Maryland Gov. Wes Moore arranged for a dramatic backdrop to sign a handful of military- and veteran-focused bills on Friday, putting pen to paper in front of a Maryland Air National Guard A-10 combat aircraft.
A row of military leaders stood at the guard base at Martin State Airport in Middle River behind Moore, Senate President Bill Ferguson and House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones as they made official new measures that:
- Cut taxes on military retirement income
- Give a modest health insurance subsidy to Guard members
- Lift fees on burials of military spouses and dependents in state cemeteries
- Add a veterans fund checkoff to tax returns
- Clarify how military children with autism are handled on the waitlist for services
- Study how military families are using an expedited program for certain professional licenses
Moore, a Democrat who served an Army tour in Afghanistan, sponsored the tax cut and health insurance bills.
Both were modified by lawmakers to be less generous than the governor initially proposed. But Moore noted that the savings to military families are still significant and send a message that their sacrifices are important.
The tax cut was dubbed the “Keep Our Heroes Home Act,” in hopes of inspiring military members to stay in Maryland once their service careers are over.
“We need to make sure that, ‘Thank you for your service’ is more than just a quote,” Moore said.
Adding to the pageantry of the bill signing, Moore administered the oath of enlistment to Airman First Class Zion Rawls of Harford County, who is joining the Maryland Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Squadron to work in aviation resource management.
Of the 810 bills passed by the Maryland General Assembly in their recent legislative session, Moore has signed more than 600 of them into law. He has until the end of the month to sign the rest, veto them or allow them to become law without his signature.
