Gov. Moore enacts energy and artist protection laws
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed more than 200 bills into law, including measures aimed at lowering utility costs and limiting the use of artists’ lyrics in court, drawing praise from supporters and criticism from Republican lawmakers over energy policy. The post Gov. Moore enacts energy and artist protection laws appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
Black News 
By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) hosted his third bill signing since the close of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session at the State House on May 12, signing more than 200 bills into law.
Among them were the Utility Reducing Energy Load Inflation for Everyday Families (RELIEF) Act, aimed at lowering energy bill costs for Maryland families. He also signed the Protecting Artists’ Creative Expression (PACE) Act, which limits how artists’ creative works can be used as evidence in court.
“The Bipartisan Utility RELIEF Act speeds up new energy generation,” said Moore. “It invests in local clean energy and it stops big corporations from shifting their costs onto taxpayers. Under this law, data centers will finally be forced to pay for any grid update that they require.”
Moore said the average Maryland family will save hundreds of dollars a year on utility bills under this new law. The Utility RELIEF Act took effect immediately upon signature as an emergency measure, though certain provisions will not take effect until July 1.
“We have an affordability crisis in our country, and it’s impacting Maryland,” said House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Md.-21). “More than 25,000 federal workers have lost their jobs and they live in Maryland. We can’t do much to prevent disastrous federal policies, but we can respond to it by doing more to help people afford to live here. We have done that. Every bill we are signing today does that.”
Republican leaders, however, questioned whether the Utility RELIEF Act will provide long-term reduction and criticized its broader energy approach.
“Maryland continues sending terrible market signals to energy producers and investors by piling on mandates, surcharges and regulations while failing to support reliable in-state generation,” said Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey Jr. (R-Md.-36) in a statement on May 12. “That pushes investment and future energy projects to other states while Maryland becomes more dependent on imported power. This bill slightly scales back some utility spending, but it keeps the same failed policies in place.”
Hershey said Marylanders will continue to face high utility bills.
“This time next year, Marylanders’ utility bills will still be higher because Annapolis refused to make the structural changes needed to deliver real relief,” said Hershey.
Moore also signed the PACE Act, which drew strong support at the bill signing.
“Since the 1980s hip-hop lyrics have been used against defendants in more than 820 criminal cases,” said Moore. “Going back to the 1950s, lyrics from every other musical genre combined have been used the same way four times. This is not a coincidence, this is bias. There is no other way to describe this.”
Kevin Liles, a Baltimore native and major entertainment executive, along with other artists, attended in support of the measure.
“Creativity is art,” Liles told the AFRO. “I’m a kid from Baltimore who grew up, took a pen and created. What if they used my lyrics that I created against me? Maybe, I wouldn’t have been the president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings.”
Liles said he believes Black artists in Maryland should use the new law responsibly, noting that it does not completely stop lyrics from being used in court but raises the standard prosecutors must meet to use them as evidence.
“This does not give you a free reign to say ‘At 2 p.m. I’m robbing a store,’” he said. “Those lyrics will be used. That admission will be used.”
He also said he hopes similar laws continue to spread to other states.
“I’m just excited that we got the bill passed in Maryland we got one in California,” said Liles. “New York is next.”
The PACE Act takes effect Oct. 1.
The post Gov. Moore enacts energy and artist protection laws appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
