The
Maryland General Assembly closed its doors on April 8 after considering over 2,700 bills of which 702 were enacted.
As for MRN, we focused on several bills including Paint Stewardship, Mattress Stewardship, E-cycling, and Lithium-Ion Battery Safety, among others. While there were several disappointments (i.e., the Electronics Recycling and Mattress Stewardship bills did not move forward), there were also two major successes:
The Maryland Paint Stewardship Bill and
The Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Bill.
Paint Stewardship has been on our radar for several years and after last year’s near miss of passage, we stressed the need for speedy action this year. Thankfully, the bill was passed and
signed into law on May 9.
We also supported the
Lithium-Ion Battery Safety bill, which establishes a commission to study the issue. We are proud to announce that MRN will be seated on the commission to offer our insights into this growing problem.
The bill has been passed and as of this date (5/14), the bill is on the Governor's desk waiting to be signed.
*P.s. Battery safety is on the top of the agenda at this year’s MRN/SWANA MA conference on 6/10. Still time to register!
We would be remiss if we didn't offer a special THANKS to Legislative Chair Chaz Miller and MRN President Kitty McIlroy for trucking down to Annapolis to testify on behalf of our community. And to all the members of the Legislative Committee and Board of Directors for your input, support and hard work.
You can read a full
recap of the session including links MRN statements and testimonies on relevant bills.
We will keep on working with our legislators to pass those bills worth fighting for. Stay up to date via our
Legislative Regulatory page and by connecting with us on
LinkedIn.
As always, we welcome members of the community to
join us in supporting our efforts.
*Photo by ron dyar on Unsplash