Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown made it official Friday, and announced he was running for governor at Prince George's Community College. He was introduced by Congresswoman Donna Edwards and his wife Karmen. Here's a five-minute video of Edwards' introduction and Brown's speech to a large crowd estimated at over 1,000. [...more]
The O’Malley administration is asking state legislators to take the final steps to implement the Affordable Care Act in Maryland, and pass another bill to pave the way for expanded health insurance under Obamacare. The proposed Maryland Health Progress Act of 2013 would dedicate funding to the state health exchange and make other changes required by federal law before the Jan. 1, 2014 deadline . [...more]
The bimonthly meetings of Board of Public Works in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State House often get started late. But Wednesday’s meeting of the board that approves all major state contracts got started four hours after the originally scheduled 10 a.m. [...more]
In the battle for expanded casino gambling, they brought out the big political guns Thursday to persuade hundreds of residents of the large Leisure World retirement community in Montgomery County that ads against Question 7 ads are misleading and dishonest. Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and Sen. Roger Manno -- all Democrats -- told the seniors that building a world-class casino at National Harbor in Prince George’s County will have positive impacts on the state's economy and education funding. [...more]
Hoopla, hooch and horse manure are all in abundance at conventions of either political party. But why do thousands of people spend all that time, effort and millions of their own money and taxpayer dollars to come together every four years for an extended infomercial? Experienced Democratic politicos from Maryland who’ve been to as many as a dozen national political conventions say they’re worth the expense. [...more]
It was a bad day for bureaucrats at the Board of Public Works Wednesday – at least for several state officials who had to defend their spending plans to the three-member board that must approve all major state contracts. In the end, most of the state agencies got the money they came for, but not before some uncomfortable questions and critical remarks came their way about slow payments and outsourcing loan-making and faculty hiring. [...more]
The torrent of comment on the Supreme Court decision to uphold most of the Affordable Care Act fell predictably along party and ideological lines: Democrats and progressives were exulting; Republicans and conservatives were disgusted, except for the ruling that the individual mandate was a tax. It will take several days to digest the full implications, but here are lightly edited versions of over two dozen Maryland reactions. [...more]
After the General Assembly failed to pass a bill dictating state policy on public-private partnerships, plaintiffs in the State Center lawsuit are moving forward with their case. An attorney for the group of Baltimore business owners who have been suing the state since December 2010 said the amended bill’s failure to gain passage was further validation for their case. [...more]
As the U.S. Supreme Court heard its third and final day of arguments Wednesday on the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s health care law, Maryland plunged ahead in preparing the state for the law’s implementation. Despite concerns that the 2010 Affordable Care Act could be overturned by the Supreme Court, both chambers of the General Assembly have approved bills backed by Gov. Martin O’Malley that lay the groundwork for the execution of the federal law on the state level. [...more]
Health Secretary Joshua Sharfstein and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown testified at two hearings this week on the bill to implement the federally mandated health care exchange, creating a "mini-marketplace" for the uninsured and small businesses. [...more]
