STATE OFFICIALS GRAPPLE WITH TRUMP FREEZE, THEN REVERSAL: Maryland Democrats at the state and federal levels huddled Wednesday to figure out a response to a Trump administration proposal that threatened billions in federal aid to the state before apparently being reversed, all in the span of 48 hours. “Chaos” was the word of the day. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- “It had been done with such haste, and such lack of thought and such frankly ham-handed ways that we have now seen three decisions made within 48 hours essentially — it’s on, it’s off, we’re not sure where it is,” Congressman Steny Hoyer told reporters Wednesday afternoon, shortly after OMB rescinded the freeze order. Rachel Baye/WYPR-FM.
LAWMAKERS AGREE THAT RULES ARE NEEDED FOR CELLPHONES IN SCHOOLS: They differ in the details of what to prohibit and when, but several bills on student use of cellphones all agree on one thing — schools across the state need to have some ground rules for students. “Our teachers do not need another challenge in our classrooms and do not need any more distractions,” said Del. Nino Mangione (R-Baltimore County) before the House Ways and Means Committee. “There is no need for cellphones as an instructional tool. We do not need cellphones in the classroom.” William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MOORE PROPOSES 15,000 MORE TEACHERS; TEACHERS WONDER HOW: Gov. Wes Moore has proposed ways to get Maryland schools the 15,000 more educators they’d need to free up their schedules and still have enough teachers in classrooms. But some educators aren’t convinced the new plan would work. Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
READING SCORES JUMP FOR MARYLAND 4th GRADERS: Maryland standardized reading test scores for fourth graders jumped from 40th in the nation in 2022 to 20th place in 2024, according to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress report released Wednesday. The NAEP, often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, also said reading scores for Maryland eighth graders improved from 25th to 21st during the same period. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
WITH ROUGH ROAD AHEAD, MARYLAND SLIPS IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE: Maryland is slipping behind schedule as it races to curb its contributions to climate change, and the road only looks likely to get rougher with President Donald Trump back in charge. Adam Willis and Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.
CONSTITUTION ALLOWS LIMITS OF LOCAL AID TO ICE EFFORTS: When addressing President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, Gov. Wes Moore said that Maryland officials will follow the U.S. Constitution. But does the Constitution limit the actions that state and local law enforcement officials can take regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy? In short, yes. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
- Attorney General Anthony Brown released new guidance for state and local law enforcement late Monday, advising officers that they can’t inquire about immigration status in routine police work. An 11-page memo explains the “limited” scope of how Maryland police can enforce federal immigration law, according to a news release from the attorney general’s office. Racquel Bazos/The Baltimore Sun.
LAWMAKER SEEKS CHANGE TO CHILD VICTIMS ACT TO FEND OFF FISCAL HARM: One Maryland lawmaker is advocating for changes to the Child Victims Act of 2023, cautioning against a potential “fiscal disaster” as state budget officials say that there is no clear strategy to cover the likely billions in child sex abuse liabilities facing state taxpayers. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE CALLS ON PJM TO CHANGE ITS PRICING, POWER PROCUREMENT: Gov. Wes Moore is calling on PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission operator responsible for Maryland’s power grid, to change its pricing model and power procurement rules to prevent higher costs for ratepayers. Moore joins governors of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Illinois and New Jersey who have voiced similar concerns about PJM’s pricing model and the impact of PJM’s power procurement methods on its customers. Gabrielle Lewis/The Frederick News Post.
2nd LOOK ACT WOULD GIVE SOME INMATES CHANCE FOR HEARING: The Maryland Second Look Act, sponsored by Baltimore County Democrat state Sen. Charles Sydnor, would grant incarcerated individuals who have served at least 20 years of their sentence a hearing before a judge for consideration of early release. Glynis Kazanjian/The Baltimore Sun.
BPW DELAYS VOTE ON BWI CONCESSION CONTRACT: The Board of Public Works abruptly postponed a vote Wednesday on a lucrative, long-term contract to run the concessions at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport that has been the source of controversy for almost three years. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
CARROLL LEGISLATORS TO SEEK APPROVAL ON 4 LOCAL BILLS: Carroll County’s all-Republican delegation to Annapolis unanimously approved four pieces of legislation proposed specifically for Carroll County. On Friday the delegation is scheduled to discuss and vote on one more bill, which addresses filling vacancies on the Carroll County school board. Sherry Greenfield/The Carroll County Times.
BA CO SCHOOLS FACE $20 MILLION GAP WITH STATE BUDGET: A nearly $20 million gap exists between the state’s proposed budget and Baltimore County Public Schools’ spending plan, according to the latest presentation by the school system’s superintendent. Racquel Bazos and Dan Belson/The Baltimore Sun.
