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Maryland House proposes $1.3B in new revenues, taxes as budget fight escalates
The combination of new gambling revenue and new or increased fees, tolls and taxes would help pay for an ambitious education plan and transportation projects.
Del. Ben Barnes, chair of the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee, standing with House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones by his side, talks about the importance of raising money for the state’s education and transportation programs.
Maryland’s ‘social equity’ cannabis lottery is today. Here’s how it works.
Potential licensees had to prove their eligibility and fill out a series of detailed plans explaining their strategies for securing capital, staying in compliance with state regulations and showing how they will employ a diverse staff.
Scenes at the Herbiculture cannabis dispensary
Lawmakers’ question for election board hopefuls: Where were you on Jan. 6, 2021?
The question was added to the job interview for state elections candidates after a Salisbury man resigned his state election board post last year after being charged with participating in the Capitol riot.
Diane Butler, a nominee for the Maryland State Board of Elections, appears before the Senate Executive Nominations Committee in Annapolis on Monday, March 11, 2024.
A group plans to challenge election boards nationwide. Maryland’s is the first.
In their filing, the plaintiffs asked the court to keep the state board of elections from certifying elections until their claims have been satisfied, among a long list of other requests.
Paper ballot voting booths at Owings Mills High School in Baltimore County.
State House lockdown latest example in political swatting trend
Swatting calls can be initiated by individuals or groups and experts say are increasingly weaponized against people with opposing political viewpoints.
A police officer stands outside the Maryland State House on Feb. 29, 2024. A threat prompted a lockdown, and later, the evacuation of the building.
State House complex will add an emergency text alert system later this year
The text system could alert people with cell phones within a specified area around the State House, also known as geofencing, of threats.
A police officer waits outside the Maryland State House in Annapolis on Feb. 29, 2024, after a threat prompted the evacuation of the building.
Maryland State House shut down for 2 hours following threat of a man with a gun
Ultimately, the area was found to be clear of any potential threat after no gunman or weapon were found. The lockdown and shelter in place were lifted at 6:52 p.m.
A police officer stands outside the Maryland State House on Feb. 29, 2024. A threat prompted a lockdown, and later, the evacuation of the building.
Juvenile justice changes moving through Maryland House, Senate
The House is on track to give final approval this week, while the Senate could take up its version tomorrow.
Del. Luke Clippinger, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, right, announces new juvenile justice legislation in the Maryland State House lobby on Jan. 31, 2024. Beside him are Sen. Will Smith, chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, and Gov. Wes Moore.
Banner political notes: Mayor debate next week; feeding bills to the sharks; Baltimore and Senate endorsements
Mayor Brandon Scott, former Mayor Sheila Dixon, Thiru Vignarajah and other candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for Baltimore mayor will face off in two upcoming panels.
Maryland, Baltimore City, Baltimore County politics
Maryland lawmakers want to tax guns and ammo to help pay for shock trauma
Expected revenues from Maryland’s new tax could reach $22.4 million in budget year 2026 and partially cover an estimated need of at least $30 million reported by shock trauma.
R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.
3 takeaways from state analysts’ review of the juvenile justice bill
Just how many more children will be affected and in what ways couldn’t be measured because of a lack of available data, according to the racial equity impact note released Tuesday and prepared by the Maryland Department of Legislative Services.
Senate President Bill Ferguson, flanked by Gov. Wes Moore as well as Maryland House and Senate leadership, announces new juvenile justice legislation in the Maryland State House lobby on Jan. 31, 2024.
Veterans affairs agency still cleaning up at troubled Charlotte Hall facility
Gov. Moore fired the previous health care contractor for abuse allegations.
Charlotte Hall Veterans Home
State replaces health system contractor auditors found cost the state millions
The current vendor “has just failed to deliver” the level of service that Marylanders deserve, said Gov. Wes Moore, one of three members of the Board of Public Works that approved the contract.
The Maryland Department of Health offices in Baltimore.
A Baltimore family’s effort to pass a juvenile justice law gets tangled in Annapolis politics
NyKayla Strawder’s family wants mandatory services for children who commit violent crimes that result in a death.
Bolon Xi-Amaru participates in a rally in Annapolis in support of gun control measures on Jan. 30, 2024. He's been advocating for a bill named for his late cousin, NyKayla Strawder, that would mandate services for young children whose actions resulted in someone’s death.
Banner political notes: Tax sale bill moves on; bill on bills; Shorty for Johnny
Baltimore City’s Annapolis delegation voted to advance a bill Friday designed to protect homeowners, tenants and heirs from the annual tax sale list.
Maryland, Baltimore City, Baltimore County politics
Juvenile justice bill will funnel more kids into the system without addressing root causes, critics say
All sides seem to agree that children should be held accountable and receive services quickly, but there’s a difference of opinion about how that happens.
Public debate begins Thursday on the bill, which adds criminal charges for 10- to 12-year-olds and extends probation limits.
Bates, LaPere family ask for early release limits for some sex offenders
The bill comes in response to the death of Pava LaPere, 26, who was killed in September
A poster of the late Pava Marie LaPere is propped on a chair in the Maryland House of Delegates Judiciary Committee room on Feb. 6, 2024 during a hearing on the Pava Marie LaPere Act.
Moore promises to revamp state government in State of the State speech
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced an ambitious plan to reshape state government and better measure the progress toward serving residents during his second State of the State address in Annapolis Wednesday.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore delivers his second State of the State speech to a special joint session of the Maryland General Assembly.
Why lawmakers say they have to change Maryland’s youth justice laws
Coming into this legislative session, the leaders of Maryland’s Democratic supermajority faced public outrage over mounting auto thefts committed by children and adults and a raft of high-profile gun crimes involving teens as suspects and as victims.
Del. Luke Clippinger, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Will Smith, chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, speak with reporters following a news conference announcing new juvenile justice legislation in the Maryland State House lobby on Jan. 31, 2024.
Lawmakers’ crime plan expands probation, would mean more children face charges
Youth advocates say the proposals reverse reforms intended to divert youths away from the legal system.
Del. Luke Clippinger, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, right, announces new juvenile justice legislation in the Maryland State House lobby. Beside him are Sen. Will Smith, chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, at far left, and Gov. Wes Moore, center.
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