MOORE TO RECUSE HIMSELF FROM UNDER ARMOUR VOTE: Gov. Wes Moore plans to recuse himself today from a scheduled vote by the state Board of Public Works to decide whether to extend a warehousing contract with Under Armour. Moore served on the Baltimore-based athletic apparel maker’s board, resigning after he won the election in November, and owned thousands of shares of the company’s stock. Moore faces numerous potential conflicts of interest between his holdings and the business of running the state. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
NINE CABINET MEMBERS GET THE NOD: Nine members of Gov. Wes Moore’s cabinet received final approval Monday to lead state agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Labor and Health under the new administration. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
TWO CABINET VOTES DELAYED: Votes for Vincent Schiraldi and Anthony C. “Tony” Woods, the acting secretaries for Juvenile Services and Veterans Affairs, respectively, were not taken up by the Senate Executive Nominations Committee late Monday night. Ovetta Wiggins/The Washington Post.
BROWN URGES LAWMAKERS TO GIVE HIM AUTHORITY TO PROSECUTE POLICE: Attorney General Anthony G. Brown urged lawmakers Tuesday to pass legislation giving him authority to prosecute local police officers he finds criminally at fault for having killed someone or caused an injury “likely to result” in death. Steve Lash/The Daily Record.
- Brown, sworn in as the state’s top prosecutor Jan. 3, was testifying in Annapolis for the first time as attorney general. He inherited the investigations division which was created two years ago to review police interactions that result in the death, or injuries likely to result in death, of a “civilian.” William Ford/Maryland Matters.
SUPPORTERS RALLY FOR TRANS HEALTH BILL: After a bill to expand Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming health care failed late in the 2022 General Assembly session, advocates and lawmakers rallied Tuesday in Annapolis for the passage of the measure this year. House Bill 283, the Trans Health Equity Act, has 57 sponsors in the House of Delegates and 13 sponsors in the Senate. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
BAY HEALTH BARELY BUDGES: Despite decades of conservation efforts, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation gave the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay a D+ in its recently released 2022 State of the Bay report. In fact, the needle has hardly moved since the Chesapeake Bay Foundation began issuing the annual report in 1998. The original report gave the bay a score of 27 out of 100. Today that score has only improved to 32 out of 100. Hunter Savery of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
FREDERICK DELEGATION SPLITS OVER BYOB BILL: Republican state lawmakers representing Frederick County oppose a bill that two Democrats are sponsoring to regulate bring-your-own alcohol policies and help police enforce liquor laws on unlicensed businesses hosting parties. The Democrats have instead sponsored the bill individually, without the backing of the full delegation, which has a Republican majority. Jack Hogan/The Frederick News Post.
BILL WOULD EXPAND STUDENT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS PRIVILEGE: Kent County’s current school board student member does not have voting privileges. Elected by his peers, he represents about 1,200 students countywide. But Brayden Wallace isn’t able to vote on legislation affecting Kent County Public Schools. A bill in the Maryland General Assembly would allow the student board member to cast advisory votes to demonstrate how students think about issues. Christine Zhu of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
POWER GRID PLOTTERS INDICTED: A federal grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday against a Catonsville woman and a Florida man who are accused of plotting to attack Baltimore’s power grid, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced. Madeleine O’Neill/The Daily Record.
POLITICAL NOTES: CASSILLY WITHDRAWS HIS NOMINATION; DEL. KELLY PICKED: Disbarred attorney and former State’s AttorneyJoseph Cassilly withdrew himself from consideration for a seat on the Harford County Ethics Boards, after County Council members expressed objections. He had been nominated by his brother, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly. Legislative dominoes will fall once again in Annapolis after the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee voted Tuesday night to nominate Del. Ariana Kelly (D) to the District 16 vacancy in the Maryland Senate created when Gov. Moore named Sen. Susan Lee to his cabinet. Danielle Gaines and Josh/Maryland Matters.
STATE OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE DISCOVERY NEAR TUBMAN HOME: Maryland officials announced Tuesday the discovery of a home where enslaved people lived on the Eastern Shore farm where abolitionist Harriet Tubman was born. Gov. Wes Moore joined local, state and federal officials at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Dorchester County to announce the find of what is believed to be the home of an enslaved overseer, possibly Jerry Manokey. Staff/The Associated Press.
DECISION EXPECTED ON LEGALITY OF TEACHER’s HARFORD COUNCIL SEAT: A final decision will be made this morning in Harford County’s lawsuit against County Council member Jacob Bennett on whether he may continue serving in that position while being a teacher in the county’s public school system. The county filed suit Dec. 9 arguing a provision of the county charter prevents Bennett from serving on the council as long as he is a Harford County Public Schools teacher. Jason Fontelieu/The Aegis.
LOIS ANN BAILEY, LONGTIME CORRECTIONAL SERVICES EMPLOYEE, DIES AT 66: Lois Ann Bailey, the retired executive assistant to the secretary of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services who worked at the department for 35 years, died of complications from Parkinson’s disease Friday at her Jacksonville home. She was 66. Jacques Kelly/The Baltimore Sun.
FORMER BLACK PANTHER, PRISON REFORM ADVOCATE EDDIE CONWAY, 76, DIES: Marshall “Eddie” Conway — a former member of the Baltimore chapter of the Black Panther Party, and a vocal advocate for prison reform after he spent more than four decades behind bars on a murder conviction that was eventually overturned — has died, according to a statement from The Real News Network, where Conway worked as an executive producer and host. Conway was 76. Penelope Blackwell/The Baltimore Banner.
