state house, a massive amount of bills being passed, and long sessions. However the work never stops and neither do I.
State House Incident
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Back in Week 8, a tense incident occurred at the State House when an unknown individual called in a gun threat. The Annapolis Police, Maryland Capitol Police, Anne Arundel County Police, and Maryland State Police all responded along with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department swiftly to assess and take care of the threat. The entire campus was on lockdown with little communications going on to the staff though we senators were being kept abreast of the situation. Our committee hearings went on as we tried to continue amidst the unknown threat.
I was actually able to be interviewed by DC News Now (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LofLS27bC2s&mc_cid=c2ffedcc56&mc_eid=UNIQID)
and provide a little bit of information to them as some of my fellow Senators checked in with their staff. Thankfully all of our staff members were ok and safe despite the frustration of not knowing what was going on.
Eventually, all of us Senators were escorted to our cars in the garage and allowed to leave. Following us our staff were eventually let out too. Thankfully the threat was only that and I salute our first responders for protecting us and making sure it was only that, a threat.
Six Bills Move to the House
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I am proud to announce that six bills have passed the Senate and have moved into the House for consideration:
I am glad that I have been able to move four bills past one hurdle before eventually going to the Governor’s desk for signature (hopefully). Senate Bills 502 and 558 will be heard this week on March 19th in their respective committees.
I will continue to keep you all updated as things progress the second half of the Session.
Long Hours, Crossover, and Testimony
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Over the past three weeks, I have testified on ten bills and have spent long hours on the Senate Floor debating and passing bills with my colleagues. The Senate President has been doing a great job in keeping us on track and getting as much work done even though it has been long hours. Positively, we have not had a Saturday Session and as far as I can see, that probably will not happen yet. As long as we stay focused on getting work done, the end of Session will approach quick and be a successful one.
Crossover is this coming week and this is when the bills that have passed in each chamber will come over to the opposite chamber for passage/approval before going to the Governor’s desk. Thousands of bills have been listened too in committee, debated, and passed in both houses now to do it all over again. For me, I only hope that my bills will be approved, passed, and signed by the Governor.
Throughout this Session, I want to hear from you. I serve Garrett, Allegany, and Washington Counties and all of your voices are important to me. The best way to represent you is to have your voice heard. Please feel free to contact my Annapolis Office at (410) 841-3565 or my District Office at (240) 362-7040. My public email address is now mike.mckay@senate.state.md.us. Please feel free to email me at anytime. I also have a District Office at the Williamsport Town Hall. It is on the second floor in the first office. Our mailing address below remains the same however.
I continue to be your voice and advocate in Annapolis so I want to hear from you. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or what I can do to help you. I am on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and the Executive Nominations Committee. All of our hearings are streamed live on Youtube and the MGA website.
If you are interested in seeing where my bills are in the process, you can create a MyMGA account, or you can click here to view bills I am sponsoring by clicking “Legislation” under my name. You can sign up to testify on any bill you wish.