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C. Fraser Smith: Locking out funds removes flexibility
If you’re wondering how the governor and assembly leaders got legislators to approve a really unpopular gas-tax increase, think “lockbox.”
Employers eager for new foreign worker program
WASHINGTON — As desperate as unemployed Americans are to find work, there are still some jobs that many would never consider applying for because they are seen as too dirty, too demanding or just plain unappealing. But employers that struggle to fill those jobs — washing dishes, cleaning hotels, caring for the elderly — could […]
John Cavanagh: Important step toward a more equal society
Inequality hurts us all. Imagine if you could go back 45 years to 1968. That year, after three decades of creative policy from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal through President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society, the United States was one of the world’s most equal nations.
Public defender bill dies in House of Delegates
The Senate has passed controversial legislation that would require the public defender’s office to have a second person review a defendant’s application for free legal assistance once they have posted bond or were released on their own recognizance.
General Assembly fails to pass dog-liability bill
The General Assembly failed to pass a breed-neutral law on liability for dog attacks, leaving in place the Court of Appeals’ April 2012 ruling that imposed strict liability on pit bull owners and the owners’ landlords.
Coal tar banned in Montgomery County
Montgomery County officials are warning residents, businesses and contractors planning to reseal driveways or parking lots that coal tar, commonly found in resealing products, is now illegal in the county.
Bill eases path for public-private partnerships
Businesses seeking long-term deals to run day-to-day operations and pay for capital improvements at state facilities would be subject to special procurement rules under legislation passed on Monday by the General Assembly.
With gun bill vote, both sides weigh next steps
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland gun-control advocates hope key parts of a comprehensive measure aimed at controlling gun violence will take root in other states grappling to limit gun access by criminals and the mentally ill in the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., massacre. Opponents are gauging interest in trying to uproot the bill at home by […]
Md. bill barring killers as victims’ heirs OK’d
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland’s General Assembly has approved a bill to prevent killers from benefiting from the victim’s estate. The Frederick News-Post reported Friday that the bill needs only the governor’s signature to become law. It won final approval in the state Senate on Thursday, one day after the House vote. Frederick County Republican Delegate Kelly […]
Doing their bit: Committee to try resolving dog bill
Sen. Robert A. “Bobby” Zirkin, whose insistence on near-strict liability for owners may derail a bill addressing the liability of dog owners for injuries their pets cause, said he is open to compromise as the General Assembly nears its final day Monday.
C. Fraser Smith: Dissecting gun control’s victory in Annapolis
Maryland, says the people’s lobbyist Vincent DeMarco, is pulling back the curtain on a life-saving secret: licensing and fingerprinting of gun buyers may reduce gun death in America.
Editorial: Gun control can reduce deaths
After the sheer horror of the December shootings in Newtown, Conn., there was little doubt that a progressive state like Maryland would pursue some form of gun control. Indeed, that debate has been among the more dominant during this session of the General Assembly.
