LEGISLATIVE &
REGULATORY
UPDATES

Final Report : April
2010 General Assembly

MAWC successful in fighting new DNR regulations in 2008!

DNR Press Release
New Furbearer Permit Required

DNR Notice -
Furbearer Permit Requirements

LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY UPDATE
As of: January 10, 2007

This page will be updated periodically during the next 90 days of the General Assembly in order for members to have access to current legislative and regulatory information.

The 423rd session of the Maryland General Assembly convened on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 and a new governor will be sworn in on January 17, 2007.

As expected in the first year of a four-year term, all kinds of changes have already taken place in Annapolis.  New leadership has been appointed/elected and many committee memberships have changed.

Of special interest to the equine community, Delegate J.B. Jennings is no longer a member of the House Environmental Matters Committee which deals with matters pertaining to animals, hunting, agriculture, natural resources and open space. Delegate Jennings is in the feed business and has been a big advocate for horse issues.   He is now assigned to the Ways and Means Committee which hears tax matters and will hear slot machine legislation, if introduced.  It is certain, however, that Delegate Jennings will continue to be a tremendous help in horse-related matters. 

Delegate Virginia Clagett, an avid horsewoman and fox chaser, was elected Vice Chairman of the Anne Arundel County Delegation.  Delegate Clagett is a member of the House Environmental Matters Committee and serves on agricultural and natural resources subcommittees.  She, too, has been tremendously helpful to the equine community.

Senator David Brinkley, a long-time horseman and fox chaser, has been elected by his fellow Republicans in the Senate to be the Minority Leader.  He is a member of the Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and the Maryland Rural Caucus. This should  benefit the horse community. 

Also in the Senate, Roy Dyson has become the Vice Chairman of the Education, Health and Environmental Affair Committee.  Senator Dyson, too, is a member of the Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and the Maryland Rural Caucus.  Both Senators  Brinkley and Dyson are long-time friends of agriculture and rural endeavors and have an innate understanding of the importance of horses in Maryland’s tradition and economy.

On the other hand, Governor-Elect Martin O’Malley has thus far represented an urban area and no one seems to have a grasp on his positions, if any, regarding rural or country sports.  Let’s hope he listens well and is willing to learn.  We do know that he is earnestly interested in saving Maryland’s horse racing industry – how he plans to do so is still not known. However, he has promised to “do everything possible to protect horseracing in Maryland, including its crown jewel, the Preakness.”  He also promises to “fully fund Program Open Space to protect Maryland’s parkland and natural resources from the pressures of sprawl.”

All in all, the first year of a four-year term is one of political posturing as new legislators and the new governor “feel their way” through the legislative process.  The opening day of session, however, seemed filled with optimism.  How long the “honeymoon” will last is anyone’s guess!