The General Assembly also overrode Hogan’s veto of an expansion of the state’s Dream Act, which grants in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants, and restored a new way to manage the rebounding oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay.

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The legislature, where Democrats hold three-fifths majorities in both chambers, has reversed the vast majority of policy vetoes Hogan has issued since taking office six years ago. But on Thursday they let stand two of his decisions that were up for consideration — a veto of a bill supported by unions that would have required freight trains to have at least two operators at all times and another that would have imposed reporting requirements on gubernatorial appointments.

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All the bills were passed during the 2019 legislative session, which ended in April, and vetoed by Hogan in May. Hogan argued that some usurped his power, and said others were poor public policy.

In the most high-profile veto, the governor objected to a plan to give administrative law judges, rather than a politically appointed panel, the power to issue final decisions on who can have a concealed-carry permit.

The Handgun Permit Review Board has been under heavy scrutiny since Hogan took office, criticized for granting more permits and for its spotty adherence to Maryland’s open meeting laws. Hogan said abolishing the board would not reduce violent crime and called the move “just another in a long series of politically motivated and ill-conceived power grabs.”

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The House of Delegates overrode that veto on a party-line vote of 89 to 49, four more votes than required. The Senate overrode it 30 to 16, with two more votes than required and minimal debate.

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Several Republicans argued that the citizen board, created in 1972, was working well and had never issued a permit to someone who went on to kill someone.

“Why on earth are we changing the law?” asked Del. Jefferson L. Ghrist (R-Caroline). “Based on that, the citizen advisory board, they haven’t made any bad decisions … Could it be that the governor was appointing a bunch of chest-pounding NRA members? Maybe.”

Del. Vanessa E. Atterbeary (D-Howard) said abolishing the board was common sense, noting that all other decisions by state agencies are appealed to an administrative law judge. That appeals process was created in 1990, nearly two decades after the handgun panel was launched.

On party-line votes, both chambers also overturned Hogan’s veto of the bill that bars employers from asking prospective employees about their criminal history on a job application. Under the “ban-the-box” legislation, employers must wait to ask about criminal history until after an applicant’s initial interview.

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During a speech on the House floor, Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles) revealed that he had been convicted of disturbing the peace years ago and, despite being a combat veteran and graduating from law school, had struggled to land job interviews until the Prince George’s County state’s attorney took a chance and granted him one.

“He let me come in and wow him, do my song and dance,” Wilson said, adding that he was hired on a one-year contract and worked hard because he knew it was his “only shot.”

He said he rose to become a division chief during his eight years as a prosecutor and is now a successful private attorney.

“We’re not making [employers] hire them. We want these folks to have hope,” he said. “Let them come in with their best suit and their best shoes. . . . Or at least explain what happened.”

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In the Senate, Sen. Jill P. Carter (D-Baltimore City) said the bill was “a tiny step” in the effort to help Baltimore and lower crime in the city, noting that about 50 percent of ex-inmates remain unemployed three years after their release from prison.

Sen. Robert G. Cassilly (R-Harford) said the legislation will hurt the economy by telling companies how to do business.

During debate in the House, Del. Jason C. Buckel (R-Allegany) said the bill was “more about virtue-signaling than actually getting something done,” since it does not prevent employers from searching public records or turning down applicants with criminal records.

Advocates for the bill say pre-screening applicants before they get a chance to make a first impression creates barriers to employment.

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“Why should they wear a scarlet letter … for the rest of their lives?” asked Del. Nick Mosby (D-Baltimore City).

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The House voted 95 to 42 and the Senate voted 31 to 15, each along party lines.

The District of Columbia passed a ban-the-box bill in 2014, and since then the city has charged employers more than 1,100 times for violating it. As of 2017, 20 other states had enacted similar ban-the-box bills, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Collectively, the legislature voted 126 to 58 to reinstate a law that Maryland’s watermen said could harm their oyster harvest. The policy uses a science-based method to keep fisheries sustainable; advocates say it is better for the oyster population.

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Lawmakers also restored a technical bill that expands the grievance process for most state workers.

Again along party line votes, lawmakers overturned Hogan’s veto of the Dream Act expansion, which removes a restriction that required an undocumented immigrant to attend a two-year community college before enrolling in a four-year school.

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“Why should we put up barriers?” asked Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s), chairman of the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. “The whole idea of the legislation in 2011 was to break down barriers.”

Republican opponents of the bill said they worried that the expansion of the Dream Act would lead to undocumented immigrants taking up more slots at the University of Maryland, the state’s flagship public college.

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Pinsky called the fear unfounded. He said since the law went into effect eight years ago, 509 undocumented immigrants have gone to community college and 34 continued on to four-year institutions.

In each chamber, Democrats offered personal immigrant success stories as evidence the policy is needed.

House Majority Leader Eric G. Luedtke (D-Montgomery) said his father was 8 years old when he immigrated from Europe and found opportunity and that children today deserve the same chance. Luedtke said he disagrees that helping immigrants somehow hurts citizens.

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