ANNAPOLIS — Republican Gov. Larry Hogan Thursday called on the Democratic-controlled legislature to quickly pass a package of bills he said will address violent crime in Baltimore and proposed making them emergency legislation, a change that is likely to leave ...
Read More »Md. small business insurance subsidies seen as too costly
ANNAPOLIS — A high price tag could stand in the way of lawmakers’ plans to create a subsidy program to help small businesses purchase health insurance through Maryland’s Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). Del. Shane E. Pendergrass, D-Howard and chair ...
Read More »Maryland lawmakers unveil new climate change proposal
Maryland would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030, under an ambitious measure outlined Wednesday as the coastal state grapples with increasing concerns about sea-level rise.
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Read More »Democratic leaders push $2.6B sales tax expansion to pay for education plan
ANNAPOLIS — Lawmakers will consider a $2.6 billion increase in sales tax revenue as a way to pay for the state’s share of a generational change in public education funding. The plan, expected to be introduced in the House of Delegates ...
Read More »Advocates continue to push for expansion of Md. expungement law
ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland General Assembly will again grapple with the practicality and the implications of allowing individuals to remove non-convictions from their records, with advocates continuing to push for an expansion of the state’s expungement law. Senate Bill 589 and ...
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Read More »Frosh urges end to license suspensions based on inability to pay
ANNAPOLIS – Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh urged legislators Wednesday to strip the state of its authority to suspend the driver’s licenses of motorists who fail to pay a traffic fine because they lack the funds, saying such suspensions ...
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Read More »Bill would make single-occupant restrooms gender neutral
ANNAPOLIS — Many public places in Maryland would be required to make their single-occupant bathrooms gender neutral under legislation in the state’s General Assembly. The proposed law would require public facilities to change their pictorial or gender-exclusive signage for single-toilet ...
Read More »Md. bill would let behavioral health patients go to crisis centers
ANNAPOLIS — Legislation to allow law enforcement to take behavioral health patients to a crisis center instead of an emergency department would help patients get better care sooner and allow emergency departments to operate more efficiently, the bill’s supporters said ...
Read More »Black women, men praise Md. bill on hairstyle bias, cite personal accounts
ANNAPOLIS – Legislation to ban racial discrimination based on hairstyle drew strong support Tuesday from black women and men – including the bill’s Senate sponsor — who recounted having endured or having seen family members experience the trauma of having ...
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Read More »Md. Senate moves to remove gambling provisions from state constitution
ANNAPOLIS — A vote in the Maryland Senate has moved the state closer to removing most gambling provisions from the state constitution. The gaming provision, placed into the Maryland Constitution in 2008, was demanded by former House Speaker Michael Busch, ...
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