During this year’s legislative session, the exterior of the Maryland State House has been under construction. While the sounds of hammers fill the air outside, Maryland lawmakers are inside at work on state matters.
Each day, lawmakers, protestors and other citizens visit the Maryland State House to witness that work in progress. Some are here advocating for or fighting against bills, while others come simply to enjoy Maryland’s rich history.
Here is a week-in-the-life look at the place where the laws are built …
People coming and going from the State House this spring must navigate the barriers around the construction. Here, a solitary figure stands behind the fencing – the statue of Baron Johann DeKalb, Revolutionary War figure.
House delegates and senators rush into the State House before the session begins one recent day. Business usually begins weekdays around 10 a.m. The hours stretch longer into the afternoon and the weekend in this final month of session.
Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones, D-Baltimore County, keeps business moving during a busy workday on the House floor. The chamber she leads has considered hundreds of House bills already this session, and in the coming week they’ll look at those approved by the Senate.
Minority Whip Jesse Pippy, R-Frederick County, holds a side conversation with Del. Stephanie Smith, D-Baltimore City, while the chamber is in session.
Officer Marlin Knight stands at his post watching over employees and visitors as they enter the State House. Earlier this session, police sprang into action after an anonymous caller threatened violence against people in the building. Work came to a standstill during the lockdown that followed, but no attack came to pass.
Just outside the State House, there’s often a lot of activity at the gathering place referred to as “Lawyers Mall.” On this recent day, the Maryland Association of Christian Home Educators assembled. On the Senate floor, lawmakers recognized them publicly for many years of supporting Maryland homeschoolers.
Jose Alas was out on Lawyers Mall the same day as the homeschoolers advocating for a bill bolstering tenants’ rights. The rally was organized by CASA, a national immigration advocacy organization.
Social justice advocates gather on Lawyers Mall for a press conference demanding changes to two bills that focus on juvenile justice. Watching over them is a statue of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, a Baltimore native and civil rights lawyer.
David Diaz catches the late afternoon light on State Circle. Diaz is a “plein air painter,” working outdoors with his subject in full view.
Lawyers Mall in a quiet moment. Lawmakers will assemble again next week as they work toward the April 8 deadline when they will adjourn for the spring “sine die” – literally, in Latin, without a day designated to meet again.
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