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Gov. Larry Hogan at a news conference on the last day of the session. (Maximilian Franz)

Hogan heads to New Hampshire amid 2020 speculation

WASHINGTON — Larry Hogan will speak at a “Politics and Eggs” event in New Hampshire Tuesday as pundits wonder whether the Maryland governor will mount a primary challenge to Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. “The fact that Hogan is coming into New Hampshire is surely something of great interest to people who follow ...

Hogan signs bill expanding protections against cyberbullying

ANNAPOLIS – Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday signed into law legislation to expand Maryland’s prohibition on the cyberbullying of youngsters, as parents of a teenager driven to suicide by online harassment stood behind him. The expanded law, dubbed Grace’s Law 2.0, will outlaw a one-time online bullying incident conducted with the perpetrator’s knowledge that his ...
Lobbyist Garagiola not bound by ex-employer's noncompete, judge rules

A leading Annapolis lobbyist has won the first round in a bitter legal battle with his former firm, which had sought to enforce a noncompete agreement after he departed. An Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge ruled that an agreement barring Robert Garagiola from competing against his former employer, Alexander & Cleaver, is not valid and ...
Hundreds gather for final goodbye to former House Speaker Busch

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland’s longest-serving Speaker of the House of Delegates returned Monday to the State House one last time. Hundreds of current and former elected officials, aides and citizens lined the front walk of the state capitol building and filled the rotunda to watch as Michael Busch, an Annapolis Democrat, was carried in, his Maryland flag-draped ...
Tolls on 2 major Maryland bridges to go cashless

BALTIMORE — Motorists using two well-traveled Maryland bridges soon won’t be able to pay their way with coins or bills. Transportation officials announced Thursday that tolls on the Francis Scott Key and Thomas J. Hatem Memorial bridges will go cashless this year. Starting in October, motorists will pay by E-ZPass or by “video tolling.” That’s ...
Del. Adrienne Jones running for Maryland speaker

Maryland's Speaker Pro Tem says she is running to be the next leader of Maryland's House of Delegates.
Progressives had their way in much of the 2019 General Assembly

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland’s 439th session of the General Assembly may go down as the session that set the tone for the remainder of the term. A more progressive legislature, one where nearly one-third of the members are new, passed bills that set up future debates over education funding, the environment and marijuana policy. Democrats were ...
Maryland lawmakers pass opportunity zone stimulus

Maryland lawmakers ratified a bill backers hope will boost investment in state opportunity zones and correct flaws in the federal program. The 68-page legislation, SB 581, cobbles together policies pushed by a wide swath of players, including Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, Sen. Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, and community development advocates. The General Assembly passed ...
Md. bill passes allowing prosecutors to vacate 'unjust' convictions

Though some “second chance” legislation failed to pass the General Assembly in 2019 despite years of pushes from advocates, a bill to provide a tool to prosecutors to vacate past unjust convictions gained bipartisan support and passed both chambers by the last day of session. House Bill 874, sponsored by Del. Erek Barron, D-Prince George’s, would allow ...
They Said It during the 2019 legislative session

The governor’s comments were absolutely nonsense. Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense, nonsense personified. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., responding to comments by Gov. Larry Hogan that public education had been a top priority of his administration. There’s nothing more contentious than the debate around the right to bear arms. Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith, chief sponsor ...