MARYLAND FACING $2.7 BILLION BUDGET DEFICIT: Maryland lawmakers were warned Tuesday of an impending $2.7 billion deficit they’ll need to resolve for the next budget year — a significant hole that all but guarantees another debate in Annapolis over whether they should make deep budget cuts or raise taxes. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
- One-time fixes including tapping available cash in the Rainy Day Fund could ease the pain, lawmakers were told Tuesday, but doing so could leave the state at risk for an array of other concerns, including a recession. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY URGED TO EXTEND HEALTH SUBSIDY FOR YOUNG ADULTS: Health advocates and elected officials are urging the Maryland General Assembly to extend health insurance subsidies to young adults during the upcoming legislative session. The Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidy Pilot Program has subsidized premiums for 67,000 young adults enrolled in the state’s health exchange. Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
- Under the 2021 law, Marylanders aged 18-37 who make up to 400% of the federal poverty level can receive a subsidy that lowers their health care costs when they purchase a plan on the state’s insurance marketplace. The pilot program is set to expire in 2025 if the General Assembly does not chose to extend it. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
TRI-COUNTY PROTEST OF 70-MILE TRANSMISSION LINE: During a contentious meeting Tuesday night in Hunt Valley, residents of Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties voiced their opposition to a 70-mile power transmission line proposed by PSEG, a New-Jersey based energy company. Christine Condon/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND’s U.S. HOUSE NEWBIES ARRIVE IN D.C. FOR ORIENTATION: The three newbies who will form Maryland’s U.S. House freshman class arrived Tuesday and began learning about everything from keeping safe on Capitol Hill, to “customizing” their offices, to showing their “good side” when posing for pictures. Representatives-elect Johnny Olszewski Jr., of Baltimore County, Sarah Elfreth of Anne Arundel County and April McClain Delaney of Montgomery County, all Democrats, began 10 days of orientation in Washington that felt like equal parts boot camp and the first day of school. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
BESIDES DISNEY WORLD, WHERE DOES HOGAN GO NEXT? As his victorious U.S. Senate opponent was set to head to the U.S. Capitol for orientation Tuesday, Larry Hogan was preparing to take his grandkids to Disney World. The Republican former two-term governor probably faced a long wait — not just for popular rides at the Florida theme park, but for political relevancy in a party that has bolted further from his moderate brand. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
O’MALLEY A POSSIBILITY FOR NEW DNC CHAIR: The Democratic Party faces existential questions after Donald Trump’s resounding victory. One of the first: Who will lead it? Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison is not expected to seek a second term, opening a job that must be filled by March 1. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s name is being floated. Dan Merica and Steve Peoples/The Associated Press.
- O’Malley, who currently serves as Social Security Administration commissioner under President Joe Biden, is one of several Democrats who have expressed interest in chairing the Democratic National Committee, according to sources familiar with O’Malley’s activity and who were granted anonymity to speak freely. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
FEDERAL PROSECUTORS DROP CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST SHERIFF JENKINS: Federal prosecutors dropped their criminal case against Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins,who had been accused of working with the owner of a gun shop to illegally obtain machine guns by using law enforcement credentials, and then renting them out to make money. Dan Morse/The Washington Post.
- Jenkins and Robert Krop, owner of the Machine Gun Nest gun shop and firing range in Frederick, were charged by a federal grand jury in April 2023. Both pleaded not guilty and sought to go to trial to dispute the charges. In late October, a federal district court jury acquitted Krop on all counts after just five hours of deliberation, following several days of trial. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
KENNETH OLIVER, FIRST BLACK PERSON ELECTED TO BA CO COUNCIL, DIES: Kenneth Oliver, the first Black person elected to the Baltimore County Council, has died, according to Councilman Julian Jones. Oliver was born in 1945, according to the Maryland State Archives. Oliver was elected in 2002 and represented parts of the county’s west side for more than a decade. He lost the seat to Jones in 2014. Clara Longo de Freitas and Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
