STATE TO CUT FUNDING FOR NASCENT YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM: Overall, the new statewide youth mental health program supported behavioral health services for more than 58,000 students in its first eight months of operations from March through October 2024. Four out of every five of Maryland public schools received aid for mental health services under the state’s effort. But in a last-minute scramble to balance Maryland’s fiscal 2025 budget, the General Assembly cut this year’s funding for the state’s fledgling youth mental health program. Sasha Allen of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
POLL: VAST MAJORITY OF MARYLANDERS DISTRUST FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: Three in four Marylanders distrust the federal government, including large majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, according to a new poll from the Institute of Politics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County taken in mid-February. The UMBC poll found that 76% of Marylanders said they can trust the federal government “never” or “only some of the time.” Those sentiments cross party lines. Staff/The Baltimore Banner.
POLL FINDS MOORE GETS THUMBS UP FROM MAJORITY: Gov. Wes Moore continues to enjoy majority approval of his job performance even as he loses ground with independent voters, the new poll shows. The poll found 52% of Marylanders surveyed said they approved of Moore’s job performance. “It’s a solid overall approval rating,” said Mileah Kromer, a pollster and director of the Institute of Politics. “He’s still really popular among Democrats.” Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
WILSON AMENDING CHILD ABUSE BILL: Del. C.T. Wilson said Monday he is amending his bill, the Child Sexual Abuse Claims Against the State – Time Limitation, to remove an initially proposed statute of limitations for survivors to file claims. Currently, the bill calls for sexual abuse victims to file a claim with the state by Dec. 31. Wilson also wants to reduce the current individual payout maximum for victims from its current $890,000 for claims against the state. Glynis Kazanjian/The Baltimore Sun.
CHARTER SCHOOL ADVOCATES DESCEND ON STATE HOUSE: A group of nearly 400 parents, teachers and students visited Maryland’s State House recently with one message for their representatives: Charter schools are public schools and should be considered in all education spending. Bridget Byrne/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE NEEDED FEDERAL OK TO MAKE DISABILITIES ADMIN CUTS: It’s a good thing state leaders found money to defer cuts to the Developmental Disabilities Administration, and not just because it will allow services to continue. Turns out the state may not have had permission from the federal agency to make some of the cuts they were proposing to start on April 1. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
COMPTROLLER SEEKS CHANGE IN LAW ON CITING EMPLOYEES FOR BIZ VIOLATIONS: Under state law, the comptroller’s office can issue criminal citations to employees if they happen to be working at a business with a licensing violation. The office issues about 1,200 citations each year. Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman is asking state lawmakers to revoke that authority and require businesses to designate a “responsible party” who would receive the citations instead. Madeleine O’Neill/The Baltimore Banner.
FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE SENDS CHILL THROUGH MARYLAND FARMERS: In an industry where margins are already razor-thin and vulnerable to market swings and a changing climate, the federal funding freeze has undermined trust in one of agriculture’s most vital and stable supports: the federal government. Sapna Bansil and Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE VIEWS TRUMP UPCLOSE; RESOLVES TO DEFEND MARYLAND: Gov. Wes Moore said he left a White House meeting on Friday with President Donald Trump and nearly every other governor “more determined than ever” to defend Maryland against the president’s actions. “I’ve come back from Washington with no illusion about what kind of partnership that this administration is trying to forge with our nation’s governors,” Moore said Monday. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
- He called the arbitrary firings and gutting of federal agencies by the Trump administration a “full crisis situation” and said he and lawmakers must “move appropriately.” He said his administration will use “every tool available” to protect Marylanders, including executive orders, executive actions and backing Attorney General Anthony Brown’s federal litigation. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
- Moore said he believes that Trump’s efforts over the last month are just the beginning, noting that we are “18 days away from a government shutdown — a full federal government shutdown that this administration seems to not only be fine with, but actually seems to relish in its prospects.” Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
HOW ICE OPERATES IN MARYLAND: Immigration and Customs Enforcement– ICE – operates all over the country, but things look a little different in Maryland. Increasing reports of ICE agents in communities have stoked fear, raising questions about what happens to people who are arrested. What does ICE look like in Maryland? Daniel Zawodny and John-John Williams IV/The Baltimore Banner.
‘NO MOORE’ CAMPAIGN TARGETS GOVERNOR: The flood of social media posts began on the morning of Gov. Wes Moore’s State of the State address earlier this month. Critiques of the governor’s economic plan turned into “fact checks” of his speech in real time. Campaign-style targeting of Moore and his latest budget plan has all but launched Maryland into next year’s gubernatorial election. Republicans, including former Gov. Larry Hogan, are targeting the man who has said will run for reelection and maybe down the road president of the United States. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
UM COACHES, ADMINS ARE HIGHEST PAID STATE EMPLOYEES, AGAIN: University of Maryland coaches and administrators ranked as the highest-paid state employees in 2024, according to payroll data from the Comptroller of Maryland. College coaches tend to be the highest-paid state government workers in most states, and Maryland mirrored that trend. Lorraine Mirabella and Steve Earley/The Baltimore Sun.
