$4 BILLION CAPITAL BUDGET AMONG 140 BILLS SIGNED: More than a billion dollars in one-time payments will be funneled toward infrastructure projects benefiting public schools, universities, medical facilities, parks and more under legislation signed Monday by Gov. Larry Hogan. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
- Maryland legislative leaders signed 140 bills into law. The most impactful bill, by far, was signing of the $4 billion capital budget. “And this is a very big deal. It is the single biggest job creation legislation that we will jointly sign,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson. Other bills signed into law Monday will helps those who need insulin. This bill caps the co-pay for a 30-day supply of insulin at $30. Don Harrison/WMAR-TV.
- The $4 billion capital budget provides for the expansion of affordable housing projects, funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration, capital to begin designing a women’s pre-release correctional center in Anne Arundel County, and through various programs, about $1 billion for public school construction. Hannah Gaskill/Maryland Matters.
BILL SIGNED TO GIVE MOTORISTS RELIEF FROM GLITCHY VIDEO TOLLS: Motorists subjected to penalties for unpaid video tolls will get some relief under a bill signed into law Monday. During the early days of the pandemic in 2020, the state expedited its move to cashless tolling. Motorists were encouraged and later required to use E-ZPass or a system that automatically bills based on digital images of license plates. The system experienced a number of glitches. Bryan Sears/The Daily Record.
SOME PARENTS PUSH BACK ON SCHOOL GENDER IDENTITY FRAMEWORK: Parents in some Maryland districts are pushing back against their school boards’ efforts to adopt a state health framework that instructs educators how to teach about gender identity. The framework broadly outlines how to teach health topics by each grade level. Nicole Asbury/The Washington Post.
VAN HOLLEN REMAINS IN HOSPITAL: U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen is expected to remain for a few more days at the George Washington University Hospital, where he was admitted after suffering a minor stroke while delivering a weekend speech to Western Maryland Democrats. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
- Here’s a hopeful sign that Sen. Van Hollen is on the mend: His wife, Katherine Van Hollen, pinch-hit for him Monday morning at a scheduled public appearance. Other than confessing to being over-caffeinated, she was in good spirits. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
POLITICAL NOTES: BROWN LEADS IN BROWN POLL & GOV CAMPAIGN ADS: U.S. Rep. Anthony G. Brown has a solid lead in the Democratic primary for state attorney general — at least according to a poll conducted for Brown’s campaign. Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly M. Schulz began running a radio ad Monday. An attorney is seeking to remove Del. Daniel Cox (R-Frederick) from the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary ballot. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jon Baron launched his second 2-minute advertisement on Monday. Josh Kurtz, Elizabeth Shwe and Hannah Gaskill/Maryland Matters.
PRIMARY DEBATES: Please join Maryland Reporter’s Len Lazarick as he moderates the virtual online debates for the candidates for Maryland attorney general. Republicans Michael Peroutka and Jim Shalleck debate Tuesday, May 24, 7 p.m. Register here to get the link.Democrats Anthony Brown and Katie Curran O’Malley debate on Wednesday, May 25, 7:30 p.m. Register here. Josh Kurtz of Maryland Matters moderates the debate of Democratic comptroller candidates Tim Adams and Brooke Lierman Tuesday, May 31. Register here. Here’s the flyer. The League of Women Voters is the lead sponsor along with MarylandReporter.com, MarylandMatters.org, Maryland Nonprofits, Maryland Latinos Unidos and the University of Baltimore’s Schaefer Center for Public Policy, the online host.
SUCCESS OF NONPROFIT RUN BY MO CO EXEC HOPEFUL BLAIR QUESTIONED: While David Blair, Montgomery County candidate for county executive, says on his campaign site that his nonprofit foundation Council of Advocacy and Policy Solutions “created and executed on numerous innovative initiatives,” a review of his nonprofit found that it fell short of reaching its goals on several projects. Other proposals to build out “attainable solutions” to county problems ended up as donations from Blair’s family foundation to outside groups. Rebecca Tan/The Washington Post.
ANOTHER PICK FOR MO CO HEALTH OFFICER BACKS OUT: For the third time, Montgomery County’s top pick for the Health Officer position has backed out, leaving the Maryland county to continue its search to fill the role that has been vacant since September. Abigail Constantino/WTOP-FM.
CARROLL TO USE ARPA FUNDS TO FOR MENTAL HEALTH CARE: Carroll County is working to use millions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief funding to increase and enhance mental health services and county residents’ access to them. Madison Bateman/The Carroll County Times.
NICK MOSBY SAYS HE HAS NO DEFENSE FUND TO RETURN: A website established to collect money for the legal defense of Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby and State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby now is mostly blank following the release last week of a ruling from the Baltimore Board of Ethics outlining several alleged violations of the city’s ethics code by the council president. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
- Mosby said Monday he can’t return money collected by a legal defense fund set up for him and his wife, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby because he doesn’t personally have the funds. “There was never any money that was passed along,” Nick Mosby said. “Not much money was collected so there’s nothing to give back.” Tim Swift and Jeff Abell/WBFF-TV.
RELEASED FROM PRISON, PUGH GETS TEMP RADIO GIG: Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh made her debut back in the public eye Monday following her recent release from an Alabama federal prison. For the next two weeks, Pugh is filling in as a guest host for Larry Young, a former state senator, on his WOLB 1010 AM program, “The Larry Young Morning Show,” the radio station announced Saturday. Lilly Price/The Baltimore Sun.
ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL VEHICLE MAKER TO OPEN PLANT IN WHITE MARSH: A New Jersey-based maker of electric-powered industrial vehicles said Monday that it plans to open an assembly plant in White Marsh in July for the next phase of its U.S. expansion. “Greenland’s innovative technologies will allow the company to easily make its mark in the mid-Atlantic and continue growing its presence throughout the nation,” Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday in announcing the company’s plans. Greenland Technologies Holding Corp. manufactures drivetrain systems for forklift trucks and other material-handling vehicles. Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.