Hard cases make bad law.

I learned that in law school.

Hasty contracts make bad deals.

We learned that in Annapolis during the pandemic.

While the flexibility to move quickly during an emergency is important, some recent procurement contracts have come under scrutiny.

The Blue Flame Medical contract and the purchase of South Korean covid tests were made in the confusion of the crisis, and hindsight has demonstrated they were deeply flawed.

At a pre-session briefing, I asked Gregory Hook, the Legislative Auditor, how we could address this problem.

Limit the length of emergency contracts, he replied.

That prompted me to introduce House Bill 767, which limits the length of emergency contracts to six months.

Then they would have to be rebid under the standard non-emergency procedures.

“But would that second contract be reviewed by the same people who OK’d the first version?” one of my colleagues asked at today’s hearing.

I responded, “To quote Professor Berra, that would be ‘déjà vu, all over again.’”