When the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed one year ago, María del Carmen Castellón Luna lost her husband, Miguel Luna, one of the construction workers on the bridge at the time. But unlike many whose loved ones die, Castellón Luna was not allowed to serve as the personal representative of her husband’s estate because Maryland does not allow people who are not citizens to fill that role.
On Wednesday, the anniversary of the bridge’s collapse, members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee considered a bill that would change that rule. The measure, sponsored by Montgomery County Del. Teresa Woorman, has already passed the House.
The bill “allows grieving families, many of them who are immigrants, who have built their lives here, to move forward with dignity, clarity and justice,” Woorman said during Wednesday’s hearing. “This bill will ensure that families like Miguel Luna’s are not denied their ability to honor their loved ones and carry out their final wishes.”…