End of Session...for now...Wrap Up



With session out, it only takes 4 laps of
Main Street and the circle to find a spot.

It’s amazing how Annapolis changes after Session has ended. There’s ample parking available...well, maybe not ample, but it's a lot easier to find a spot than it was a couple weeks ago. The morning commute is less crowded. No more tv trucks stacked up around State Circle.

As this city adjusts to the General Assembly being out of Session (for now), we wanted to look back and update you on some of the bills that we talked about here on Session Scoop over the last several months.

Remember, even if a bill passed, it has to be signed by the Governor to become law.

Senate Bill 111 – Extending the length of time between driver’s license renewals from 5 to 8 years.

This bill passed.

The final version of the bill did not carry the amendment which was proposed by Susan Cohen requiring cognitive testing for seniors with every second renewal. However, the MVA was given some “homework,” due next January. They are to submit a report, which analyzes statistics, trends, research and programs in other states that relate to older driver safety, as well as an assessment of the MVA’s capacity to conduct cognitive testing.

So this concept of cognitive testing for older drivers may find its way back to Annapolis in 2013. Stay tuned.

Scheduled to go into effect 10/1/12

Senate Bill 309/House Bill 149 – Requiring the titling, (registration), insurance, and mandatory use of protective headgear and eye wear for mopeds and scooters.

This bill passed…however, the registration requirement was removed in the final version.

Moped and Scooter owners will have to certify that they have insurance, and will be able to purchase a one-time titling decal to be applied to the vehicle.

On a MAIF-related note, this bill expands the types of vehicles that MAIF is permitted to insure to include all two-wheeled vehicles.

Scheduled to go into effect 10/1/12

Senate Bill 596/House Bill 835 – Prohibiting a person from driving a vehicle if there is animal activity that interferes with the driver’s control or operation of the vehicle.

This died in committee.

Senate Bill 488 – Allowing those motorcycle riders who are 21 or older and carry at least $10,000 in health coverage to ride without a helmet.

This bill also died in committee. But history would indicate that this one will return in another variation.

Senate Bill 1006 – Allows MAIF to pay between 10% and 15% commission to the producers who write MAIF policies.

This bill Passed.

MAIF will now be able to offer the producers who write MAIF policies a higher commission. MAIF has never been able to raise our commission structure before. It has remained constant at 10% over the course of the last 4 decades.

Should take effect 7/1/12.

House Bill 1017 – “Last Resort” Task Force

This almost sounds like a straight to DVD action movie starring Jean Claude Van Damme. We didn’t talk about HB1017 earlier in the session. It was a closely guarded secret and its final form popped up late in the process. This bill creates a task force to examine the operation of Maryland’s “last resort” insurers. (MAIF, IWIF, MHIP, etc.)

This panel will examine all of the operational aspects of these programs, and make preliminary recommendations by December, 2012. This may result in proposed legislation for Session 2013 that could change the way some or all of these agencies operate in the future.

This bill passed as an “emergency measure,” and will take effect the moment Governor O’Malley signs it into law.

MAIF embraces the task force process as a chance to brag to the members about its many strengths.

So, as one session ends (sort of), you can see where the seeds for the next session have already been planted. The Legislative Session is a lot like the NFL. The actual season may not last very long, but keeping up with and preparing for the next session is a year-round endeavor.

MAIF teams with State Police to remind Marylanders to "Move Over"



(L to R): PGFD Chief Mark Bashoor,
MAIF Executive Director M. Kent Krabbe,
MD State Police Superintendent Marcus L. Brown,
& PGPD Major Robert Brewer.

Here at the Scoop, much of our focus is on proposed legislation…mainly the process of how a bill becomes law.

Each session, an average of 2,500 bills are proposed. Of those, about 30% make it through readings, hearings, committees, subcommittees, crossover, power breakfasts at Chick and Ruth’s, to vote, then on to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.

With so many new laws each year, many fly under the radar of the general public. What good is a law if people don't know it exists?



MAIF Executive Director Kent Krabbe
with  Trooper Thaddeus Allen.
While making a roadside stop in 2011,
in his first days on patrol,
Trooper Allen's car was struck and totaled.
Trooper Allen was able to dive over a retaining
wall at the last moment, and escaped
serious injury.



In 2010, the “Move Over” law was one of the 810 bills signed into law. This is an important law, centered on keeping emergency personnel safe by requiring motorists to slow down and if they’re able, to move over out of the lane adjacent to the shoulder when an emergency vehicle is stopped with signal lights activated.

Unfortunately, “Move Over” wasn’t the highest profile law that went into effect on October 1, 2010. That same day, the ‘hands free cellphone” law went on the books, and dominated the news cycle.

A year and a half later, many Marylanders are unaware that slowing down and moving over is not just a common courtesy, it’s actually the law. Failing to obey this law can result in a fine of $110 and one point. If the driver’s failure to move over leads to an accident, it results in a fine of $150 and three points…and if that accident results in serious injury or death, the fine is $750 and three points.

As part of our on-going campaign to make Maryland roadways safer, MAIF has teamed up with the Maryland State Police to help raise awareness of this law. On March 21, MAIF Executive Director M. Kent Krabbe joined Maryland State Police Superintendent Marcus Brown to announce an initiative to raise awareness of the “Move Over” law. MAIF has provided decals which will be applied to law enforcement and emergency vehicles statewide. The decals read, “If I’m on the shoulder: Slow Down. Move over. It’s the law.”

MAIF is proud to work with the Maryland State Police as well as other outstanding police and emergency agencies across the state to help spread awareness of Maryland’s “Move Over” law.

Here are some comments from Mr. Krabbe and Superintendent Brown regarding “Move Over” at the press conferences held at the Pikesville Volunteer Fire Department and Maryland State Police College Park Barracks on Wednesday, March 21.

M. Kent Krabbe, MAIF Executive Director:

“MAIF is committed not only to insuring Maryland drivers, but to helping to insure the safety of Maryland’s roadways. Our law enforcement and emergency personnel risk their lives every day working toward that same goal. Each one of us has a responsibility to make sure that they are able to perform their duty safely”

“As an insurance company, MAIF has a vested interest in reducing the number of accidents on our roads. Fewer accidents mean lower rates for Maryland drivers, but more importantly it also means safer roads.”

“It is crucial that Marylanders know about and obey this law. Traffic related incidents were the leading cause of police officer fatalities (from 1997 – 2010).”

Maryland State Police Superintendent Marcus L. Brown:

“As Maryland State Police Superintendent, I want to make May, “Move Over” Month in Maryland for all of our law enforcement agencies and fire departments, statewide.”

“Today, we unveil a bumper sticker, made possible by our partners at MAIF, the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund. The sticker is designed to remind motorists of the “Move Over” law. For the next month, you will see this sticker adorning the bumpers of police and emergency vehicles statewide.”

“Over the past decade, more than 150 law enforcement officers have been killed, nationwide at roadsides, after being struck by vehicles.”