A few government and politics headlines for Friday.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A bill sparked by a custody dispute involving “The Lost Boys” actor Jason Patric that would allow certain sperm donors to seek paternity rights in court is on hold after failing to clear a legislative panel Tuesday. ...

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WASHINGTON — House Republicans are preparing legislation that would cut food stamps by as much as $4 billion annually in an effort to downsize a program that many conservatives say has become too bloated in recent years. The head of ...

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ANNAPOLIS — A Maryland lawmaker hopes to be elected the nation’s first openly gay governor. Del. Heather Mizeur plans to make her campaign announcement Wednesday for the Maryland 2014 governor’s race. Mizeur, a Democrat who has been exploring a run ...

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“So, Nick,” you’re thinking, “why on Earth would I want to work in Annapolis after reading this post?”

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A Baltimore City Council bill that would have capped ticket surcharges at a percentage of the box office price was changed Tuesday to allow licensed ticket vendors to set the rate freely.

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WASHINGTON — The House has rejected a five year, half-trillion-dollar farm bill that would have cut $2 billion annually from food stamps and let states impose broad new work requirements on those who receive them. Those cuts weren’t deep enough ...

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On the same day the Baltimore City Council passed a mandatory local hiring law that the city solicitor deemed unconstitutional, its leader introduced legislation that would let the council hire its own lawyer at a cost of $100,000.

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During a relatively calm 2013 session, the General Assembly passed several new laws that will impact health insurance and health care practice in Maryland, including the following.

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The Harbor Point project could be another uplifting chapter in Baltimore’s cycle of decline and rebirth.

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