Legislative leaders made it clear well before the start of the special legislative session Monday that there was only one issue on the agenda, a constitutional amendment on redistricting, and that nothing else would be entertained.
That didn’t stop opponents and advocates of other issues from trying.
“What’s most egregious about this three-day session is that nothing else is permitted,” said House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy (R-Frederick) at a news conference where legislative Republicans demanded a focus on affordability issues.
“That is outrageous. We’re going to do it anyways. We’re going to force them to vote against reducing the cost of living on our citizens, because our citizens are demanding it,” he said.
Whether it’s adding actual congressional maps to the redistricting ballot question, revisiting steep cuts to the budget for developmental disability services or tackling affordability issues, protesters gathered in Annapolis Monday to tell lawmakers how they should be spending their time in special session. But they did not appear to affect the debate, which continued on the path to approval throughout the day.
The day began with supporters of congressional districting rallying with a simple message: Redistrict now. Members of Meet the Moment Maryland Coalition also called for lawmakers to include new maps as part of the proposed constitutional amendment that could be put to voters on the Nov. 3 ballot.
“If we’re being asked to decide on a constitutional amendment this November, we should know exactly what that decision means,” said Tamara Zuniga, a member of Progressive Maryland. “We shouldn’t have to imagine what the new district might look like. We should be able to see them, understand them and make an informed decision. That kind of transparency builds trust.”
Sen. Arthur Ellis (D-Charles), the only senator to publicly speak in support of a Senate vote on redistricting earlier this year, joined advocates on Lawyers Mall, where he told a short story about a military leader never retreating on a mission.
“I cannot understand why elected officials in a democracy, in a progressive state like Maryland, is silent when it comes to these important issues. What the hell is going on?” Ellis said. “You see something, you say something. You speak up loudly and don’t worry about the repercussions.”
Ellis told the small crowd, “Don’t let nobody tell you what you can and can’t say. To hell with them.”
“How can anyone be silent and say we should not fight fire with fire in Maryland? Democracy is strongest when people, we the people, participate. It depends on people showing up, speaking out, and believing that their voices matter,” he said.
Speaking out was a theme for Republicans, who called the special session little more than an attempt by Democrats to silence a political minority.
“The majority party is willing to do anything to cheat, to take voices away, and that is wrong,” Pippy said. “That is the priority. That is the exercise of this sham special session: is to remove the voice of the last representative we have.”
He added that gerrymandering is wrong when done by either party in any state, “But in Maryland, they do it real good. They’ve been gerrymandering the hell out of Republicans for decades, and we’re tired of it.”
The Republicans said they plan to do everything they can to stand in the way of that in this session.
“We’re going to use every tool in the box,” said Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey (R-Upper Shore). “We’re going to force them to play by the rules.”
Hershey did just that Monday morning, challenging Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) as he attempted to introduce the redistricting bill. Hershey raised a rule requiring bills to be filed to the legislative secretary four hours before the General Assembly convenes, and Ferguson was not able to confirm that had been. The move delayed the bill’s introduction until an afternoon session of the Senate.
Hershey said Maryland Republicans could not boycott the session, as minority parties in some other states have done successfully. The tactic works when there are enough minority party members to deny the legislative body a quorum, but that is not the case in Maryland, where Democrats alone have enough for a quorum in both bodies.
“Unless we could stop it by doing that, which is a strategy, we’re going to be here and we’re going to fight for Marylanders,” Hershey said.
Should a proposed constitutional amendment get out of the special session, Republicans are poised to keep the fight going. Hershey said he expects an announcement about litigation as early as Wednesday.
“We will try everything that we can, even through the judiciary, of trying to get this undone, if that’s possible,” he said. “We certainly want to see the constitutionality of this, and I’ll expect something to happen.”
Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready (R-Carroll and Frederick) pointed to a rally happening right outside the State House about cuts to disability benefits in the state.
“That is what we should be addressing, not disenfranchising a large portion of Marylanders,” he said.
Ready and other Republican lawmakers stopped by the rally hosted by Concerned Citizens of Self Direction Maryland, who said they were frustrated that the special session didn’t include efforts to pause or undo a $126 million budget cut to the state’s Developmental Disabilities Administration.
“We have three days to talk about a map, three days to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to put up legislators in hotels. But we can’t support our communities,” Del. LaToya Nkongolo (R-Anne Arundel) said to a crowd of about 70 advocates for people with developmental disabilities. “We have so many issues, this being at the top of the priority list in my book. It’s not at the top of the priority list of others.”
Lawmakers this year approved the cut to the agency that oversees the Medicaid waiver covering the medical and behavioral needs of people with developmental disabilities. It’s the second year they have done so, calling for steep cuts to the DDA due to “unsustainable” growth in costs and enrollment.
Those at the rally called on lawmakers to expand the scope of the special session to delay the cuts.
“These cuts hurt people, real people,” said Jabar Lovette, a Baltimore City resident with autism.
The $126 million cut this year comes after a $164 million reduction in state funding last year, a loss in funding that doubles with the loss of federal match Medicaid dollars.
“I call on Republicans, Democrats, independents, everybody – come together,” said Mat Rice, executive director for People on the Go Maryland. “Let’s figure out how to change policy in a way that makes sense for everyone.”
The advocates protesting Monday afternoon said the cuts will reduce the wages of staff and family members who provide developmental disabilities services for the 3,900 people who self-direct their services, leading to an exodus of caretakers looking for better pay, along with other impacts.
Sen. J.B. Jennings (R-Baltimore and Harford) said that he and Ready were not allowed to offer legislation addressing the DDA cuts due to the narrow scope of the special session. He told advocates that the fight was not over, but it will have to wait until the regularly scheduled session.
“I am sorry we are not fixing this right now,” Jennings said. “We will continue this fight for you. We will see you in January.”