ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland's Legislative Black Caucus is setting ambitious goals for the 2024 session.
Justice reform is a major focus for the caucus.
Senator Jill Carter is introducing a bill to expand the expungement possibilities.
"Although we have expanded expungements to include some felonies we have overlooked some misdemeanors such as driving without a license, driving uninsured and even with the passage and legalization of marijuana there are still some marijuana convictions that are not expungeable under current law," said Carter, a Democrat from Baltimore City.
The Black Caucus is also concerned about transportation, mainly cuts impacting Baltimore City where a large percentage of riders are people of color.
This has been a concern since a recent report showed the transportation department won't be able to fund all of its current programs at its current revenue.
"So the answer, it's not a bill, it's a bold policy posture to create a dedicated funding stream to pay for public transit," said Delegate Robbyn Lewis, a Democrat from Baltimore City.
On the housing front, the caucus's priorities lie with rental protections.
Mainly to make it easier those applying for new housing and to lower evictions.
"The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland's housing priorities will seek to increase protections and access for renters across the state," said Delegate Adrian Boafo, a Democrat from Prince George's County.
There has been a push to roll back or change some of the justice reforms passed by members of the Black Caucus.
Most notably, last year's legislation outlawing the interrogation of a minor without a parent or lawyer present.
"We believe that that legislation is a critical bill and we will defend that legislation this session and make sure that the core piece of it that is ensuring that access to children for their constitutional rights is protected," said Delegate Jhaenelle Wilkins, a Democrat from Montgomery County.
The Black Caucus of Maryland is the largest in the country.
