EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb1206*
HOUSE BILL 1206
C8 4lr2589
By: Delegates Kerr, Watson, Bagnall, Baker, Barnes, Bhandari, Bouchat, Boyce,
Chang, Clippinger, Crosby, Cullison, Ebersole, Embry, Fair, Feldmark,
Fisher, Foley, Forbes, Fraser–Hidalgo, Grossman, Guzzone, Healey, Hill,
Hinebaugh, Hornberger, Howard, S. Johnson, D. Jones, Kipke, Lehman,
J. Long, McComas, Miller, T. Morgan, Phillips, Pruski, Qi, Reilly, Roberson,
Rose, Rosenberg, Ruff, Ruth, Shetty, Simpson, Smith, Solomon, Stewart,
Terrasa, Toles, Tomlinson, Valderrama, Valentine, White Holland,
Williams, Wivell, and Ziegler Ziegler, Alston, Chisholm, Hutchinson, Kaiser,
R. Lewis, Lopez, Martinez, M. Morgan, Pena–Melnyk, Szeliga, Taveras, and
Woods
Introduced and read first time: February 8, 2024
Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: March 5, 2024
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Maryland–Ireland Trade Commission – Establishment 2
FOR the purpose of establishing the Maryland –Ireland Trade Commission in the 3
Department of Commerce to study and make recommendations regarding certain 4
trade relations between Maryland and Ireland; and generally relating to the 5
Maryland–Ireland Trade Commission. 6
BY adding to 7
Article – Economic Development 8
Section 5–2501 through 5–2504 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 25. 9
Maryland–Ireland Trade Commission” 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2018 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 12
Preamble 13
2 HOUSE BILL 1206
WHEREAS, Over 9% of Maryland’s population is of Irish descent; and 1
WHEREAS, The ties that bind Ireland to Maryland are deep and lasting; and 2
WHEREAS, Irish heritage has been the fortunate lot of many great Marylanders; 3
and 4
WHEREAS, Ireland and Maryland are attempting to reinvent their economies for 5
success in the twenty–first century; and 6
WHEREAS, Marylanders have both historic and practical reasons to desire the 7
building of firmer commercial links with Ireland; now, therefore, 8
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 9
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 10
Article – Economic Development 11
SUBTITLE 25. MARYLAND–IRELAND TRADE COMMISSION. 12
5–2501. 13
IN THIS SUBTITLE, “COMMISSION” MEANS THE MARYLAND–IRELAND TRADE 14
COMMISSION. 15
5–2502. 16
(A) THERE IS A MARYLAND–IRELAND TRADE COMMISSION IN THE 17
DEPARTMENT . 18
(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMISSION IS TO STUD Y AND PROMOTE TRADE 19
BETWEEN MARYLAND AND IRELAND. 20
5–2503. 21
(A) THE COMMISSION CONSISTS O F THE FOLLOWING MEMB ERS: 22
(1) THE SECRETARY, OR THE SECRETARY’S DESIGNEE; 23
(2) THE SECRETARY OF STATE, OR THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S 24
DESIGNEE; 25
(3) TWO MEMBERS OF THE SENATE OF MARYLAND, APPOINTED BY 26
THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, WHO HAVE KNOWLEDGE O F ORGANIZATIONS THAT 27
PROMOTE IRISH AFFAIRS, OR CURRENT OR PAST I NVOLVEMENT IN ORGANI ZATIONS 28 HOUSE BILL 1206 3
THAT PROMOT E IRISH AFFAIRS, OR HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE WELL–BEING OF 1
TRADE RELATIONS BETW EEN MARYLAND AND IRELAND; 2
(4) TWO MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES, APPOINTED BY 3
THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, WHO HAVE KNOWLEDGE O F ORGANIZATIONS THAT 4
PROMOTE IRISH AFFAIRS, OR CURRENT OR PAST INVO LVEMENT IN ORGANIZAT IONS 5
THAT PROMOTE IRISH AFFAIRS, OR HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE WELL–BEING OF 6
TRADE RELATIONS BETW EEN MARYLAND AND IRELAND; AND 7
(5) THE FOLLOWING MEMBER S, APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, 8
WITH THE ADVICE AND CONSENT OF THE SENATE: 9
(I) ONE REPRESENTATIVE O F A PUBLIC INSTITUTI ON OF 10
HIGHER EDUCATION ; 11
(II) ONE REPRESENTATIVE O F THE MARYLAND CHAMBER OF 12
COMMERCE OR ITS SUCCE SSOR ORGANIZATION ; AND 13
(III) TWO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE IRISH–AMERICAN 14
COMMUNITY , WHO MAY NOT BE OF THE SAME POLITICA L PARTY. 15
(B) THE CHAIR AND VICE CH AIR OF THE COMMISSION SHALL BE E LECTED 16
FROM AMONG THE MEMBE RS OF THE COMMISSION. 17
(C) A MEMBER OF THE BOARD: 18
(1) MAY NOT RECEIVE COMP ENSATION AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD; 19
BUT 20
(2) IS ENTITLED TO R EIMBURSEMENT FOR EXP ENSES UNDER THE 21
STANDARD STATE TRAVEL REGULATIONS, AS PROVIDED IN THE STATE BUDGET . 22
(D) (1) THE TERM OF AN APPOIN TED MEMBER IS 4 YEARS. 23
(2) THE TERMS OF THE APPO INTED MEMBERS ARE ST AGGERED AS 24
REQUIRED BY THE TERM S PROVIDED FOR MEMBERS ON OCTOBER 1, 2024. 25
(3) AT THE END OF A TERM , A MEMBER CONTINUES T O SERVE UNTIL 26
A SUCCESSOR IS APPOI NTED AND QUALIFIES . 27
(4) A MEMBER WHO IS APPOIN TED AFTER A TERM HAS BEGUN SERVES 28
ONLY FOR THE REST OF THE TERM UNTIL A SUC CESSOR IS APPOINTED AND 29
QUALIFIES. 30
4 HOUSE BILL 1206
(5) THE GOVERNOR MAY REMOVE A N APPOINTED MEMBER F OR 1
INCOMPETENCE , MISCONDUCT , OR FAILURE TO PERFOR M THE DUTIES OF THE 2
POSITION. 3
5–2504. 4
(A) THE COMMISSION SHALL STUD Y AND MAKE RECOMMEND ATIONS 5
REGARDING: 6
(1) ADVANCING BILATERAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT BETWE EN 7
MARYLAND AND IRELAND; 8
(2) INITIATING JOINT ACT ION ON POLICY ISSUES OF MUTUAL 9
INTEREST TO MARYLAND AND IRELAND; 10
(3) PROMOTING BUSINESS A ND ACADEMIC EXCHANGE S BETWEEN 11
MARYLAND AND IRELAND; 12
(4) ENCOURAGING MUTUAL E CONOMIC SUPP ORT BETWEEN 13
MARYLAND AND IRELAND; 14
(5) ENCOURAGING MUTUAL I NVESTMENT IN THE INF RASTRUCTURE 15
OF MARYLAND AND IRELAND; AND 16
(6) OTHER ISSUES AS DETE RMINED BY THE COMMISSION. 17
(B) ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2025, AND EACH DECEMBER 1 18
THEREAFTER , THE COMMISSION SHALL REPO RT ITS FINDINGS AND 19
RECOMMENDATIONS TO T HE GOVERNOR AND , IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF 20
THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 21
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That: 22
(a) All initial appointments to the Maryland–Ireland Trade Commission shall be 23
made not later than February 1, 2025. 24
(b) The terms of the initial appointed members of the Maryland–Ireland Trade 25
Commission shall expire as follows: 26
(1) two members in 2025; and 27
(2) two members in 2026. 28
SECTION 3. 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 29
October 1, 2024. It shall remain effective for a period of 2 years and, at the end of September 30 HOUSE BILL 1206 5
30, 2026, this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be 1
abrogated and of no further force and effect. 2
Approved:
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Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.