Kirwan education bill becomes law after lawmakers override veto

General Assembly overrides governor’s veto on Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Act

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Act is now law after the General Assembly overrode the governor’s veto, but Gov. Larry Hogan said the fight is not over.

The state Senate voted 31-16 Friday to override Hogan’s veto of the Kirwan education bill. This comes after the House of Delegates voted Monday to override the governor’s veto.

Supporters say the coronavirus pandemic has only widened the academic and performance gap among students and that the bill will help address that.

Brit Kirwan, chairman in the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (Kirwan Commission), released a statement on the veto override, saying: “All Marylanders should rejoice over the General Assembly’s courageous action to override the veto of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future bill. As a result, desperately needed resources will now flow to the schools and children across the state, including an army of tutors, a significant expansion of community schools and preschools, greater support for teachers and much, much more. With this action, Maryland is now on track to develop a school system that will be the envy of the nation and as good as any in the world.

“I would like to thank Speaker (Adrienne) Jones and President (Bill) Ferguson for their continued commitment to the children of Maryland, all who dedicated so much time as part of the commission, and all the lawmakers who have voted for this legislation each step along the way. This was the product of years of work by committed lawmakers, state, national and international policy experts, advocates, parents and students. This was truly a team effort and the final product is one every person can and should be proud of. I would also like to take a moment to recognize the late Speaker (Michael) Busch and President (Mike) Miller who had a vision for Maryland schools and got everything started. Thank you.”

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