It only took 3.6 million years, but the giant prehistoric shark, megalodon, moved one step closer to becoming Maryland’s official state shark Monday.
It took only slightly more than a month for the shark bill, House Bill 97, to move from committee hearing to House passage. It was one of a handful of commemorative bills that won final approval from one chamber or the other in recent days, as lawmakers rushed to beat the crossover deadline.
Del. Todd Morgan (R-Calvert and St. Mary’s), sponsor of the megalodon bill, said it’s more than just “a feel-good bill” and adds an educational STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) component for children. Morgan said it can also help boost travel and tourism in his area of Southern Maryland, as people visit Calvert Cliffs State Park and other areas along the Chesapeake Bay where megalodon teeth have been found.
“We want them [visitors] to come to Southern Maryland … and see the natural beauty,” Morgan said. “It’s a historically significant bill. I’m hoping the Senate will pick it up.”
But the Senate has yet to take action on its own version of the megalodon bill, sponsored by Sen. Jack Bailey (R-Calvert and St. Mary’s). It got a hearing on March 12 before the Education, Energy, and Environment Committee, which has not taken a vote on it.
There are only about three weeks left before the final day of the session on April 13, but Sen. Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery), who chairs that committee, promised Monday that the House megalodon bill, like all bills coming from the House, will get a hearing.
“We’ll take a look at it. Everything’s open and under consideration,” he said.
According to the Calvert Maritime Museum, no other state in the nation has designated a state shark. Maryland would become the first, if approved.
While Feldman’s committee did not advance the megalodon bill, it did pass at least two other commemorative bills that were approved by the full Senate.
Senate Bill 35, sponsored by Sen. Carl Jackson (D-Baltimore County), received unanimous approval Thursday to make the Natural History Society of Maryland the state’s official natural history museum. A House version sponsored by Del. Nick Allen (D-Baltimore County) was heard Tuesday by the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee. That committee has not voted on Allen’s bill, but will soon have Jackson’s to consider. This is the third time the museum bill has been submitted.
A few states, such as Utah did approve of a similar state designation. The Museum of Utah will become that state’s first history museum in June.
This is also the third year that Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard) has introduced a bill to designate a “Korean American Day” in the state. Senate Bill 627 won unanimous approval in the Senate on Friday. It would commemorate Jan. 13, the day in 1903 when Koreans first arrived in the U.S.
The bill has been assigned to the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee in the House, which held a hearing on its own version of the bill, sponsored by Del. Courtney Watson (D-Howard), on March 17. It has not taken action on the bill.
Other commemorative bills have not passed out of either chamber, dimming their chances of passage significantly.
Senate Bill 191 sponsored by Sen. Benjamin Brooks (D-Baltimore County) seeks to make “The Heart of Maryland” the state song, in place of “Maryland, My Maryland.” Lawmakers voted to repeal “Maryland, My Maryland” as the state song in 2021. Opponents noted that it was composed during the Civil War by a Confederate sympathizer, James Ryder Randall, and was made a state symbol in 1939 during racial tensions.
Del. Gabriel Moreno (D-Howard) proposed making April the Maryland Climate Education Month in his bill, House Bill 620. It would urge residents to participate in education activities and initiatives that “promote awareness of climate change and take action toward the state’s climate commitments.” It was heard last week by the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee, but has not received a vote.