ANNAPOLIS, Md. — At a time when Republican-led states are limiting or banning abortion and limiting gender-affirming care, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed measures into legislation on Wednesday to guard abortion rights and develop Medicaid protection for gender-affirming remedy within the closely Democratic state.
Maryland voters will resolve a constitutional modification subsequent yr to enshrine abortion protections within the Maryland Constitution. While the appropriate to abortion already is protected within the state’s legislation, supporters of the constitutional modification say that can make it even more durable for opponents to attempt to strip away abortion rights sooner or later.
“In this moment of serious consequences for women and for all Marylanders, Maryland can and will lead on this issue of abortion access,” Moore stated, including that the state will “always be a safe haven for abortion access and abortion rights.”
Here is a take a look at a number of the laws signed by Moore, a Democrat, on Wednesday:
Abortion
One new legislation is designed to guard sufferers and suppliers from prison, civil and administrative penalties referring to abortion bans or restrictions in different states. The governor additionally signed a separate data-privacy invoice to guard medical and insurance coverage data on reproductive well being in digital well being info exchanges that may be shared rapidly and broadly throughout state traces. Moore signed one other invoice to make sure public schools and universities in Maryland have a plan for scholar entry close to campuses to contraception, together with emergency contraception and abortion tablets.
Transgender fairness
The Trans Health Equity Act expands the variety of procedures referring to gender-affirming care which can be lined by the state’s Medicaid program. Starting Jan. 1, Medicaid should present protection for gender-affirming remedy, which means any medically vital remedy in keeping with present scientific requirements of care prescribed by a licensed well being care supplier for the remedy of a situation associated to the person’s gender identification.
“In our state, no one should ever have to justify their humanity,” Moore stated. “In our state, no one should have to justify their own humanness, and that’s what the Trans Health Equity Act is all about, and it’s the legislation that we need,”
Cannabis
The governor signed laws that creates licensing and tax charges to open a leisure marijuana market on July 1. In November, voters authorised a constitutional modification with 67% of the vote to allow adults ages 21 and older to have the ability to legally possess as much as 1.5 ounces of hashish. Existing medical hashish dispensaries will be capable of have twin licenses to promote leisure marijuana. There can be further licenses accessible with precedence given to minority homeowners in communities which were negatively affected by previous marijuana legal guidelines. The tax charge can be 9%.
“The criminalization of marijuana harmed low-income communities and communities of color in a profound way,” Moore stated. “We want to make sure that the legalization of marijuana lifts those communities now in a profound way.”
On Monday, the Moore administration introduced that the governor has put his belongings, which included practically $1.2 million of inventory in a hashish firm, right into a blind belief designed to forestall a battle of curiosity. The State Ethics Commission authorised the switch of Moore’s record of holdings right into a blind belief managed by Brown Investment Advisory & Trust Company final week.
Health care
Moore signed two measures to develop entry to reasonably priced medical insurance. One of them will routinely enroll recipients of SNAP advantages into Medicaid who’re eligible however not but enrolled. The legislation is designed to cut back paperwork and assist an estimated 65,000 uninsured Marylanders get the well being protection.
Another new legislation will prolong a pilot program for an additional two years, offering state subsidies to carry down the price of medical insurance for younger adults ages 18-34.
Mental well being
The governor additionally signed a bundle of psychological well being measures that concentrate on getting folks assist earlier, ideally in group and first care settings, earlier than they expertise a psychological well being disaster requiring expensive journeys to the emergency room or in-patient care. One measure units apart funding in 2025 to pay for a 988 suicide and disaster prevention hotline.
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