Every year, JUFJers from across Maryland come together during the General Assembly’s legislative session to build a better state for all of us. We join partners to lobby our state representatives to pass laws and budgets that reflect our Jewish values: every Marylander is a reflection of the divine, worthy of respect and dignity, and all of us should have dei machsoro, resources to meet our needs. And this year, we showed the power of organizing, and the amazing things we can accomplish when we and our partners come together, across our differences, and demand justice for all of us.
Throughout this legislative session, when marching and testifying alongside other JUFJers, partners, and allies, one thing has been clear: we might be angry, exhausted, and heartbroken about what the federal government has been doing to our communities, but we are not going to stop showing up. We are tired of seeing neighbors taken by ICE, children thrown into adult jails because of unjust laws, and families losing their homes and their livelihoods. But we continue to show up.
Showing up year after year can be hard to do. It takes energy, time, and dedication. In some past legislative sessions, JUFJ and our partners have shown up and fought hard, and we haven’t seen the change we wanted. But this year proved that even in tough legislative years, we have been making progress in our movement building. This year, we saw the historic wins collective action can achieve when you refuse to quit.
Legislative Updates
This session, we saw many important legislative victories delivered that will have a lasting impact on our communities. Where we had setbacks, we will continue to push for change in the coming years. Click each category to see more details:
🎉 PASSED a statewide ban on 287(g) programs (HB444/SB245) – formal agreements that allow for local law enforcement to act as ICE agents – in the first month of session. This was emergency legislation, meaning that 8 counties with existing agreements had to end those partnerships immediately after the bill was signed by the Governor.
🎉 PASSED the Community Trust Act (SB791), which will set clear and significant limits on how police and corrections can collude with ICE. This historic win seemed improbable just two weeks before the end of the legislative session. This bill was also passed as emergency legislation so that it goes into effect once it is signed into law by the Governor.
🎉 PASSED the Data Privacy Act (HB711) just before midnight on the last night of session, building on our previous work to close loopholes that currently allow ICE to exploit data to track, detain, and deport Maryland residents.
🎉 PASSED the Youth Charging Reform Act (SB323) to significantly limit the harmful practice of automatically charging kids as adults. This bill will prevent nearly 500 kids per year from being automatically sent to the adult system. The bill was amended to include another piece of legislation we have previously supported to prohibit any kids, regardless of how they are charged, from being held in adult facilities starting in 2029. We, our partners, and many legislators are committed to continuing the fight for the complete end of autocharging in Maryland.
🎉 PASSED increased funding for the Community Schools Rental Assistance Program – more than doubling the budget for the state’s only eviction prevention fund from $5 million to $11 million. This funding is estimated to help 2,500 families avoid eviction over the next year.
🎉 PASSED HB315/SB335 which will prohibit landlords from using arbitrary income and credit tests that prevent people from accessing housing.
❌ While Good Cause Eviction legislation (HB774/SB462) once again passed the House, the Senate refused to act for the second time in three years. This bill would have allowed counties to pass laws that simply require corporate landlords to provide a reason for not renewing a tenant’s lease. Our bill sponsors, Delegate Wilkins and Senator Muse, continued to champion the issue and refused to allow for amendments that would have undermined existing renter protections.
❌ The Tenant Screening Transparency Act (HB313) would have required more transparency from landlords in why they are denying an application from a prospective renter. The bill passed the House but the Senate did not move the bill.
🎉 PASSED the Monica Cooper Prerelease Act (SB187), which will strengthen the ongoing implementation of legislation passed in 2021 to establish a standalone women’s prerelease facility to support incarcerated women as they return to their communities.
🎉 PASSED legislation (SB255) to prevent vote dilution in county and municipal elections, which overwhelmingly impacts communities of color, strengthening the Maryland Voting Rights Act.
❌ Safer Traffic Stops for All (HB81/SB55) would have limited unnecessary and often dangerous non-safety related traffic stops, but the legislation did not advance in either the House or the Senate for the second year in a row.
❌ There were several bills introduced that would have “decoupled” our state taxes from federal tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit large corporations. These bills would have raised much needed revenue for our state, but the legislature refused to take action on any of these bills this year.
Finishing the Work
None of these accomplishments came out of nowhere. By working with partner organizations, coalitions, and community leaders, even in hard years for Maryland and for our communities, we built collective power that, this year, lawmakers could not ignore. And we are not going to stop here. How do you want to be involved in JUFJ’s ongoing state and local organizing?
