Legislation
During the legislative session, the Maryland Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is responsible for monitoring various bills that are introduced in the state legislature and may be of interest to Deaf and hard of hearing Marylanders. The office also ensures that the community remains informed of updates on hearings and votes on pending legislation. While the Governor’s Office does not endorse specific bills, Deaf and hard of hearing Marylanders are encouraged to get involved, be informed, and make their concerns known to their elected officials.
If you wish to learn who your elected officials are, please click “Who Are Your Elected Officials“. Or, copy and paste http://mdelect.net/) and follow the instructions. The election officials identified in the website include both State and Federal elected officials. If you wish to save information for documentation, or further reference, please download this form and fill it out for you to keep.
How Our Laws Are Made
To understand more about the legislative process and how a bill becomes a law, please review How a Bill Becomes Law. The office also has a video series of the legislative process in ASL on Facebook and YouTube.
This flowchart on the Maryland General Assembly may help you understand its structure. It will be helpful to also explore the Maryland General Assembly’s website and learn about the dates of interest for the 2023 session.
2023 Legislative Session
Below are some bills that the office is currently monitoring. To find out the current status of each bill and its scheduled hearings, click on the bill’s link for more information:
- HB 0056: Public Schools – Dual Language Education – Teacher Certification, Program Implementation, and Study
- SB 0389: Public Schools – Dual Language Education – Teacher Certification, Program Implementation, and Study