Earlier this year,
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced
the Legislative Transparency Act of 2018, which would require all sessions of
the Maryland General Assembly to be livestreamed to the public via both audio
and video. Although Maryland residents currently can stream audio broadcasts of
floor and voting sessions, without a video stream the broadcast is difficult to
follow and does not provide Maryland residents and taxpayers with the
transparency they deserve.
In February 2016, Governor
Hogan supported a $1.2
million proposal to deploy cameras within the State House so the public
could watch debates as they unfolded in the House of Delegates and the Senate. The
proposal also would have archived the videos. Unfortunately, the proposal did
not pass, and now two years later, the State House still is unequipped with
modern technology and Maryland residents are unable to watch important policy
debates that potentially could impact their day-to-day lives.
According to the National
Conference of State Legislatures, Maryland is one of seven states that does
not provide a livestream video of floor and voting sessions in either chamber
of its state legislature. Fortunately, the Maryland General Assembly does livestream
videos for all committee hearings and archives them for later reference. By
passing the Legislative Transparency Act, Maryland residents will be able to
stay informed in a timely manner about the important debates and votes taking
place within the Maryland General Assembly.
When Governor Hogan
announced this legislation back in January 2018, he stated:
“I believe very strongly that the public has a right
to know what their lawmakers are saying and doing during the debate on these
important issues which are directly affecting the citizens and taxpayers of
Maryland. Legislators should be deliberating out in the open, in the light of
day, instead of behind closed doors. Our hope is that this year will finally be
the year that this common sense measure is signed into law.”
As we enter the
final month of Maryland’s 2018 legislative session, the Maryland General
Assembly should act soon to pass the Legislative Transparency Act. Therefore,
when the Maryland General Assembly convenes in 2019, Maryland residents and
taxpayers will be able to watch committee hearings, policy debates, and voting
sessions, and elected members will be more transparent and accountable moving
forward.
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