On December 10th, 2020, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball signed into law Council Bill 63, named “The Liberty Act” by its sponsors. CB-63 echoes similar legislation crafted by Ball when he was a councilman in 2017. That “Sanctuary City” bill was vetoed by then-County Executive Allan Kittleman. Kittleman, a Republican, did not feel the 2017 law was necessary, citing that it prevented Howard County employees from doing something they weren’t doing to begin with, namely asking County residents about their immigration status, or supplying such information to ICE.
Concerned that CB-63 will cost Howard County millions in tax dollars, create resentment in the legal immigrant community, and potentially weaken Howard County Police, Citizens for a Strong and Safe Howard County has registered a petition to take CB-63 to a referendum in the 2022 election. If the petition is successfully filed with 11,543 signatures by February 8th, CB-63 would not take effect until and unless Howard County voters approved it at the polls. The Republican Central Committee of Howard County strongly urges all voters to support our democratic process and sign the petition, giving each of us a direct voice in the fate of this potentially costly legislation.