MOORE TO SIGN ABORTION, GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE BILLS: Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, is poised to sign legislation Wednesday to increase protections and access for abortion providers and patients who receive care in Maryland. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
- Moore is also set to sign into law a bill to give greater access to gender-affirming care for transgender residents on Medicaid, a policy Democrats say sends a practical and symbolic message to the trans community at a time of unprecedented targeting by politicians in GOP-leaning states. Erin Cox/The Washington Post.
MARYLAND INCHES TOWARD ZERO-EMISSIONS VEHICLES: In a significant step toward eliminating toxic air pollution, Maryland lawmakers this past session approved a measure requiring that, year by year, manufacturers ensure that zero-emission vehicles make up a growing share of the trucks and buses sold in the state. Yet some public health advocates fret that the wording of the legislation, which was signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore, will allow the state to drag its feet for a year or more if it finds that the infrastructure for electric vehicles is inadequate. Aman Azhar/The Baltimore Banner.
JAWANDO, SEGAL TO SEEK CARDIN’s SENATE SEAT: Will Jawando, a Montgomery County Council member who served in the administration of former President Barack Obama, became one of the first contenders Tuesday for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Ben Cardin after next year. The other is Jerome Segal, also of Montgomery County, who challenged Cardin for the Democratic nomination in 2018. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
- But there are others who have considered or have been cajoled to run for Cardin’s seat. Who are they? Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
POLL: ARE YOU CANNABIS CURIOUS? Three-quarters of Marylanders who responded to a Goucher College Poll-Baltimore Banner survey said they “never” use cannabis for recreational or medical purposes in a typical month. About 15% of respondents said they use with various levels of frequency but less than daily, while the most avid in Maryland — those who said they use cannabis every day or almost as often — accounted for 7% of respondents. And 16% of respondents said they will be more likely to use weed recreationally, like by smoking or consuming edibles, after Maryland’s long-awaited legalization. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
POLITICAL NOTES: BROWN SUPPORTS TRANSGENDER CARE; WIMS TAKES HOUSE SEAT: Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) joined eight other attorneys general in an amicus brief filed Tuesday to support health care rights for transgender people. W. Gregory Wims was sworn in Tuesday as the newest member of the House of Delegates — just as another vacancy has come up in the chamber. Staff/Maryland Matters.
***SUPREME COURT IN CRISIS: The League of Women Voters and the Francis King Carey School of Law at the University of Maryland Baltimore are hosting a presentation on Supreme Court: Crisis of Legitimacy and the Path to Reform Wednesday, May 3, 1 p.m. Westminster Hall, 519 W. Fayette St. in Baltimore. Speakers are Mark Graber, University of Maryland Regents Professor and Constitutional Scholar; Leslie Proll, Senior Director of Voting Rights, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Jon Sherman, Litigation Director, Fair Elections Center. For more information and to register for the event, click here.***
B’MORE COUNCIL QUESTIONS TURNOVER IN MAYOR’s OFFICE: One day after news broke of the latest sweeping staffing changes on Mayor Brandon Scott’s executive team, Baltimore City Council convened Tuesday to discuss high level vacancies across city government. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
- Some council members leaned into the uncanny timing of the hearing, which was first called for months ago but rescheduled several times. The first-term mayor’s tenure has been dotted with Cabinet level departures, from former City Administrator Chris Shorter to multiple communications directors. Emily Sullivan/The Baltimore Banner.
ADVOCATE QUESTIONS OVERSIGHT OF CITY SCHOOLS AFTER TAXICAB REPORT: The Baltimore City school system is cutting back on taxicabs following a new report from the Maryland Inspector General for Education office. The report claims from the 2018 to 2019 school year and the 2021 to 2022 school year, one cab company drove off with $631,547 spent on rides that never happened. “Where’s the oversight? Where’s the accountability?” questioned taxpayer advocate David Williams. Rebecca Pryor/WBFF-TV.
FALLEN JOURNALISTS MEMORIAL OK’d FOR NATIONAL MALL: The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts gave final approval Monday for a memorial honoring fallen journalists at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation can begin design plans for the first monument of its kind to be built on federal land. The foundation was launched on June 28, 2019, exactly one year after the deadliest assault against journalists in U.S. history when five staff members of The Capital, Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters, were murdered in their newsroom in Annapolis. Megan Loock/The Capital Gazette.
