Montgomery County resident Alisa Weiner found it difficult to put her feelings into words Tuesday as she watched Gov. Wes Moore (D) sign the Jillian and Lindsay Weiner Short-Term Rental Safety Act into law.
But she repeated her hopes that the bill, named for her daughters who died in a 2022 fire in a rental without working smoke detectors, will protect another family from the anguish her family has suffered.
House Bill 1221 and Senate Bill 624 were among the first of more than 140 bills signed into law Tuesday by Moore, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel), just hours after the 2026 legislative session ended in an uproar.
The three leaders looked past the final day drama to praise the overall achievements of the session, which they said passed bills to address affordability issues and push back against policies from the Trump administration.
“As we are living in a time … where our politics are mired in hate and division, and it’s easier to fight than to find a way to solve problems, the only way forward its to get the job done,” Ferguson said. “That’s what we did in partnership and in unity.”
The bill signing ceremony occurred in the Governor’s Reception Room in Annapolis, where bill sponsors were joined by hundreds of advocates affected by the bills, waiting in line for the chance to stand behind the leaders and get their picture taken at the signing.
Moore commended Weiner for her bravery in advocating for the legislation.
“We are grateful that she has turned pain into progress and has turned hurt into heroism,” Moore said. “Because of her courage, because of her will, because they chose to turn the worst moment of their lives into a fight for other families that they may never even meet.”
He extended his gratitude all other Marylanders who share similarly challenging personal stories, some for multiple years in a row, to improve state laws.
“We’re thankful that you made your voices heard because in that you made our state better,” Moore said.
Wiener couldn’t easily put words to how she felt following the bill signing.
“It’s hard to describe,” She said. “I’m grateful — it’s a heavy lift, it’s an emotional lift.”
The bills named for her daughters will require greater fire safety measures at short-term rentals through companies like Vrbo and Airbnb. The legislation was inspired by tragedy in 2022, Jillian and Lindsay, then 21 and 19, respectively, were killed in a fire at a short-term rental unit in New York that did not have functioning fire alarms.
Moore also signed the “Vax Act,” granting the state health secretary authority to set vaccine recommendations for Marylanders, independent of any federal guidelines. The bills, House Bill 637 and Senate Bill 385, also ensure that those recommendations are covered by Maryland insurance companies.
The legislation was a priority for Moore, who announced the proposal earlier this year, shortly after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began rewriting vaccine recommendations for children.
In fact, many bills pushed over the finish line this session were in response to Trump administration policies – including legislation aimed at limiting cooperation with federal agents in immigration enforcement.
Peña-Melnyk highlighted the immigration-focused legislation, along with housing affordability measures and a massive energy package, as high points to what she called a “highly productive session.”
“It was my first session as speaker, and it’s in the books. And I have to say that I am proud of what we have accomplished,” she said.
“With this budget and everything we’ve done, honest to God, we have created opportunities and have protected the people of Maryland,” Peña-Melnyk said.
