Gov. Larry Hogan signed more than 100 bills into law Tuesday morning, at the first of four scheduled signing ceremonies. Following a contentious 90-day legislative session, Hogan and the Democratic leadership projected unity at the event.
Hogan didn’t get the income tax cuts he wanted during the session, but on Tuesday he praised a lack of tax increases. He and the legislative leaders also celebrated the large criminal justice reform package that passed Monday.
“We found agreement on some important issues for the people of Maryland like Justice Reinvestment, scholarships for students with low-income households to go to high-performing schools, legislation that will help us in our fight against the Heroin epidemic," he said. "I think we sent a message to Marylanders that we can work together in a bipartisan fashion and we can get things done.”
House Speaker Michael Busch highlighted a package that aims to support Baltimore following the unrest the city saw almost exactly a year ago.
“I think we can be a model for the rest of the country for urban areas," he said. "I think it’s incumbent upon all of us to make sure that Baltimore stands out as a city that can have a true renaissance.”
Many bills in that package reached Hogan’s desk more than a week ago. Hogan opted to let them become law without his signature.
Most of the 106 bills signed Tuesday morning were among the lower-profile and less controversial measures passed this year.