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Gov. Wes Moore listens as Paul Monteiro, his pick for Secretary of the Department of Service and Civic Innovation, address the room at a press conference in the Maryland State House.on Monday, April 3. Moore issued an executive order creating the cabinet-level department on his first full day in office in January.
Gov. Moore traveling to UK for first international trade trip
Moore will give a speech to attendees of the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, England. He’ll highlight his service year option program and his commitment to service.
Governor Wes Moore speaks to the press on Sine Die, the last day of the legislative session on April 10, 2023.
Gov. Moore plans to sign cannabis bill, but won’t say if he’s still investing in the industry
The Moore administration said the governor plans to sign the licensing and taxation bill, but did not answer if Moore still owns stock in a cannabis company or if he has set up a blind trust, as he promised before election.
Scenes inside the House Chamber on the last day of session, Sine Die, on April 10, 2023.
Scenes from sine die: Seersucker, smiles and swift voting
Maryland lawmakers showed up to their final official day of work on Monday, a marathon of last-minute lawmaking as a midnight deadline to adjourn approached. Some wore seersucker suits, many stopped by State Circle parties and all were tired by the time it was all over.
Del. Nic Kipke holds up proceedings during the final minutes of the 2023 General Assembly during Sine Die on Monday, April 10. The Anne Arundel County Republican claimed that Speaker Jones wouldn’t recognize him or members of the Republican Party, shouting “Madame Speaker, you need to take a seat!” Any bill that doesn’t get passed by midnight on Sine Die is effectively dead, and lawmakers will need to try again next year.
Minutes to midnight, chaos erupts on the floor of the House of Delegates
With roughly 10 minutes before the planned midnight adjournment, Speaker Adrienne A. Jones rejected the pleas of Republicans attempting to speak before a final vote on a bill prohibiting police officers from searching people based solely on the smell of cannabis.
Maryland State House, in Annapolis, Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
What got done, and what didn’t, during the 2023 Maryland General Assembly session
As the dust settles on the annual lawmaking process, here are key measures that won approval and will be headed to the Democratic governor’s desk for consideration. He’ll have until May 30 to veto the bills, sign them into law or allow them to become law without his signature.
Gov. Wes Moore speaks to the press on Sine Die, the last day of the legislative session on Monday. All 10 of the bills he sent to lawmakers were approved in some fashion. (Kaitlin Newman / The Baltimore Banner)
Gov. Moore got most of what he wanted during his first legislative session
All 10 of the governor's bills he submitted to the General Assembly have passed or are close to passing in some fashion. He also got the vast majority of his nominees through the Maryland Senate confirmation process.
Behind the scenes at cannabis grow farm SunMed
Maryland lawmakers settle final details for recreational cannabis sales starting this summer
The sweeping legislation settled a host of commerce-related decisions — including the number and types of cannabis business licenses and the amount of sales tax businesses must charge — and built a framework for government oversight.
Brig. Gen. Janeen Birckhead and Gov. Wes Moore share a moment during a press conference announcing her nomination for state adjutant general, at the State House in Annapolis, Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
Senate confirms Moore Cabinet secretaries for National Guard, service department
Gov. Wes Moore has one cabinet vacancy left to fill.
Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones presides over a House session on Saturday, March 18, 2023.
Restrictions on guns taking shape in final days of General Assembly session
As the General Assembly prepares to adjourn at midnight Monday, lawmakers are moving forward bills that restrict concealed carry permits and tighten rules to keep guns away from kids. They’re also giving last-minute consideration to a proposal from Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates to stiffen the penalty for illegally carrying a gun.
WHEATON, MARYLAND - MAY 21: Maryland National Guard Brigadier General Janeen Birckhead (C) receives an update from Sgt. Jason Grant (L) and Cadet Dashanae Harper during a mobile coronavirus vaccine clinic at CASA de Maryland's Wheaton Welcome Center on May 21, 2021 in Wheaton, Maryland. The was part of the Maryland Vaccine Equity Task Force, which works with local health departments and community organizations to focus COVID-19 vaccination efforts on "underserved, vulnerable, and hard-to-reach populations."
Moore picks Brig. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead to lead Maryland National Guard
Gov. Wes Moore tapped the decorated military leader and current assistant adjutant general to lead the state’s military reserve forces.
A screenshot of Maria Cariaso's biography page captured from the internet archives. Cariaso is no longer listed as the director of Charlotte Hall, the state-owned veterans home.
Charlotte Hall Veterans Home director resigns following reports of abuse and neglect
Sharon Murphy, who retired as director of the veterans home in 2021, will serve as interim director while the department looks to hire someone new.
Scenes at the Herbiculture cannabis dispensary
Lawmakers are nearing plan for recreational cannabis. Here’s where they still disagree.
Maryland is still on track to set up a marketplace for recreational cannabis sales beginning July 1, but House and Senate lawmakers have differences to work out.
Del. Ben Barnes and Sen. Guy Guzzone shake hands after reaching agreement on the details of the state's budget on Friday, March 31.
Maryland House, Senate resolve budget impasse over education funding
On Thursday, delegates and senators wouldn’t meet face-to-face to hash out differences on education spending. By Friday, they’d reached a deal.
Charlotte Hall Veterans Home
Lawmakers seek oversight of state nursing homes, including troubled veterans home
Del. Brian Crosby, a Democrat from Southern Maryland, said that while the legislation won’t necessarily prevent problems at state facilities, it will enable officials to address them more quickly.
Charlotte Hall Veterans Home
Veterans’ home issues were well-documented, Hogan officials say pandemic made replacing contractor ‘irresponsible’
Inspection reports detailed patient care issues as early as 2018, but Hogan administration officials said replacing the contractor would have been ‘grossly irresponsible’
From left: Del. Stephanie Smith, Del. Marlon Amprey, Del. Regina Boyce and Del. Tony Bridges, all representing Baltimore City, listen to floor debate at the Maryland State House on Monday, March 20, also known as Crossover Day in Annapolis. General Assembly session rules require bills to pass one chamber — either the House of Delegates or the state Senate — by the end of the day on Monday, to ensure the other chamber will consider it.
Deadline day in the General Assembly: Here are the bills lawmakers will prioritize in session’s final weeks
As the dust settled on a flurry of lawmaking, here’s where some key initiatives stood.
Governor Wes Moore, center, Treasurer Dereck Davis, left, and Comptroller Brooke Lierman, right, have the first annual meeting of the Maryland Board of Public Works at the Maryland State House on January 25, 2023.
Gov. Moore replacing health care provider at Charlotte Hall Veterans Home after reports of abuse and neglect
The Board of Public Works approved $625,968 to hire a team of registered nurses to assess the safety and baseline mental and physical well being of patients. The spending board used an emergency procurement method to hire Shore Staffing Inc. of Marion Station.
House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, left, and Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson speak to the delegates and senators before Gov. Wes Moore delivers his first State of the State address on 2/1/23 at the Maryland State House.
General Assembly moves high-priority bills on guns, abuse lawsuits, reproductive rights and cannabis
Here’s where legislative priorities stand with less than 30 days remaining in the 2023 General Assembly.
Scenes from inside at the grand opening of Ceylon House, Maryland's first cannabis lounge, on March 5, 2023.
As recreational cannabis bill clears House, legislative leadership agrees on key provisions
The bill to set up a recreational cannabis marketplace is one step closer to becoming law.
Construction on the Maryland State House in Annapolis began in 1772 and it's the oldest state capital building in the nation still in continuous legislative use. The building's dome is undergoing a rehabilitation project.
In a Maryland legislative committee, a civil debate about abortion rights
The legislation allowing voters to decide whether to enshrine reproductive rights in Maryland’s Constitution is expected to reach the House floor this week.
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