Maryland Gov. Wes Moore Vows to Sign Emergency Relief Act for Port of Baltimore Workers

Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) vowed on Monday evening to sign the PORT Act into law after Maryland’s Senate passed the emergency legislation.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Gov. Moore announced that he would “proudly sign the PORT Act into law” on Tuesday. Moore’s announcement came after Maryland’s Senate concurred with House amendments to the legislation, moving it forward to the governor’s desk for approval.

“This legislation will support businesses and workers who have been affected by the Key Bridge’s collapse,” Moore wrote.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson announced that his office would be introducing the Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act to provide Port of Baltimore workers with monetary relief now that they are left without jobs due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

On March 26, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a cargo ship crashed into the bridge, leaving six people dead.

It has been estimated that building another bridge to replace the Key Bridge will cost anywhere from $400 million to several billion dollars, according to sources within President Joe Biden’s administration and in Annapolis.

Devastating: Drone Footage Shows Wreckage of Baltimore Bridge

NTSB via Storyful

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman issued a joint statement praising Maryland’s Senate for the “passage of the bipartisan Maryland PORT Act.”

“We applaud the passage of the bipartisan Maryland PORT Act which will provide much-needed relief for thousands of Maryland’s working families directly impacted by the closure of the Port of Baltimore,” Scott, Olszewski, and Pittman said in their statement.