Category: General Assembly
Sen. Simonaire: Republicans can make a difference despite being in the minority
Republicans may be a minority in Maryland’s Senate but that does not mean that they are merely an opposition party, the upper chamber’s newly-elected GOP leader said.
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Marylanders with pre-existing conditions will be protected regardless of how SCOTUS rules on Obamacare
Even if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) is unconstitutional Marylanders with pre-existing health conditions will still be protected under a state law that went into effect on Oct. 1.
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New Md. laws Oct. 1 cover hate crimes, discrimination, speed cameras, black bears
An update to Maryland’s hate crimes law, named for slain Army 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III, is one of several anti-discrimination measures going into effect Oct. 1. Other notable bills address crime, the environment and healthcare.
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Smith calls out Republicans saying they never submitted police reform bills
Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) on Friday refuted Republican claims that the committee’s recent hearings on a series of bills aimed at addressing police misconduct were not ideologically inclusive and that the bills themselves would hinder law enforcement personnel.
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Senate hearing on police misconduct sees contentious debate over liability caps
Democratic-sponsored legislation that increases the amount of money local governments are forced to pay in police brutality lawsuits will bankrupt many of the state’s small towns, Sen. Mike Hough (R-Carroll and Frederick) told the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Wednesday.
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Senate Republicans emphasize their opposition to Democratic-sponsored police accountability bills
Republicans on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee opposed a series of Democratic-sponsored bills aimed at addressing police misconduct at a virtual hearing on Tuesday at a time when Baltimore City has seen a crime wave of shootings and homicides.
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Senate committee gears up for possible fight over police accountability bills
Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) is moving forward with a series of hearings on bills aimed at addressing police misconduct that Republicans claim would hinder law enforcement at a time of near-unprecedented violence in Baltimore City.
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Progressives demand legislature hold special session, but leaders refuse
The president of the Maryland Senate was there. The speaker of the House of Delegates was there. The other 46 senators and the other 140 delegates – except for two lone wolves – were missing in action. Such went the rump Special Session of the People’s General Assembly organized by the most progressive groups of the Democratic left who met Wednesday evening to show that the legislature could meet while masked and social distancing.
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Maryland’s state lawmakers urge passage of legislation aimed at reducing health care disparities
Maryland’s state lawmakers teamed up with health care advocates and community leaders on Wednesday to urge the passage of legislation that is aimed at reducing disparities in care and would be funded by a 1% increase in the state’s alcohol tax.
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Sen. Carter slams Hogan’s harsh condemnation of efforts to defund the police
@BryanRenbaum Sen. Jill Carter (D-Baltimore City) slammed recent remarks by Gov. Larry Hogan in...
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Battle looms over Hogan’s proposed $1.45 billion in budget cuts
@BryanRenbaum The coronavirus pandemic has taken huge toll on Maryland’s economy and has...
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Gansler calls for an independent review of Maryland’s police departments
Former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler said every police department in the state should undergo an independent review of its policies and procedures.
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