Some delegates shave their heads because they don’t have much hair left. Dels. Sid Saab and Eric Luedtke shaved away their thick locks this session to raise over $4,000 in support of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which is dedicated to childhood cancer research.
Budget sails through the Senate without opposition; Miller pledges to work with Hogan on tax relief; Gov. Hogan wants to add 100 troopers; Patti Saylor testifies for self-advocates; self-driving vehicle bill comes to complete stop; Maryland Dem chair Yvette Lewis to step down; Obama nominates Xinis to federal bench; and state Crime Control spokesman Toohey, former governors’ photog Tomlinson die.
For the first time in nine years, the Maryland Senate unanimously approved the $40.5 billion state budget in its first go-round, applauding their unanimity and congratulating each other for their bipartisan work.
“This year is like no other,” said Senate Minority Leader J.B. Jennings, who praised the Democratic leadership of the Senate Budget Committee for giving Republicans a seat at the table.
Legislators are moving to dish out free meals to hungry schoolkids, who are too embarrassed by living below the poverty level to eat free lunches in front of peers.
The Hunger-Free Schools Act of 2015 would abolish the current enrollment process of singling out low-income students with paper applications.
Miller says Senate will now cooperate with Hogan on some of his agenda; but Hogan’s charter school bill is gutted in the Senate; Baltimore looks for its own U.S. Senate candidate, as other groups assess Van Hollen, Edwards; comptroller engineers voluntary ban on powdered alcohol; port company gets tax break that surprises Baltimore; gun law on appeal; senator attempts to squelch PG tax increase; fly bill swatted down; phosphorus compromise moves forward; snow day waivers and more.
As the Chesapeake Bay watershed overpopulates with huge, predatory blue catfish, legislators introduced a plan to reward everyday citizens who report the introduction of invasive species to Maryland waterways.
With a flesh-eating bacteria often going unnoticed in the Chesapeake Bay, legislators are rallying behind a bill that would warn potential victims.
The naturally-occurring bacteria, which causes infections called Vibriosis, is most commonly contracted through open wounds or cuts. In 2013, there were 57 reported cases, jumping from 25 cases in 2001.
Different versions of fracking limits pass the Senate and House; Gov. Hogan gets warm welcome for business-friendly message and claims progress on Bay; covering fertilization procedures for same-sex couples passes Senate and House; Uber goes up against the taxi companies; online travel companies lose battle in Senate; increasing judges retirement age advances; Maryland gun control law to heard in federal appeals court; traffic deaths at historic low; opinionating on charter schools, opioids and marijuana; and happy Maryland Day.
Legislators debated the meaning of “equality” as they considered a bill that will guarantee insurance benefits for same-sex couples seeking artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures.
The state will have an easier time prosecuting government contractors for fraud under a whistle-blower protection act passed by the Senate on Tuesday.
The Maryland False Claims Act of 2015 would widen Maryland’s current false claims protections to state and local government contractors.
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