VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 2026 PASSES, STIRRING STRONG RESPONSES: The Maryland Voting Rights Act of 2026 was already stirring strong emotional responses on both sides of the aisle, even before it led the House of Delegates to explode in a shouting match in the final minutes of the legislative session Monday night. The emergency legislation, which did pass, lets citizens or the attorney general sue county and local governments over their voting plans. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
ONLY A PORTION OF TANF FUNDING REACHES FAMILIES IN DIRECT CASH AID: Maryland receives hundreds of millions of dollars each year to help its lowest-income families through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, but only a portion of that funding in the state reaches families as direct cash assistance. Financial records show federal TANF spending on basic assistance in Maryland reached $48 million in fiscal year 2025, a 23% increase from $39 million in fiscal 2024. Tessa Bentulan/The Baltimore Sun.
JUDGE SIDES WITH STATE, HALTS WESTERN MD ICE FACILITY FOR NOW: A federal judge has halted the Trump administration’s plan to convert a Western Maryland warehouse into a large immigration detention center, siding — at least for now — with state officials, who argued the project was moving forward without required environmental and legal review. Luke Parker/The Baltimore Sun.
- The decision came at the end of a roughly two-hour hearing in U.S. District Court in downtown Baltimore to hear arguments about the state’s request for the preliminary injunction. The state is suing the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prevent the warehouse near Williamsport from being transformed into an immigrant detention facility. Julie Greene/The Hagerstown Herald Mail.
- U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson did say ICE can continue with security construction and basic renovations. These measures include adding a security fence, security cameras, fiber optic cable and repairing the warehouse’s HVAC system and roof. Rhiannon Evans/Maryland Matters.
- At least 200 people rallied outside the courthouse before the hearing, denouncing ICE with chants and signs. A choir led the crowd in protest songs as more people arrived in the courtyard. The George H. Fallon building — the site of Baltimore’s controversial ICE hold room — loomed across the street. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.
ADVOCATES ‘THRILLED’ BY STATE DECISION TO CAP DIABETES DRUG SPENDING: Health care advocates on Wednesday hailed recent steps to limit how much state health plans will pay for a popular Type 2 diabetes drug, a move that could save state and local governments an estimated $320,000 a year. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to a $70.8 billion state budget, but it’s the first step toward millions in potential savings as the Prescription Drug Affordability Board takes up more high-cost drugs to negotiate lower costs in the future, advocates say. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
PARENTS OF STILLBORN CHILDREN COULD GET UP TO $1,000 TAX CREDIT: Grieving parents may have won their yearslong fight to get their stillborn children recognized during tax season. The General Assembly approved a tax credit of up to $1,000 against state income tax for parents of stillborn babies. The credit was added as an amendment to an income tax bill that will head to Gov. Wes Moore for consideration. If Moore signs the bill into law, Maryland would become one of at least 10 states that offer tax credits or deductions for parents of stillborn babies. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Banner.
MO CO EXECUTIVE CANDIDATES ON WHIRLWIND TOUR OF CANDIDATE FORUMS: As the June 23 primary approaches, the five Democrats seeking to become Montgomery County executive are appearing together at numerous candidate forums – sometimes at the rate of two a day. Wednesday was one of those days, as all five took the stage to face a few dozen residents at the Riderwood Village senior community in Silver Spring in the afternoon before meeting again at a scheduled appearance in Bethesda with the two Republicans in the race. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
HOPKINS NONPROFIT GETS WINDFALL AFTER TRUMP CUTS, WITH A CATCH: Johns Hopkins University laid off more than 2,000 employees last year and sharply curtailed international humanitarian programs following major cuts to U.S. foreign aid that disrupted global health operations. But after the USAID was largely dismantled, federal officials directed unusually large new sums to a core group of government contractors — including one affiliated with Hopkins. Meredith Cohn/The Baltimore Banner.
REMEMBERING FORMER SEN. HOLLINGER, WHO DIED AT 85: Paula Hollinger saw problems while working in hospitals and schools, then brought the solutions to the Maryland General Assembly, whether it involved the affects of abortion bans on women’s health or elderly patients struggling to stay in their homes. In 1978, Hollinger was elected to represent Baltimore County in the Maryland House of Delegates. And in 1986, she was elected to the state Senate. Hollinger, a legislator of nearly three decades known for her short stature and big policy goals, died March 25 of leukemia. She was 85. Cayla Harris/The Baltimore Banner.
