May 5, 2024

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Speaker Adrienne A. Jones Community Update May 5, 2024

My Decency Agenda Signed Into Law

Last week, Governor Wes Moore, Senate President Bill Ferguson, and I signed my 2024 Decency Agenda into law in a ceremony at the State House in front of many of the people who helped work on the bills.

Over the past few years, we've all seen anger and hate become part of our political discourse. We’ve seen political disagreements pull apart our communities, families, and friends. We’ve seen a rise in the number of hate-based incidents in our classrooms as curriculum debates and culture wars have begun to overwhelm school systems across the country. And we’ve seen an increase in threats to our democracy with every passing day.

These challenges have impacted each and every one of us. The Decency Agenda bills will put safeguards and best practices in place to prevent this hate from taking further root in our state’s schools, institutions, workplaces, and elections.

My Decency Agenda includes the following bills:
• HB 785 - Freedom to Read Act
• HB 602 - Employment Discrimination - Sexual Orientation
• HB 1287 - Superintendent Leadership Training
• HB 1386 - Anti-Bias Teacher Training
• HB 333 - Stopping the Spread of Election Misinformation

Together, these bills will help all of us. I thank the members of the General Assembly for their commitment to the belief that we need to stop allowing our worst instincts to drive the conversation.