ANNAPOLIS, Md.–The Maryland General Assembly completed its 446th session in a flurry of confetti and balloons at midnight Monday, with Gov. Wes Moore watching from the Senate balcony and the leaders of both chambers lauding the legislature’s accomplishments.
Lawmakers in sequined Maryland flag jackets, tiaras and pastel suits dotted the chamber floors, contrasting with the staid work of the legislature.
Then lawmakers got to work, with several important bills on the agenda.
A series of citizen groups gathered on Lawyers Mall throughout the day to express priorities to lawmakers. A dog and several musicians from the band Too Much Talent accompanied members of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network in a march around State Circle.
Senators spilled from the State House onto the street in front of Lawyers Mall just after 3 p.m. to watch the solar eclipse. As the light dimmed and afternoon colors darkened, they donned their glasses and gazed skyward alongside staffers and visitors to the Maryland Capitol.
When Speaker Adrienne Jones, D-Baltimore County, reconvened the House for the afternoon, Del. Robbyn Lewis, D-Baltimore City, rushed to her seat to lead members in prayer.
In the flustered rush to get started, Lewis accidentally called the speaker the chair, and the chamber raucously corrected her.
Lewis quoted the poet Maya Angelou, reminding lawmakers to be a “rainbow in somebody else’s cloud” on this day without more days.
Jones gaveled the House into session over a rumble of conversation, and the chamber resumed the work of the day.
Leaders of multiple caucuses and committees called members from the House for last-minute meetings and votes, at times nearly emptying the chamber.
As the afternoon and evening wore on, lawmakers stood up to stretch their legs, and members’ questions and holds on bills increasingly provoked vexed grumbles.
As the clock ticked toward midnight, the rhythms of the legislature grew more frantic.
“Don’t leave the State House. The State Troopers will come find you,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, before the Senate recessed around 10:45 p.m., to resume at 11 p.m. “on the dot.”
The Senate passed the cross-file of the PORT Act, allocating resources to families and businesses impacted by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, in the final minutes of session, leading senators to stand and applaud.
As the clock struck 12 a.m., signifying the end of the legislative session, the pages threw balloons and confetti from the gallery balcony, filling the chamber floors.
As lawmakers filed into the marble hall between the chambers, upstairs, Moore embraced Deputy Legislative Officer Brad Fallon, who helped craft the governor’s package of housing bills.
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