HOUSE OKs BILL TO BAN CELLPHONES FROM STUDENTS DURING SCHOOL: By the fall of 2027, Maryland students may no longer have their cellphones by their sides or peek at Instagram or TikTok on their smartwatches during the school day. Under a bill passed by the House of Delegates Tuesday, public school systems across the state will have to write local procedures to keep cellphones and other personal devices out of students’ hands during school hours. A companion bill passed the Senate earlier this session. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
IS EDUCATION REALLY A PRIORITY FOR LAWMAKERS? With less than three weeks left in the 2026 legislative session, Maryland lawmakers have advanced dozens of education bills, but the results so far paint a mixed picture of their pledge to make schools a priority. At least 130 education bills were introduced in the House of Delegates this session, with nearly 60% advancing to the Senate by the crossover deadline. In the Senate, more than 50 education measures were filed, with just over half making it to the House. Mennatalla Ibrahim/The Baltimore Sun.
HOUSE PANEL TACKS REDISTRICTING LANGUAGE ONTO SENATE BILL: A House committee, without debate and without dissent, added redistricting language to a Senate elections bill Tuesday and sent it the full House, where it could be taken up as early as this week. The amendment would “authorize the General Assembly to grant original jurisdiction to the Supreme Court of Maryland to review the congressional districting of the state.” It does not appear the amendment is the “plan B” to resuscitate a House-backed congressional redistricting plan. Regardless, the Senate is likely to kill the amended bill should it come back from the House. Bryan Sears and Steve Crane/Maryland Matters.
EXPANSION OF SLOT MACHINES TO OTB FACILITIES CONSIDERED: A trio of off-track betting operators are betting on a proposal to allow them to offer slot machines gambling. That proposal was the subject of a meeting Tuesday by members of the Senate Budget and Taxation and the House Ways and Means committees, who are considering it as an amendment to a bill that would have authorized betting on “historical” horse races. The amendment would allocate approved, but unclaimed, slots OTB facilities. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
LESS THAN 1% OF MARYLANDERS WHO LOST FEDERAL JOBS JOINED STATE PROGRAM: Maryland lost nearly 25,000 federal jobs last year, but fewer than 1% of those workers have transitioned into classrooms through a flagship state program meant to help. While Gov. Wes Moore’s administration points to “strategic investments” and highlights the Feds to Eds initiative as part of its response to layoffs and teacher shortages,found limited measurable impact and significant gaps in how the program’s results are tracked. Tessa Bentulan/The Baltimore Sun.
DISABILITY ADVOCATES SHOW FRUSTRATION OVER CONTINUED DDA CUTS: Tensions were on full display during a rally Tuesday in Annapolis by advocates and individuals with developmental disabilities who have grown frustrated with continuing cuts in state funding to the agency that oversees the services helping them live their day-to-day lives. The latest rallies come as the House prepares to take up a Senate budget proposal that would cut $126 million from the DDA in fiscal 2027 — down from the $150 million proposed in Gov. Wes Moore’s budget as the state tries to close a $1.5 billion gap in the budget. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
COMMENTARY: BILLS THAT WOULD MAKE A REAL IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES: This legislative session, I came in with the goal to work on the issues my constituents care about most and to advance legislation from prior years that did not reach final passage. This meant putting forward an agenda of 10 bills focused on women’s health, election law and public safety, each designed to make a real impact on our communities. Del. Susan McComas/The Aegis.
DEL BOUCHAT CRITICIZED FOR ‘ABSENT PROTEST’ AGAINST ‘WEAK’ GOP: Del. Christopher “Eric” Bouchat, a first-term state legislator from Carroll County, has been absent from committee hearings and votes in the General Assembly for almost a month. The Republican has been criticized by fellow party members over his absence, particularly as one of his bills — to promote storm drain safety — has advanced out of the House. But Bouchat, who will receive a delegate salary of $56,636 from the state this year, said he’s taking a stand against the Republican Party’s lack of power in the Democratic-led State House. Lily Carey/The Carroll County Times.
- The pattern raises a basic question of accountability: What does it mean to serve as an elected lawmaker if you are absent most of the legislative day? “I am protesting the fact that Republican votes don’t matter,” Bouchat said. “If you remove every last Republican vote, nothing would change, which means Republicans are irrelevant.” Democrats hold a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers of the General Assembly, allowing legislation to pass without Republican support. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
GOP’s WRIGHT-HAWKINS TICKET SEEKS TO MAKE HISTORY: Maryland’s Republican Party will choose its gubernatorial nominee on June 23 among a crowded pool vying to unseat Gov. Wes Moore amid economic uncertainty and voter distrust in the government. Baltimore pastor Shannon Wright, who has run for city mayor, hopes to be the first Black woman to win the governorship. Wright will run alongside Reba Hawkins, an advocate and small business owner also from Baltimore City. Their candidacy marks the first time Maryland has ever seen an all-Black, all-women gubernatorial ticket. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
STATE SUPREMES TOSS LOCAL LAWSUITS AGAINST FOSSIL FUEL FIRMS: In a scathing decision issued Tuesday, the Supreme Court of Maryland tossed out climate change lawsuits filed against fossil fuel companies by Baltimore, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, ruling the localities were stepping on the toes of the federal government. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
- Lower courts threw out the cases from the three jurisdictions, all of which border the Chesapeake Bay and are affected by rising waters. After the suits made their way through federal and state courtrooms, the Maryland Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a consolidated appeal last October. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
2 DELEGATES SEEK BA CO SCHOOL BOARD REVOTE ON ITS BUDGET: Two Republican state delegates are calling for the Baltimore County school board to revote on a budget that was passed in February, citing what they claim was an illegally cast vote by a former member. But school system officials said the vote was deemed legal and the chair appears ready to move on. Kristen Griffith/The Baltimore Banner.
WA CO PUBLIC SCHOOLS DENIED WAIVER ON TWO SNOW DAYS: The Maryland State Board of Education has granted several waiver requests regarding the need for school systems to make up all of their snow days, but denied Washington County Public Schools’ request to only make up four of its six inclement weather days. Julie Greene/The Hagerstown Herald Mail.
DATA CENTER REFERENDUM ORGANIZER RUNS FOR FREDERICK COUNTY COUNCIL: One of the early organizers of the local data center referendum movement is running as a Democrat for an at-large seat on the Frederick County Council. Sam Newhouse, 32, who lives near New Market, was a member of the Frederick County Data Center Referendum Committee. He stepped down from his committee seat after filing to run for office on Feb. 24 because the committee is nonpartisan, but he continued helping the movement collect signatures. Erik Anderson/The Frederick News-Post.
