PESTICIDE SAFETY GROUP PULLS SUPPORT FOR PFAS BILL AFTER AMENDMENTS: Advocates who were fervent supporters of a bill to ban a type of pesticide in Maryland are so spooked by House changes to the bill that they want to quash it altogether rather than push for amendments. The House last week gave unanimous approval to House Bill 386, which would prohibit the sale and use of pesticides containing PFAS, the “forever chemicals” linked to serious health issues, beginning in 2032. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
GREEN SUBSIDIES MAY END FOR TRASH INCINERATORS: For Maryland environmentalists, this looked like the year the state would stop giving green energy subsidies to trash incinerators. As of Tuesday morning, that hope was still alive, though environmental advocates might have to swallow a tough pill to get there. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
SENATE OKs USE OF INSURANCE SURCHARGE FUND FOR ABORTION SERVICES: The Maryland Senate passed a bill Monday to allow the state to use a $25 million pot of money to fund abortion services, paving the way for the state to become the first in the country to use money collected from a surcharge on insurance plans sold under the Affordable Care Act to pay for reproductive health care. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
MARYLAND NEARS BUDGET DEAL, BUT STILL NOT THERE: Fiscal leaders in the House and Senate continue to work toward a broad budget agreement but are not there yet, Senate President Bill Ferguson said Tuesday. With 21 days left in the session, the House continues to finalize its version of the budget introduced in January by Gov. Wes Moore. The continued work has stretched beyond traditional deadlines and a revised set of expectations Ferguson laid out for reporters late last month. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
COMMENTARY: TIME TO PASS MARYLAND VOTING RIGHTS ACT: There’s an alarming trend at the federal level to roll back voter protections and make it harder for eligible voters, including voters right here in Maryland, to make their voices heard. Earlier this year, congressional Republicans introduced the SAVE Act, legislation that would make it more difficult for American citizens – including married women, rural voters, and veterans – to cast their ballots. It’s time for Maryland legislators to step up and pass the Maryland Voting Rights Act this session so we can guarantee all voters have a say in our future. Morgan Drayton/Maryland Reporter.
BLACK STATE SENATORS SAY STATE POLICE SETTLEMENT SHOULD BE HONORED: Black state senators said Maryland should honor the $2.75 million settlement of a discrimination suit involving 48 women and Black Maryland State Police applicants, even though the Justice Department dropped the case last month. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
GRANTS AVAILABLE TO SMALL BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE: Small businesses severely affected by last year’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge have until Thursday, March 20, to apply for grants of up to $50,000 to offset the incident’s impact. Wambui Kamua/WYPR-FM.
NEW FLAG DESIGN CHOSEN FOR HOWARD COUNTY: Esen Paradiso doesn’t think Howard County has straight lines. Rather, the farmland showcases the county’s curves, while the aqueducts and the Chrysalis amphitheater at Merriweather Park both boast arches. She incorporated these characteristics into her design entry for a new county flag. That design has been selected from among three finalists to replace a county flag that has been flying since 1968. Jess Nocera/The Baltimore Banner.
CONDITIONS FOR DETAINED IMMIGRANTS PROTESTED: Dozens of local lawmakers, attorneys, immigrants and other advocates packed into CASA’s Welcome Center in Baltimore Tuesday afternoon to protest conditions detained immigrants face at the George Fallon building in downtown Baltimore. The building is home to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office in Baltimore, as well as federal immigration court. Emily Hofstaedter/WYPR-FM.
MARYLAND CONGRESS DELEGATION PUSH BILL TO REINSTATE FEDERAL WORKERS: Responding to the Trump administration’s firing of tens of thousands of new and recently promoted employees, Democratic federal lawmakers from Maryland are advancing bills to protect and reinstate them, though it is not immediately clear how the bills could become law with Congress and the presidency controlled by Republicans. George Berkheimer/The Business Monthly.
THOUSANDS OF FIRED PROBATIONARY WORKERS BEING REINSTATED, SORT OF: The federal government is in the process of reinstating tens of thousands of probationary workers, including many employees who reside in Maryland, after a judge issued a temporary restraining order halting the Trump administration’s mass layoffs. In total, approximately 24,500 employees from 19 departments are getting their jobs back, at least temporarily, after being fired between Jan. 20 and early March. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
- While the Trump administration has begun the process of reinstating tens of thousands of fired federal workers, most are just being placed on administrative leave as the government cites the “burdens” of rehiring. Ashley Murray/Maryland Matters.
MO CO BILL WOULD GIVE HIRING ADVANTAGE TO FIRED FEDERAL WORKERS: Legislation proposed by the Montgomery County Council would provide displaced federal workers with an advantage when applying for Montgomery County government jobs, and help ease the process of filling those personnel vacancies. Ginny Bixby/Bethesda Today.
NICK MOSBY JOINS STATE LOTTERY & GAMING COMMISSION: Three months after leaving office following a tumultuous tenure as Baltimore City Council president, Nick J. Mosby has re-entered public life as a member of a powerful state board that oversees $6 billion in annual lottery sales, casino earnings and sports wagering. Mosby’s five-year term on the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission was approved Friday night by the Maryland Senate on a 34-11 party-line vote. Mark Reutter/Baltimore Brew.
