The Maryland General Assembly’s 2025 legislative session ended on Monday, April 7. In reflecting on the session, JUFJ staff member Molly Amster said our work is part of a “movement ecosystem” – a constantly cycling and changing system made of multiple elements, interacting with each other to support an environment where they help each other grow and change.
Every part of the ecosystem in the natural world is vital, from the biggest mammals to the smallest microbes. That is true for organizing and advocacy too – from the tiniest action to the largest, every action matters. Whether it’s a JUFJer taking 5 minutes out of their day to call their legislators, or JUFJ and our partners planning a giant day of action, the work we do leads to change and growth, one step at a time, across Maryland. Here’s some of what we and our partners did this year:
Immigrant Justice
We mobilized hundreds of people this year at multiple rallies for immigrant justice. At one rally, hosted by our partners at CASA, Rabbi Ariana Katz spoke to reporters on the importance of immigrant justice. “The Torah teaches that we must not oppress the stranger because we too were once strangers in a foreign land. And it is for each of us an incredible opportunity to live alongside our immigrant neighbors.” JUFJers mobilized their communities and congregations down to the final minutes of the legislative session to demand action from legislators to protect immigrant communities.
Despite this push until midnight on Sine Die, the Senate refused to pass the Maryland Values Act, which would have ended 287(g) agreements in Maryland that allow local law enforcement to act as ICE agents and been incredibly impactful. The Sensitive Locations Act did pass, and it will protect immigrants and their families by helping limit ICE’s access to critical places like schools, courthouses, hospitals, and more; that bill also included some components of the Data Privacy Act.
Housing Justice
Testifying in support of housing justice this year on behalf of JUFJ, Deedee Jacobsohn wrote about Good Cause legislation. “I recently saw a comment on social media that read something like, ‘so do we let tenants stay in their apartments forever just because they’re paying rent?’ My response is a resounding yes. A stable home is central to a stable community,” she wrote. Throughout the legislative session, we and our partners in Renters United Maryland worked tirelessly to keep people rooted in their communities and strengthen rights in the face of unfair eviction processes.
The Good Cause Eviction legislation would have allowed local jurisdictions to pass laws to prevent landlords from evicting tenants for no reason. Unfortunately, the Senate gave into pressure from landlord lobbyists and refused to pass Good Cause Eviction legislation. Despite this setback, Renters United Maryland did succeed in passing other legislation that ensures all tenants in Maryland will have at least 6 days notice of an eviction.
Economic Justice
At the People’s Budget Rally in March, we and partners built excitement around economic justice. “We packed the mall with 150+ people, sang, danced, and took action by writing postcards and rallying with speakers…our energy was so contagious that we had legislators taking videos and even dancing along with us,” JUFJ organizer Ioana recounted. JUFJer Lisa Barkan wrote in JMore about the importance of the Fair Share for Maryland Plan, and how taxing the wealthiest Marylanders fairly would allow our state to continue funding good public schools, just like her own public school education, and other critical services despite state budget shortfalls.
In the end, the Senate resisted proposals from the House and the Governor to close corporate tax loopholes that allow the largest corporations to pay no income taxes, but the General Assembly did make major progress in ensuring the wealthiest Marylanders are paying their fair share. These income tax reforms (the most significant action taken by any state so far this year) will help address the budget deficit and pay for critical programs and services. The fight to hold large corporations accountable for paying their fair share will continue.
Youth Justice
We and our partners continued advocating throughout the legislative session against the harmful practice of automatically charging kids as adults. Young people at Beth Am and B’nai Israel Congregation, for instance, shared powerfully from their own experiences why youth justice matters to them. And in February, JUFJers delivered fact sheets to senators, while many other JUFJers were making calls to Senate President Bill Ferguson and members of the Senate Committee urging them to end the harmful practice of autocharging – a true demonstration of the power we have as JUFJers. We also participated in a day of Action for Incarcerated Marylanders in February, joining speakers outside of the State House – braving frigid temperatures to make our voices heard.
Despite significant community mobilization, advocacy from organizations and legislators, and legislation sponsored by the Chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, the legislature failed to limit the practice of automatically charging kids as adults. This lack of action means that kids who come in contact with the criminal legal system will continue to suffer – we must continue organizing to end this harmful practice. In more positive news, the General Assembly did pass the Second Look Act, which allows individuals who were convicted of certain crimes at a young age and have served at least 20 years an opportunity to get their sentence reduced – giving them a pathway to a second chance.
Our Impact
From January to April, we made a difference by telling our personal stories through writing testimony, rallying with our partners, and contacting legislators, as well as by mobilizing our communities to take action.
And JUFJ helped to lead the Jewish participation in state advocacy, both in Annapolis and across the state. In late January, we worked alongside shuls across our region to host Youth Justice Shabbat and Solidarity Week. Just before Purim, we donned our silliest costumes and accessories to deliver Hamantaschen to every state legislator and talk to them about the issues we care about. One week before the session ended, we hosted our Social Justice Seder on immigrants’ rights in Baltimore, where we heard from CASA, sang together, and shared our families’ personal stories of immigration.
Like any natural environment, the movement ecosystem must be nurtured to sustain growth – and thanks to the tenacity, generosity, and grit of JUFJers and our partners, we grew this year, despite a tremendously challenging environment. The fight for justice continues as our ecosystem grows and shifts every year. Little by little, we are making meaningful change in Maryland, and we will continue to organize alongside partners in our powerful “movement ecosystem.”
Join us for our session debrief on Monday, April 28:
