The Maryland General Assembly has decided to honor former Congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley by naming the Port of Baltimore after her. And that's a problem in a way you don't expect.
This is an unnecessary post. First, yes, the Port was indeed named after Helen Delich Bentley in 2006 via an executive order by then-Gov. Bob Ehrlich. However, an executive order is not a statute or a regulation. It directs an agency to do x, y or z. It does not have the force of law. Next, an executive order can be struck or changed with a stroke of a pen by a future governor. This new statute makes the tribute to Bentley permanent. Lastly, you're correct that the port-naming legislation was not a heavy lift. Therefore it did not exhaust the General Assembly's resources to make this permanent change in state law.
This is an unnecessary post. First, yes, the Port was indeed named after Helen Delich Bentley in 2006 via an executive order by then-Gov. Bob Ehrlich. However, an executive order is not a statute or a regulation. It directs an agency to do x, y or z. It does not have the force of law. Next, an executive order can be struck or changed with a stroke of a pen by a future governor. This new statute makes the tribute to Bentley permanent. Lastly, you're correct that the port-naming legislation was not a heavy lift. Therefore it did not exhaust the General Assembly's resources to make this permanent change in state law.