Republicans revisit former Gov. Hogan’s crime bill
Maryland Republicans asked Thursday for the support of Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and the General Assembly’s Democratic leadership to revive and pass legislation that would increase prison sentences for violent crime.
“Countless lives have been lost already and we have to ask ourselves, ‘What will it take for our colleagues in the majority party to pass legislation that will combat violent crime?’ ” said House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy of Frederick County. “Marylanders are tired of waiting. They want and deserve safe communities.”
The Democratic supermajority in the legislature has recoiled for years at Republican calls for tough-on-crime legislation, stopping bills to increase sentences for certain violent crimes before they could reach former Gov. Larry Hogan’s desk.
But with a little less than half of the 90-day legislative session left, the GOP wasn’t finished trying.
“Enough of the rhetoric, enough of the root causes — we know the root causes of crime. It’s time to take it out on the people who are committing the crimes,” Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready said.
House and Senate Republicans said they were resuscitating two failed bills pushed by their party under Hogan, including one drafted by his administration.
Sponsored this year by freshman Frederick County Sen. William Folden, the Violent Firearms Offender Act of 2023 would raise the sentence for illegal gun possession from five years in prison to 10. Knowingly selling or lending a firearm to a person planning to commit a crime or hurt someone would become a felony punishable by up to 10 years behind bars.
The use or possession of a gun by a person prohibited from owning one would no longer be considered a “technical” violation. Use of a firearm while committing a crime of violence would be reclassified from a misdemeanor to a felony offense.
This is the fourth iteration of the bill, which was originally drafted by the Hogan administration. The Senate passed the 2020 and 2021 versions, but the bills stalled in the House. The legislation did not receive a vote in either chamber in 2022.
Bolden said Thursday that the legislation is the same as when the Senate passed it in 2021.
The bill has 13 Republican co-sponsors. Prince George’s County Sen. Ron Watson is the only Democrat sponsoring the bill.
Ready, who represents parts of Carroll and Frederick counties, is sponsoring another bill from the Hogan years that would create mandatory minimum sentences for stealing a handgun. Convictions based on a first offense would be punishable by a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of five. Any subsequent convictions would have a minimum five-year sentence with a 10-year maximum.
That bill has 13 Republican co-sponsors. Senate Finance Committee Vice Chair Kathy Klausmeier, a Baltimore County Democrat, is also co-sponsoring.
The 2023 session marks the fourth introduction of this bill, which has never made it out of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
“There are no coincidences in Annapolis when we talk about legislation dying or passing,” Ready said at a Thursday news conference. “If the will is there — from what is a ... Democratic majority here in the General Assembly — if the will is there, we can get this done. We have plenty of time left. It’s not too late.”
Asked why they feel legislation floated by Hogan would fair better this year than in previous years, Pippy referenced Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s failed reelection bid. Democratic primary voters Tuesday denied her a second four-year term after opponents blamed Lightfoot for an increase in crime, although crime rose in cities across the U.S. during the pandemic.
“What’s the difference between last year and this year? Well, people are starting to lose elections, and so we’re hoping that does make a difference and we’re looking forward to working with the governor on this issue, as well,” Pippy said.
Also, some Republican lawmakers indicated an interest in legislation suggested by Baltimore’s Democratic prosecutor that seeks to raise the maximum sentence for illegal gun possession from three to five years for people over 21.
The legislation, endorsed by Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates and sponsored by a handful of moderate Democrats, most of whom represent the city, has caused a stir among civil rights advocates, who cite research saying longer sentences doesn’t deter crime.
Baltimore County Del. Nino Mangione, a Republican, also is co-sponsoring Bates’ bill.
Pippy said that the House Republican Caucus had a “very encouraging meeting” with Bates earlier this week.
“I think Ivan Bates’ bill is a great leap forward in the right direction to give him the teeth to hold people accountable and to protect his citizens that he represents,” Bolden said.