With five days remaining in the annual legislative session, lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill to allow select incarcerated individuals serving lengthy prison sentences to have early release hearings before a judge.

The Maryland Second Look Act passed out of the House 89-47. The bill’s next stop will be the desk of Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, where he could sign it into law, allow it to pass through to law without signing it, or send it back to lawmakers vetoed.

Moore’s office declined to take a position on the bill Thursday when The Baltimore Sun reached out requesting a comment.

“I thank Senator Sydnor who carried the bill, from his heart, to the finish line in the Senate,” bill sponsor Del. Cheryl Pasteur, a Baltimore County Democrat, said. “I thank the advocates who fought, faithfully, for this bill.”

In a whirlwind session Thursday, the Senate passed a final amendment, 31-16, that would exclude offenders convicted of killing first responders from consideration, before sending the bill back to the House for review of the amendment and final approval.

“When those who are convicted of murdering first responders are released early, it hurts the families of the fallen first and foremost, but also the community where they lived and served,” said Sen. Jack Bailey, a retired Department of Natural Resources law enforcement officer, who proposed the amendment. “[It] discourages those who serve us today and those who are considering serving in the future.”

First responders are defined in this bill as law enforcement agents, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, rescue squad members, correctional officers, and sworn members of the State Fire Marshal’s office. Bailey’s amendment passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis, 24-23.

The Second Look Act would allow inmates imprisoned for 20 years or more and who committed their crime between the ages of 18 and 24 the right to petition for a sentence reconsideration hearing before a judge. Sexual offenders and those sentenced to life without parole do not qualify.

Nearly 2,000 of Maryland’s more than 16,000 inmates could qualify for an early release hearing under the bill.

Some inmates committed crimes that include armed carjacking, armed robbery, burglary, intent to distribute and drug possession, assault (non-sexual) and malicious destruction of property. Others have murder convictions, including those sentenced for first-degree murder for a person’s death that occurred during a related crime if the person did not directly do the killing.

Bill opponent Kurt Wolfgang, executive director of the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center, called it a sad day.

“It’s a very sad day, the legislature heard clearly the cries of suffering victims and they instead listened to the voices of the oppressors — instead of the oppressed,” Wolfgang said. “Not only is this going to cause a lot of pain to victims, it’s also going to generate new victims.”

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