MOORE RELEASES FUNDS WITHHELD BY HOGAN FOR ABORTION TRAINING, CLIMATE CHANGE, FAMILY LEAVE: On his first full day in office, Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller announced they’re releasing $3.5 million to expand abortion care training, part of $69 million in funds withheld by his predecessor and released by Moore Thursday. Michelle Larkin/Capital News Service in MarylandReporter.com
- The funds were approved by the General Assembly but withheld by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, including millions of dollars to offer training for abortion providers. Hannah Gaskill/Baltimore Sun
- The actions, Moore said, were “a fundamental shift on how the governor’s office is going to approach the budget and the office’s relationship with the General Assembly.” Daniel Gaines and William Zorzi/Maryland Matters
- Moore, a Democrat, approved the money that his predecessor withheld because of policy disagreements with the Democrat-controlled General Assembly. Brian Witte/AP in Cumberland Time- News
- Moore’s flurry of changes ushered in a new era after eight years of divided government. The order freed up money for abortion provider training, addressing climate change, standing up the state’s recreational cannabis industry and launching a paid family leave program that lawmakers approved last year. Ovetta Wiggins/Washington Post
ALL SIX OF MARILYN MOSBY’S LAWYERS ASK TO BE REMOVED: The six defense attorneys representing former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby against federal mortgage fraud and perjury charges asked Thursday to be removed from her case. Alex Mann and Lee Sanderlin/Baltimore Sun
- Mosby’s defense attorneys asked to withdraw from the case, and to have a public defender take over. In their four-page motion, the team of attorneys, led by A. Scott Bolden, argue they work for the same firm and, “have a conflict, may represent Ms. Mosby no further, and must immediately move to withdraw from this matter.” Ken Duffy and Robert Lang/WBAL NewsRadio
MOORE PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITIES LACKING DETAIL: On his first day in office, Gov. Wes Moore said he wanted to emphasize that combating violence would be a top priority for his administration, but he offered few specifics on his crime-fighting strategy. Pamela Wood/Baltimore Banner
HOWARD COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDER CLOSES SUDDENLY: GenPysch, a regional acute mental health services company, closed its Howard County location Friday, and parents and staff affected by the closure are accusing the company of engaging in patient abandonment, a violation of health care ethics codes. The company gave less than a day’s notice to the staff and the adolescent clients they served, according to interviews with staff and parents of patients. Glynis Kazanjian/Baltimore Post-Examiner
LAWSUIT ALLEGES FOSTER CARE CHILDREN ARE OVERPRESCRIBED DRUGS TO CONTROL BEHAVIOR: A lawsuit filed this week accused the two Maryland agencies operating the foster-care system with overusing psychotropic medications without providing adequate oversight. It was a move experts said could shine a light on the increasing reliance on drugs by an overwhelmed system lacking other options. Sarah True and Meredith Cohn/Baltimore Banner
529 COLLEGE SAVINGS PLAN LEADERS REPROACHED BY LAWMAKERS: Lawmakers criticized Maryland 529 state education funding agency’s top two officials Thursday, lambasting them for what they called a lack of communication or urgency as parents scrambled to find ways to pay their children’s tuition bills. Lia Russell/Baltimore Sun
FREDERICK SCHOOLS SAYS BOOK REVIEW COMMITTEE WON’T FALL UNDER OPEN MEETINGS ACT: Frederick County Public Schools is arguing that a committee it is forming to review 35 challenged library books is not subject to the Maryland Open Meetings Act. The committee will feature 60 people, including parents, students and FCPS employees. Its members will be tasked with reading the 35 books and determining whether they should be allowed to remain on school library shelves across the county. Jillian Atelsek/Frederick News-Post
LAWMAKERS SEEK TO REMOVE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON SUITS BY SEX ABUSE SURVIVORS: Members of Maryland’s Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee received a detailed briefing Thursday on the current state of Maryland’s statute of limitations law, which could be amended this legislative session to remove any time limits on when child sexual abuse survivors can sue. Madeleine O’Neill/The Daily Record
- As Maryland lawmakers consider whether to advance a bill that will make it possible to file retroactive lawsuits for child sexual abuse against organizations like the Catholic Church, they are faced with a burning question: Would any new law be constitutional? Lee Sanderlin/Baltimore Sun
MOCO DEMS START PROCESS TO FILL LEE’S SENATE SEAT: The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee is looking to fill another vacant seat in the Maryland General Assembly now that Sen. Susan Lee (D-16) has been named secretary of state by Gov. Wes Moore. Ginny Bixby/Bethesda Beat
CHEAT SHEET FOR SUBMITTING GENERAL ASSEMBLY TESTIMONY: The Maryland House and the Senate are using a hybrid system this session accepting virtual and in-person oral testimony, but both houses have stressed that witnesses are strongly encouraged to be in-person as not all virtual witnesses will be called for testimony. Victoria Maas/Conduit Street, the blog of the Maryland Association of Counties
