FEDERAL CUTS TO MEDICAID COULD COST STATE $1.2 BILLION: Maryland lawmakers are bracing for the possibility of a $900 million to $1.2 billion spike in Medicaid costs to the state if Congress approves cuts in the coming months — a change that would compound the state’s already poor budget outlook and force it to decide whether to continue certain health care services on its own dime, Senate President Bill Ferguson said Tuesday. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY BILLS TAKE AIM AT HIKING CHILD CARE WORKERS: According to a December report from the state comptroller’s office, the number of child care workers in Maryland fell by over 26% between 2019 and 2022, one of the sharpest declines in the nation. New workers aren’t entering the fragile field. Members of the General Assembly are taking aim at the critical workforce shortage. Through a number of bills, they’ve proposed solutions such as boosting access to health care, hiring substitutes and clearing paths to starting in the business. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Banner.
RENTER ADVOCATES HOPEFUL FOR PASSAGE OF ‘GOOD CAUSE’ EVICTIONS BILLS: Renter advocates are hopeful that this will be the year “good cause” evictions finally become law in Maryland — but first it has to get past the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, where it died last year after passing the House. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
STATE SEEKS MORE OVERSIGHT ON LOCAL USE OF OPIOID SUIT FUNDS: A new bill in the General Assembly would give the state unprecedented oversight over how state and local governments spend money received from opioid settlement over the coming years. The bill, introduced by Sen. Malcom Augustine (D-Prince George’s), requires the state Department of Health and the Maryland Office of Overdose Response to maintain an online dashboard that tracks how governments are using money from the Opioid Restitution Fund. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
PUBLIC EMPLOYEES MAY GET SAFETY UNIT WITHIN LABOR DEPT: Maryland legislators are seeking stronger workplace protections for public sector employees in the wake of several on-duty deaths across the state. The Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act, named for the 33-year-old state parole and probation agent who was killed while conducting a home visit in May 2024, would create a dedicated public employees’ safety and health unit within the Maryland Department of Labor, expand the existing Maryland Occupational Safety and Health program by establishing penalties for public bodies, and create standards for workplace violence prevention. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
‘SECOND LOOK ACT’ DRAWS THREE HOURS OF EMOTIONAL TESTIMONY: For almost three hours, the exchanges were respectful but the tension was palpable as speakers debated a bill that would let inmates petition for a reduction in their sentences after 20 years in prison. There were brief moments of raised voices, occasional murmurs from the packed hearing room and a few speakers moved to tears. Jack Bowman/Maryland Matters.
FOR MOORE, APPROACH TO BLUEPRINT HAD TO CHANGE: Five years ago, Wes Moore, as head of a nonprofit, sat at a dark wooden desk in a cavernous hearing room and explained to lawmakers why they should approve an ambitious and expensive plan to improve public schools. Fast-forward to today, and Moore is now the governor with different ideas for implementing that ambitious education plan, known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
2 MARYLANDERS DIED DURING HAJJ: LAWMAKERS MULL REGULATING TOURISM INDUSTRY: Maryland lawmakers will consider a bill to regulate the tourism industry after a Muslim community in Prince George’s County was shaken last year by multiple deaths that took place during the Hajj, Islam’s holiest pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. The bill would require tourism companies to register with the state so that travelers could see whether an agency was in good standing before booking an international trip. Katie Shepherd and Jasmine Hilton/The Washington Post.
OLSZEWSKI SAYS 20 HOUSE REPUBLICANS VULNERABLE IN 2026 ELECTION: Rep. Johnny Olszewski said there are about 20 vulnerable Republican House members in swing districts that his fellow Democrats need to target for defeat in 2026. Olszewski, a Democrat, said he believes the Trump administration’s actions on government spending, including the firing of federal employees, will catch up with Republicans politically. John Lee/WYPR-FM.
FAMILIAR NAMES POP OUT OF GREEN BAG APPOINTMENTS: A former legislator expelled from the Senate by his colleagues and a former Baltimore City Council president turned out by voters are among more than 200 appointments sent by Gov. Wes Moore (D) to the Maryland Senate on Tuesday. The tranche of third-year appointments are part of what is known as the “Green Bag” tradition, when the names of nominees to 97 state boards and commissions were delivered to the Senate in a green leather pouch by Appointments Secretary Tisha Edwards. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
FORMER HOWARD DELEGATE FRANK TURNER DIES: Frank S. Turner, the first African American from Howard County to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates who also taught business law at Morgan State University, died Feb. 14 at Howard County General Hospital. He was 70. In 1986 he served as deputy campaign manager for Barbara A. Mikulski’s initial run for the U.S. Senate. He was later her aide for small business. Jacques Kelly/The Baltimore Sun.
