Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott has a tight list of legislative priorities that he is putting before the Maryland General Assembly for the 2024 session, most of those are related to public safety and his vacant housing reduction plan.
Those priorities come as state lawmakers seem likely to spend quite a lot of time discussing juvenile crime and working within what is likely to be a tight fiscal situation.
Last month, third-party analysts predicted a $761 million shortfall for this upcoming budget year. It’s not astronomical, but it’s a finding that likely means municipalities will not see generous responses to their financial requests. It’s also a gap that the analysts said is likely to grow. Democratic Governor Wes Moore has not announced this year’s budget, he is expected to do so next week. Last year’s budget was $63 billion.
So, this year, Mayor Scott is looking for legislative changes out of Annapolis more so than money — the big exception being his vacant housing plan.
WYPR spoke with the Mayor about what he hopes to see come out of Annapolis this session.
Public Safety
Mayor Scott called reforming electronic home monitoring his “biggest priority” for this session. Many of the electronic home monitoring services are administered by private companies — Scott notes that in some cases it has taken days for companies to alert relevant authorities when someone has absconded or broken the conditions of their probation.
Scott wants to see that notification happen immediately, taking the time to mention that there have been instances where not just defendants but victims of crimes have been on monitoring.
“One of the folks that will stand trial in the Brooklyn homes massacre had an ankle bracelet right? How many times do we have to see this before we actually make that change?” Scott asked. Tristan Brian Jackson, 18, is one of five people so far that have multiple charges, including for attempted first degree murder, in the Brooklyn Homes mass shooting that killed two and injured 28 others in July 2023. Court documents revealed that Jackson was wearing a monitor for an unrelated crime.
As part of that proposed legislation, Scott wants to see the reinstatement of the Work Group on Home Detention Monitoring which was part of legislation by Delegate Stephanie Smith (D) that was passed in 2021 but Republican Governor Larry Hogan did not appoint anyone to the group.
“I think that this year will be the year that we get that change done,” said Scott.
Scott is also pushing for changes in the state’s diminution credit system; those are credits that allow incarcerated people to serve shorter sentences in confinement — pending good conduct and engagement with work programs. The current system allows incarcerated people to earn up to 30 days per month.
There are exceptions. People who commit first or second-degree rape under 16 are ineligible as are people serving for a repeat conviction of a third-degree sexual offense against a victim under 16. Those who are serving for a lifetime sexual offender supervision violation are also barred from receiving diminution credits.
Scott wants to make that broader to include more violent crimes.
“Specific ones that we're talking about are: shooting, murder, rape, robbery,” said Scott, noting that the diminution credit system is important for equity and allowing for rehabilitation.
“But when you do some of the most heinous crimes, like a rape, that is something you should not be able to get out early,” he said.
The system came into the spotlight in fall of 2023 when tech CEO Pava LaPere was found brutally killed at her Mount Vernon apartment building. Days later, after a brief statewide pursuit, police arrested Jason Billingsley who is currently awaiting trial for LaPere’s murder and stands accused of attempted murder and assault of another Baltimore couple. Billingsley, who was convicted in 2015 for a sex crime committed in 2013, was released from prison in 2022, in part because he had earned enough diminution credits to complete his sentence.
Other public safety priorities are related to the roads.
Once again, the city is pushing for legislation that would authorize the city to impound vehicles for “chronic offenders” of automated speed and red-light cameras — so defined as vehicles attached to more than $1,000 in automated fines.
Another proposed law, sponsored by Delegate Jackie Addison of Baltimore City, would impose stricter penalties on out-of-state vehicles who fail to register their plates within Maryland. The law currently gives owners 60 days from moving into the state to register plates. The proposal would require vehicle owners who fail to comply to be towed or booted.
Vacant Housing
Given what is sure to be a tight budget year, Scott made no budget requests save for one big one. In December, he unveiled a $3 billion plan to revitalize and renovate thousands of the city’s vacant homes and property lots but part of that public-private venture depends on using some amount of state money.
Mayor Scott is asking for a commitment of $900 million in state dollars to be spread out over the course of 15 years.
“We know that the governor and his team are going to support the vacant strategy in a significant way. But we have to ask for all of it,” said Scott. “Because it is a big ask.”
Scott’s administration is flexible in how that money could make its way to the city whether that be through direct appropriations, state GO borrowing, making use of Federal borrowing programs or a combination of those and others.
The mayor is also asking for a 2% local share of the sales tax, half of which would be used to go towards the vacant strategy and the other half would go to give owner-occupied homeowners $1,000 off their property tax bill.
That would “effectively put us in comparison to surrounding districts,” said the mayor.
The one-percent taken from that tax for the vacant strategy would “be used to unlock $1.5 billion in city GO bonds over 15 years.”
A complete list of the mayor’s legislative priorities can be found here.
