Republican leadership announced a number of public safety measures that will highlight their 2024 legislative agenda.
A Maryland Matters article this week revealed a number of priorities for Republican leadership in the Maryland State Senate and House of Delegates. The article highlights public safety issues as a primary focus, which is consistent with similar concerns raised by Democratic leadership in recent months. The report highlights that protecting residents will be a top priority across the board and strategies will be a major topic of debate for the 2024 session.
From the article:
[Republicans] called on Democrats to join with them to pass measures that stiffen penalties for some crimes or in some cases roll back portions of recently enacted laws.
Republicans specifically highlighted a desire to focus on measures that will address:
- increasing fines and jail time for criminals who use firearms in the commission of violent crimes
- making the theft of a firearm a felony rather than a misdemeanor
- ending good behavior credits for specific crimes
- eliminating bail for anyone with separate and concurrent charges for violent crimes
- amending recent juvenile justice reform legislation
