Read more: Eye on Annapolis blog
Resources: Maryland ethics filings

Annapolis Statehouse building. (File photo)

Md. business groups express access concerns for 2021 assembly session

A coalition of business groups is concerned about the potential for rule changes that could limit public participation in the 2021 General Assembly Session. Legislative leaders have yet to say what a second pandemic session would look like, but a 10-page letter from an attorney for the General Assembly laid out the potential for one ...

Md. lawmakers to issue subpoenas as Hogan proposes MES reforms

A legislative panel plans to issue subpoenas to compel testimony of a former top aide to Gov. Larry Hogan in an investigation into the Maryland Environmental Service that may be expanding to the hiring practices of the two-term governor as well as other independent agencies. The unanimous vote Wednesday to subpoena the testimony of Roy ...
Hogan: High court nomination before election 'a mistake'

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he believes it would be a mistake for his party to “ram through” a nomination to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court before the November election. The Republican who has said he will consider running for president in 2024 made the comments Wednesday in an interview at ...
Md. prosecutors, police officials at odds with some proposed police reforms

A proposal to track and make public complaints against police officers is drawing mixed reviews from police unions, prosecutors and chiefs of police. Democratic legislators are sponsoring more than a dozen proposals intended to improve accountability in law enforcement, which Republican senators characterize as patently anti-police. Included in that package is one that would track all ...
Pandemic seen as cause of surge in Md. opioid cases

The coronavirus pandemic has likely contributed to a surge in opioid and other substance abuse fatalities, state health officials said Tuesday in releasing their 2020 second quarter report. There were 1,326 unintentional intoxication deaths from all types of drugs and alcohol reported in Maryland during the first two quarters of 2020, said the state’s Opioid ...
'Fast track' approach to police reform worries Republicans, advocates

Police reform bills that will be the subject of three days of hearings are drawing fire from Republicans and advocates for reform who are concerned the process is built for speed and has ignored the goals of activists. The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee is set to hold hearings beginning Tuesday on proposed bills in advance of ...
Number of new Md. jobs declines again in August

Maryland added more than 24,000 jobs in August, the lowest number in four months.
Leading Maryland lawmakers rule out special session

ANNAPOLIS — The leaders of the Maryland General Assembly say they don’t plan to hold a special session this year. House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson made the announcement Wednesday night at an event organized by progressive groups who are urging lawmakers to convene. Jones and Ferguson said lawmakers need more time ...
Testy lawmakers say their constituents still struggling to get benefits

Maryland Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson vowed to improve communication between her department and lawmakers after a number of legislators — Democratic and Republican — complained about an inability to resolve unemployment benefits problems for constituents when dealing directly with top aides at the department. Robinson appeared before a joint meeting of the Senate Finance and ...
Md. officials say general availability of vaccine months away

A vaccine for COVID-19 might not be available to most Marylanders for six-eight months after a treatment receives emergency authorization from the federal government, according to Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson. Ferguson, speaking during a Joint Legislative COVID-19 Work Group Wednesday, said his assessment is based on discussions with Johns Hopkins researchers who are working ...