Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Mike Busch recently appointed a bipartisan task force to study a recent Court of Appeals ruling that found pit bulls to be ‘inherently dangerous’ for liability purposes and to make recommendations about possible legislative fixes. From the Baltimore Sun article (limited free views available):

The task force is directed to review “the common law of Maryland, the [court] decision, the common law and statutes in other states, the viability and definition of breed-specific standards in Maryland, a dog owner or landlord’s ability to secure property insurance, as well as existing breed-specific prohibitions in local jurisdictions in Maryland.”

Members of the task force include Senate Judicial Proceedings Chairman Brian Frosh, Sens. Lisa Gladden, Joseph Getty, Jamie Raskin and Norman Stone. From the House, members include: Delegates Curtis Anderson, Eric Bromwell, Ben Kramer, Heather Mizeur and Michael Smigiel.

Legislative leaders have indicated a willingness to take up this issue during a special session that may be July 9.  In the meantime, the Court of Appeals has been asked to reconsider its decision or to delay it to give the General Assembly time to address the issue.