Len Lazarick, Author at MarylandReporter.com

State Roundup, January 20, 2016

House of Delegates buck Senate move, plan to push for override of Hogan veto on tax for online hotel booking; parties cross aisle to seek reform on police asset seizures; bill to protect minors from salacious magazine covers draws fire for redundancy, vagueness; few lawmakers showing interest in regulating online fantasy sports betting; state may fund portable air conditioners for schools; General Assembly may address school overtesting this year, after all; three animal welfare bills introduced; Washington County commissioner under Senate scrutiny after perceived sexist, racist postings; and as Democratic candidates for Baltimore City mayor debate, former WBAL-AM anchor Alan Walden files for seat as a Republican.

Hogan to release budget — but he won’t be there

Gov. Larry Hogan will submit his fiscal 2017 budget to the legislature Wednesday, but he won’t be briefing reporters about it. Skipping a budget routine that goes back a dozen years or more, Hogan will not unveil his overall budget and the thick five-volume set of budget books that go with it in the governor’s formal reception room. That duty will be handled by Budget Secretary David Brinkley in his offices two blocks from the State House.

Legislators, teachers union back limits on testing

The state teachers union and their allies in the legislature are backing a series of measures to reduce standardized testing in Maryland public schools, apparently dissatisfied with the pace of a commission on testing they pushed for last year.

Senators push for broader restrictions on police power to seize assets

Three senators on the Judicial Proceedings Committee — Michael Hough, Jamie Raskin and Chairman Bobby Zirkin– are sponsoring a comprehensive new bill (SB161) to fundamentally reform how and when law enforcement can seize money and other assets from people suspected of crimes.

State Roundup, January 19, 2016

New Gonzales poll gives Gov. Hogan higher marks than last two predecessors; advocates push to override Hogan veto, seek to give ex-felons voting rights on release; dozens brave the chill to protest police brutality, remember its victims; Senate President Miller says commercial fantasy sports sites are illegal in Maryland; Hogan announces 3-year, $1.5 million business-touting venture with Pride of Baltimore II; jurisdictions seek more circuit judges; Gonzales poll finds Edwards-Van Hollen Senate race a tight one; and politicians remember Prince George’s activist killed in car accident.

Hogan’s 67% approval rating higher than tops for O’Malley, Ehrlich

Two-thirds of all voters (67%) in a new poll taken last week approve of the job Gov. Larry Hogan is doing and only 19% disapprove, a higher approval rating than ever achieved by either of his two predecessors. Three out of five voters (60%) believe Maryland is headed in the right direction, while 22% say the state is headed on the wrong track, with 18% giving no answer. Linked to full poll results.

Tight Senate race, poll finds: Van Hollen 38%, Edwards 36%; for president, Clinton, Trump lead

The Democratic primary race to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski is very tight three months before voting begins. In a poll taken last week, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County got 38% of Democratic voters and Rep. Donna Edwards of Prince George’s County got 36%.

Stakes are high in U.S. Senate race, Van Hollen says

“The stakes are very high” in this race for the seat Sen. Barbara Mikulski is retiring from, Van Hollen told the Columbia Democratic Club. “There is no way Democrats win back the U.S. Senate without winning the Maryland senate seat. We cannot take anything for granted.”

State Roundup, January 18, 2016

U.S. Dept. of Commerce to move bureau from D.C. to Suitland; expect Dems, Hogan to tussle over surplus; MD-DC-VA attorneys general unite to fight gun violence, illegal sales; Frederick woman fights to get death with dignity bill passed; bill would tack on jail time for parents who host underage drinkers; Attorney General’s office urges lawmakers to clarify fantasy sports laws; delegate seeks to close loophole that allowed former Gov. O’Malley to purchase mansion furniture cheaply; opponents cheer plan to remove Confederate monument in Baltimore as plan on the move to erect one to Divine; Severna Park resident creates tartan plaid that he hopes gets state recognition; and O’Malley barely gets 15 minutes of fame.

S.C. Democratic Debate: NBC makes it a two-person race

In the debate and its coverage before and after, NBC made the Democratic contest a two-person race, with O’Malley barely mentioned, except to say he got 2% in the latest national poll, down from 4% in December. By that measure, of course, O’Malley wouldn’t be on the stage at last week’s Republican main debate; he’d barely make the undercard debate. Commentary by Len Lazarick of MarylandReporter.com and Professor Richard Vatz of Towson University.

Len Lazarick

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