Delegate Matt Morgan Shares Thoughts on Special Session
The following article was submitted by District 29A Delegate Matt Morgan of St. Mary’s County about his insight on the Special Session
I am writing to follow up on the Special Session held last Tuesday.
During the special session, we elected a new Speaker of the House, Joseline Peña-Melnyk. I have served with Delegate Peña-Melnyk for 11 years, during which she served as my committee chairwoman. Although our political views differ, I’ve always found her to be fair and open to all ideas. Personally, I think she’ll be a breath of fresh air, and I want to congratulate her on becoming the new Speaker of the House of Maryland.
The Commission on Reparations.
On Tuesday, Democrats voted to override the Governor’s veto and establish a Reparations Commission.
Despite the Governor’s veto and significant public opposition, Annapolis Democrats have pushed this bill forward, advancing an agenda that I believe divides rather than unites.
They are proposing a “solution” that will only create more division. It betrays the core principle of the civil rights movement: that we should be judged by the content of our character, not the color of our skin. Our government should never put one race above another. This bill undermines that vision of unity by prioritizing division over shared progress. What’s also troubling? Not a single Democrat in either chamber dared to vote against it. Their entire party was once again in lockstep
Reparations Commission report is due next year, unfortunately, after the election.
What I also find interesting
As we move from media coverage to historical context, the saying goes that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I find the misconception and the historical wording of this bill fascinating. On page one of the bill, it only draws in one race: Black Americans.
The legislation then sets its scope, focusing on individuals or their ancestors who faced historical discrimination between 1877 and 1965. 1877 is 12 years after the Civil War ended. While listening to this bill in committee, I found myself wondering, what exactly happened in 1877?
The presidential election of 1876 was so close that it triggered a constitutional crisis, without a clear winner. This led to the so-called Corrupt Compromise of 1877.
In this backroom deal, Democrats conceded the presidency to Republican Rutherford B Hayes in exchange for the removal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction and leading to the rise of the KKK and Jim Crow laws. I find it interesting that today’s Democrats are also opposed to the use of federal law enforcement to protect citizens in high-crime cities.
The legislation states that organizations benefiting from slavery should be held accountable. So shouldn’t the commission also examine the Democratic Party’s actions?
In case you were wondering the Democratic Party has controlled the Maryland General Assembly for all but a handful of years since 1850 and has had supermajority control since 1920. If you like to read the legislation for yourself, it can be found here: SB587.
Untangling the politics from the legislation is impossible.
The March to Marx
In my view, the Reparations Bill is another step in the Democratic Party’s shift toward Marxism. Traditional Marxism categorized society into two classes: the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Today’s version redefines those divisions, focusing instead on race, gender, and sexual orientation.
Maryland has embraced DEI so thoroughly that it created a new department for it—the Department of Social and Economic Mobility. Interestingly, it was originally named the Department of Social Equality but was renamed after a Trump executive order last year.
To counter pushback against state initiatives like this, the U.S. EEOC, whose purpose is to prevent workplace discrimination, released this video.
On Tuesday, in the special session, we addressed two controversial bills. Out of the 39 members in the House Republican Caucus, most chose to remain silent.
However, I am proud to say that EVERY member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus stood up to speak out and defend your position on these divisive topics. As supporters of traditional and patriotic values, we must stand up and defend our beliefs. When we remain silent, we allow those with opposing views to control the narrative.
