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If passed, bill would expedite rebuilding of Baltimore's Key Bridge

"Given the crisis that the collapse of the Key Bridge has created, we need to work to provide an expedited solution for the state and its residents."

BALTIMORE — A bill was introduced in the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee on Friday to help speed up the process of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after its catastrophic collapse. 

Senator Bryan Simonaire (Anne Arundel) and Senator Johnny Ray Salling (Baltimore County) introduced the emergency legislation known as SB 1187. The bill would change Maryland's state of emergency regulations. 

"Given the crisis that the collapse of the Key Bridge has created, we need to work to provide an expedited solution for the state and its residents,” said Senator Simonaire. “As we have seen in similar projects, such as the Truss bridge accident in Florida, it took seven years to rebuild their bridge. Marylanders and our economy cannot wait seven years.”

The bill seeks to give the governor the power to suspend local and state laws necessary for the restoration, repair, or replacement of critical infrastructure related to a declared state of emergency, referring specifically to the state of emergency declared on March 26 following the Key Bridge collapse. 

Under current law, a state of emergency has to be renewed after 30 days.

When a governor declares a state of emergency, they have the power to compel the evacuation of a threatened area, set evacuation routes, direct movement and allowable occupancy in an area, authorize the government to temporarily acquire private property for government use, provide temporary housing, and authorize the clearance and removal of debris and wreckage. This is in addition to being able to suspend local and state laws. 

The proposed bill would give the governor access to tools to continue to address infrastructure needs, without having all of the powers of a state of emergency for the long term.

RELATED: 'Remarkably complicated' | No clear timeline to reopen the channel to the Port of Baltimore following Key Bridge collapse

RELATED: Biden OKs $60M in aid after Baltimore bridge collapse as governor warns of 'very long road ahead'

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