DEBATE AMID FLURRY OF BILLS — SOME CONTROVERSIAL — ON CROSSOVER DAY: Maryland lawmakers weighed hundreds of bills Monday, debating and passing controversial public safety and energy legislation to ensure the bills have a better chance of making it to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk by the end of the legislative session next month. Monday marked Crossover Day. Hannah Gaskill and Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
- Among those that passed on third reader Monday in one chamber or the other — or, in rare occasions, both is a move to protect undocumented immigrants. Senators passed two bills aimed at providing undocumented residents with a little comfort amid threats of increased immigration enforcement from the Trump administration. An issue that normally generates a lot of talk — abortion funding — passed with no debate on crossover day in the Senate. Danielle Brown and William Ford/Maryland Matters.
MOORE WON’T BACK B2B, SWEETENED DRINK TAXES: A plan to tax services used by some businesses will not have the support of Gov. Wes Moore (D) unless it also expands on the people who pay. Moore told reporters Monday that his office has “been working very closely” with lawmakers. As a result he told reporters that two proposed taxes — a sales tax on services between businesses and another on sweetened beverages — would not pass. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
HOUSE OKs ‘SECOND LOOK BILL: The House voted 89-49 Monday to approve a bill that would let those incarcerated for 20 years or more petition a judge to have their sentences reduced. Passage of the bill, known as the Second Look Act, followed 30 minutes of emotionally charged debate Monday, a continuation of more than two hours of debate Saturday, as House Republicans tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to make a number of violent crimes ineligible for it. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
HORSE OWNERS OPPOSE CARROLL BILL ALLOWING SEPTEMBER SUNDAY HUNTING: A bill proposed in the Maryland General Assembly that would allow Sunday game hunting in September on privately owned land in Carroll County has run into opposition from horse owners who say they fear for their safety. Sherry Greenfield/The Carroll County Times.
BILL TO END TRASH INCINERATOR RENEWABLE SUBSIDIES STALLS: A bill that would end Maryland’s practice of allocating renewable energy subsidies to trash incinerators is stalled in committee but not dead yet, despite missing the “crossover” deadline that would be the death of most bills. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
TOWSON AMONG 50 UNIVERSITIES PROBED BY TRUMP ADMIN OVER DEI: Towson University is one of more than 50 universities being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students. Collin Binkley/The Associated Press.
VAN HOLLEN STEPS INTO ROLE AS MARYLAND’s SENIOR SENATOR: In early January, Chris Van Hollen stepped into his new role as Maryland’s senior senator and immediately confronted an unprecedented challenge: how to fight newly inaugurated President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk and their chainsaw approach to cutting the federal workforce. Van Hollen represents a state that had more than 160,000 federal workers at the outset of Trump’s second term. Louis Peck/Bethesda Magazine.
COLUMN: STATE SENATOR HAS A ‘PAID PARTNERSHIP?’ Maryland General Assembly members may be prohibited from fundraising during the General Assembly’s session, but that hasn’t stopped one senator from cashing in. Sen. Mary Washington (D-43) posted an Instagram story that was listed as a “paid partnership” with the beverage company Celsius. Brian Griffiths/The Duckpin.
THOUSANDS OF FDA EMPLOYEES RETURN TO A OFFICE IN CHAOS: Thousands of employees returned to the Food and Drug Administration’s headquarters in Maryland on Monday to find overflowing parking lots, long security lines and makeshift office spaces without chairs and other basic supplies. Matthew Perrone/The Associated Press.
HARRIS SAYS DEMS BLAME TRUMP FOR MARYLAND’s ECONOMIC WOES: Maryland Republicans say President Donald Trump is getting unfair blame from Democrats for the state’s economic woes. “The Democrat-controlled Maryland government is trying to blame their disastrous $3 billion budget deficit on President Trump,” U.S. Rep. Andy Harris said in a post on Monday. “The truth is, Democrats in Annapolis have spent recklessly and taxed aggressively. This is classic Democrat misdirection — create a mess, then point fingers at anyone but themselves.” Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
PEER SCHOOL PROGRAM AIDS TEENS UNDER STRESS: Sources of Strength, a program in schools across Canada and the United States – including a chapter at Century High School in Carroll County, is just one of many peer-based initiatives working to address rising mental health concerns among young people. Marwa Barakat of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.
