VETO DECISIONS COMING FRIDAY: Gov. Larry Hogan will decide the fate of more than three dozen bills by the end of the day Friday, setting off a potential for multiple veto override votes. The legislature delivered 39 bills by the deadline that would allow them to override any veto before the General Assembly session ends at midnight Monday. In some cases, this was done because the legislature that is seated in January would not be able to override the vetoes in a previous term. Bryan Sears/The Daily Record
- The leaders of state employee unions and one candidate for governor urged Gov. Larry Hogan Thursday to sign a package of bills they said would improve the lives of working Marylanders. The bills would require the state Medicaid program to provide prenatal care for pregnant women who are not citizens and create a paid family and medical leave program similar to unemployment insurance. They would also give collective bargaining rights to staff in the state Public Defender’s office and grant cost of living raises for employees at St. Mary’s College. Joel McCord/WYPR
EXTENSION OF GAS HOLIDAY FAILS: A Republican lawmaker tried and failed to extend Maryland’s gasoline tax holiday by amendment on Thursday, and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) faced pushback from Republican lawmakers who felt debate was unfairly curtailed. Elizabeth Shwe/Maryland Matters
- The suspension of the gas tax saved motorists 36.1 cents per gallon on regular gasoline and 36.85 cents per gallon for diesel fuel. The gas tax holiday will expire on April 16. Robert Lang/WBAL NewsRadio
HISTORY IN THE MAKING, BROWN JACKSON CONFIRMED: A Maryland legal scholar who knows all too well what makes a great Supreme Court justice says significant progress is in the making when history was made Thursday afternoon. Vice President Kamala Harris announced the Senate’s confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Lisa Robinson/WBAL TV
COMMENTARY ON REDISTRICTING DYSFUNCTION: After all else failed — the naked partisan trickery; the cartographical sleight of hand; the threats of months of litigation — Maryland’s political tribes finally agreed on a redrawn congressional map. What a waste of time, writes the editorial board of The Washington Post.
ELRICH BACKED BY TEACHERS UNION IN MOCO: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D), a former school teacher himself, has received the coveted backing of the county’s teachers union in his bid for reelection. The Montgomery County Education Association, which represents about 14,000 educators and specialists in the Maryland county, announced Thursday that it is endorsing Elrich, who is set to face four challengers in the Democratic primary in July. Rebecca Tan/Washington Post
RASKIN CONCERNED ABOUT BANNING BOOKS IN SCHOOLS: A Maryland congressman is drawing attention to thousands of books being banned from public schools. A U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee panel led by U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) on Thursday had a hearing where witnesses said the banned books were predominantly written by marginalized authors including Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to desegregate an all-white school in Louisiana and who spoke at the hearing. Ariana Figueroa/Maryland Matters
MOSBY FACES TOUGH CROWD IN ROLAND PARK: State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who hasn’t officially declared her candidacy but has been raising money and rallying supporters, visited the Roland Park Civic League this week. But she faced tough questions about her record as prosecutor and current federal indictment. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew
- The meeting revealed the pulse of the people in Roland Park, after some community members turned up the heat for Mosby at the neighborhood association meeting where they demanded answers about her own federal indictment and her prosecution policies. Keith Daniels/WBFF
CONCERN OVER STREET RACING, STUNTS AS GENERAL ASSEMBLY DRAWING TO A CLOSE: Noting an alarming increase in street racing and exhibition driving, several lawmakers, law enforcement officials and community leaders hope to pass stricter penalties for the dangerous behavior during the waning days of the General Assembly session. Proponents of stricter penalties said they are needed to deter the often-elusive drivers and participants, some of whom they say come to Maryland from neighboring states because penalties are less severe. Jessica Anderson/The Baltimore Sun
FREDERICK ADVOCATES ARGUE HEALTH CURRICULUM CHANGE NEEDED TO BE INCLUSIVE TO LGBTQ STUDENTS: In the wake of a tense meeting on updates to Frederick County Public Schools’ health curriculum, which district officials said are aimed at making lessons more inclusive for LGBTQ students, advocates and public health officials are making the case that change is needed. They say about 11 percent of students in the county’s high schools identify as LGBTQ and are at more risk for suicide, harassment, and not having a supportive adult in their lives. Jill Atelsek/Frederick News-Post
COMMENTARY: COX STILL WRONG ON REPRESENTING DEFENDANT: Responding to a public statement put out by Del. Dan Cox about a previous Duckpin story, Brian Griffiths is not backing down. He said that Cox should not have defended his involvement in the defense of a criminal convicted of raping a 13-year old girl, explaining the “Alford plea” says while the person pleading does not admit fault, they do admit there is evidence which would persuade a judge or jury beyond a reasonable doubt, and is “universally accepted” as a type of guilty plea. Brian Griffiths/The Duckpin
