Vote to override forfeiture veto

The House overrode the veto on Wednesday, but the Senate postponed their vote until February 5, when they expect to have one vacant Senate seat filled.

But Democrats, who provided most of the votes for the override, said that ex-felons should not be doomed to the sidelines of society and that admitting them to the voter pool will integrate them and give them a say in how they are governed.

The bill would allow the local Maryland government to impose a six percent sales tax on the fees travel agents charge when booking hotels for their customers within the state.

Maryland legislators overrode Governor Larry Hogan’s vetoes of five bills Thursday.

The House still would need to vote to override the vetoes on the statewide bill regarding travel websites and the marijuana paraphernalia bill. However, one of the bill’s supporters has retired, leaving a vacancy in the chamber.

But Sen. Andrew Serafini said it’s a complex bill, and he supported the governor’s position of waiting until a court case on the matter is resolved.

While it’s already a civil offense to possess up to 10 grams of marijuana, the new measure decriminalizes possession of the paraphernalia needed to smoke it.

Now, sites keep a part of the tax as a service fee, instead of remitting the full amount to the State of Maryland.

All of the bills were sponsored by Democrats, though Senate President Mike Miller told reporters after today’s session that politics were not behind the move. Those vetoes also require Senate approval to be overridden.

“This will hurt tourism”, said Serafini, R-Washington. Anne Kaiser likened marijuana and pot paraphernalia with Maryland blue crabs and Old Bay seasoning. That override passed the Senate by a vote of 29-17.

The legislation takes effect 30 days after the override votes. “It’s unfortunate that partisanship was the reason these vetoes were overridden”, he said.