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Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) released rules and guidelines Friday for how his chamber will tackle the first full legislative session of the COVID-19 era.
It represents a dramatic departure from how the chamber normally conducts its business, though elements of the plan resemble the restrictions put in place in March, during the closing days of the 2020 session, as Maryland鈥檚 infection rate began to rise.
The 90-day General Assembly session is scheduled to begin on Jan. 13.
Under Ferguson鈥檚 plan for 2021:
- Floor sessions will be limited to two hours, 鈥渨ith flexibility for debate.鈥�
- Members of the public who wish to testify on a bill in committee will do so via Zoom, and the number of witnesses will be capped 鈥� four in favor, two 鈥渇avorable with amendments, and four opposed. (For more contentious issues, the numbers can be doubled.)
- Access to the Senate office buildings will be restricted, depending on the level of virus outbreak among legislators and staff.
- When the Senate meets for floor sessions, members will sit at desks that are have been retrofitted with tall Plexiglass panels on three sides.
- Floor staff will be limited, the galleries will be closed to the public, and a restricted number of reporters will be allowed to cover the session from the gallery.
- Every floor session and every committee hearing will be live streamed from start to finish, Ferguson鈥檚 office said. This will mark the first time the Senate has provided video coverage of floor sessions.
- Everyone will be required to wear masks at all times, and everyone entering the State House complex will undergo a health screening every day they鈥檙e on site.
- Members and 鈥渟elect staff鈥� will undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing twice a week, with 鈥渙ther staff鈥� tested on a weekly basis. Rapid tests will be available daily, on-demand, for anyone who wants one.
- Engineers will boost air flow in the Senate chamber and in committee rooms.
The plan was put together in consultation with public health experts, lawmakers from both parties, representatives from local governments, citizens groups and the Annapolis lobbying corps, the Senate President鈥檚 office said in a statement.
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce was also consulted, as were labor leaders, the region鈥檚 press association and others.
The plan applies to the Senate only. The House of Delegates has not released its plan yet and it could not immediately be learned Friday when House leaders will do so.
Three 鈥榮tages鈥�
The Senate will operate in one of three stages, depending on the extent of coronavirus infection among lawmakers, staff and others.
Stage 3 is the most 鈥渘ormal鈥� of the three. The Senate will be in Stage 3 when there is little or no disease activity in the State House complex.
Stage 3 envisions two hours of debate and voting on the Senate floor per session, with members who wish to watch and vote from a committee room allowed to do so. (The Senate has several members who are over 70 years of age, putting them in a high-risk group.)
Committee hearings will be held virtually, with members in their offices. Voting will take place in-person in committee rooms.
Office meetings with constituents, lobbyists or others will be limited to two visitors at a time; guests must be escorted into and out of the two Senate office buildings.
The Senate will drop to Stage 2 when there is 鈥渓ow level disease activity with documented exposures requiring quarantine.鈥�
In Stage 2, 鈥渇loor鈥� debate and voting will move to committee rooms and be held virtually. Bill hearings will be held remotely, with members in their offices. Campus access will be limited to legislators, staff and media. No visitors will be allowed.
The Senate will revert to Stage 1 if there is an 鈥渋ncrease鈥� in COVID-19 infection 鈥渙r multiple instances of disease activity and potential transmutation; pandemic conditions.鈥�
Under Stage 1, debate and voting will be paused. All hearings will be virtual, with select voting 鈥渁s necessary.鈥�
Lobbyists who were recently interviewed before Friday鈥檚 Senate announcement said they were already preparing for a departure from normal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to change the way we do business,鈥� said Sushant Sidh, a partner at Capitol Strategies LLC. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 going to be scary. It鈥檚 just going to be a matter of adjustment.鈥�
Kristen Harbeson, political director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, lamented the lack of in-person access to legislators.
鈥淭hese 鈥業 just need three seconds鈥� conversations with lawmakers in the hallways are the foundation of what we do,鈥� she said.
But she also struck a hopeful note: 鈥淚t could make it easier for community members to weigh in, because they won鈥檛 have to go to Annapolis and sign up to testify and wait for hours to testify for two minutes.鈥�
Josh Kurtz contributed to this report.
