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AAUW Maryland’s Legislative Agenda for 2024:
When you look through the bills below, which are being supported by AAUW Maryland, see if one is especially important to you. We need some members to serve as point persons on those bills. As a point person you would contact the office of the lead sponsor and the lead advocacy organization/ leader to find out when and how our membership can best help them. AAUW MD would then develop the needed support.

Our AAUW Maryland Agenda for 2024 is the MLAW agenda plus two additional bills. The MLAW 2024 bills are the following nine bills:

Sexual Crimes – Definition of Consent and Repeal of Force proposes a definition of “consent” under sex crimes laws and would strike “force or threat of force” as an element of second-degree rape.

Sexual Solicitation of a Minor – expands this crime to include production of child pornography.

Firearm Background Check Denial – Law Enforcement and Victim Notification would require law enforcement and victim notification if a prohibited person attempts to purchase a firearm and fails the background check.

Joint resolution affirming the federal Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution – expresses the sense of the Maryland Legislature that the federal article of amendment commonly known as the “Equal Rights Amendment” has met all Article V requirements for an amendment to the Constitution of the United States and is valid as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and urges the President and Congress of the United States to affirm the validity of the Equal Rights Amendment and direct the Archivist of the United States to certify and publish the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment without delay.

Home Care Worker Misclassification: Residential Service Agencies – Reimbursement – Personal Assistance Services–  will ensure that home care workers (84% of MD’s home care workers are women) who work for agencies that receive Medicaid reimbursements are not misclassified as independent contractors and therefore are entitled to overtime, sick and safe leave, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.

Dignity in Access to Healthcare Act – creates a safe access zone around sexual and reproductive health clinics to protect patients, providers, and advocates from harassment and risk of physical harm.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Board – Victims of Nonfatal Strangulation – would require that non-fatal strangulation forensic examination expenses be paid for through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

Wage Transparency – requires employers to include pay ranges and a general description of benefits and other compensation in job postings, helping Maryland businesses attract and retain talent, save time and resources, and address the gender and racial/ethnic pay gap.

Gender Affirming Care Protection Act – would extend current shielding protections that protect reproductive health care to cover gender affirming care.

AAUW Maryland will also advocate for the following two bills. Action alerts will be sent out for these bills to all AAUW Maryland member advocates when committee hearings are scheduled.

End-of-Life Options Act – which would authorize medical aid in dying, which is a widely supported and time-tested medical practice that allows a terminally ill, mentally capable adult with a prognosis of six months or less to live, to request a prescription from their doctor for medication they can decide to self-ingest to die peacefully in their sleep.

Bridge to Reentry – Planning, Training, Navigation Services for Women – Requires the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) to create a comprehensive plan, train local community providers and agency leaders, and provide re-entry navigation services to Maryland women returning home from incarceration.

Of particular importance, are stories from individuals that relate to each of the bills. Please ask your members to share their stories with you for use as testimonials for the bills’ hearings. Detailed information on each of the MLAW bills can be found on the MLAW website. You can also sign up for MLAW bill legislative alerts there.

Here are some ways for you to support this agenda or the bills important to you.
1. Sign up for the MLAW listserv so that you will be notified when hearings are about to occur and committee members need to be contacted.
2. Participate in AAUW Maryland Advocacy Day on February 13.
3. Register and attend the virtual MLAW Legislative Briefing at 5 p.m. on February 7. Attendance is free but registration is required.

For further information about our public policy activities, contact Roxann King.