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State government

    Public and political pressure on BGE ramped up as the cold winter and previously approved rate hikes combined to create eye-popping bills.
    What BGE customers need to know about Maryland’s utility legislation
    The Maryland General Assembly tried to tackle complaints about escalating gas and electric bills.
    Maryland Governor Wes Moore signs a bill into law Tuesday at the State House.
    Moore, General Assembly leaders reflect on tough session as bills are signed
    A budget crisis compounded by uncertainty from the Trump administration combined to create a perfect storm for lawmakers in Maryland.
    Jeanie Ferretti with the Speaker’s Office celebrates in the House Chamber after midnight on Sine Die.
    Who is happy — and who is not — after this year’s General Assembly session?
    Here’s The Baltimore Banner’s attempt to sort out who might be thrilled, and who might be disappointed, as they leave the State House.
    Senate President Bill Ferguson prepares for a press conference in the Senate chamber at the Maryland State House during the final day of the 2025 Maryland General Assembly session on Monday.
    General Assembly settles on reforms to education ‘blueprint’ as session ends
    Maryland’s state lawmakers began wrapping up their work for the year on Monday, tying up loose ends on the state budget, education reforms and energy policy.
    Maryland lawmakers rejected a bill that would have barred agreements between local law enforcement and federal immigration agencies.
    Maryland lawmakers won’t prohibit local enforcement agreements with ICE
    Immigration bills failed in the State House after Maryland Democrats failed to reach an agreement.
    House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, middle left, celebrates with the other delegates in the House Chamber at the Maryland State House on Sine Die after midnight on Tuesday morning.
    Live coverage: A new committee will track what’s happening in D.C.
    The budget is just about done, and lawmakers are looking to get a few other high-profile pieces of legislation finished before leaving Annapolis.
    Del. Susan McComas, a Harford County Republican, is an author of legislation that would require officials to promptly release requested information about children in foster care who die from suspected maltreatment.
    Maryland passes legislation to boost transparency following child abuse deaths
    The legislation would require officials to promptly release requested information about children in foster care who die from suspected maltreatment.
    As state lawmakers deal with the next state budget, they know that more work may be left to come if Congress cuts federal funding for the Medicaid health insurance program to pay for federal tax cuts.
    The $1B problem that everyone in Annapolis is worried about
    The state spends a total of $16 billion on Medicaid, with $9 billion from federal sources — but cuts could be coming.
    National Treasure, ridden by jockey John Velazquez, wins the 2023 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. The state is soon to take over and renovate the historic track, and is changing course in how the project will be managed.
    Maryland abruptly eliminates authority that had overseen Pimlico transition
    A provision tucked into the state budget bills during final negotiations zaps the authority.
    A person becomes emotional during a press conference addressing sexual abuse in Maryland juvenile detention centers, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
    Maryland lawmakers slash payouts for child sex abuse survivors despite lawyers’ warnings
    The Maryland General Assembly passed revisions to the Child Victims Act Saturday, just two years after the law lifted the statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse claims and opened the courthouse doors to thousands of survivors.
    Maryland state senators and delegates will soon vote on the final version of the state budget for the 12-month period that begins July 1. It includes multiple tax and fee increases.
    Lawmakers reach final budget deal with billions in cuts and $1.6B in taxes
    Maryland lawmakers are on their way to closing a massive state budget gap — the largest since the Great Recession — by raising a slew of taxes and fees and cutting government spending.
    Speaker of the House Adrienne A. Jones concludes business as balloons and confetti fall around her on the final day of the 2024 General Assembly Session in Annapolis.
    Live coverage: Cold feet on immigration bills?
    Lawmakers have until the end of next Monday to wrap up work on bills or they’ll most likely have to start over again in 2026.
    A majority of voters prefer more county-wide voting hubs to casting their ballots at neighborhood schools, churches or community centers.
    Poll: Marylanders prefer voting at countywide hubs to neighborhood precincts
    A Washington Post-UMD poll found support for establishing countywide voting centers.
    Different versions of the bill have now been approved by the House of Delegates and Senate.
    General Assembly passes Second Look Act to allow reviews of some long prison sentences
    A Republican amendment would make people convicted of killing a first responder ineligible.
    The Baltimore Convention Center on April 2, 2025.
    Baltimore could pay for downtown’s facelift using this one weird trick
    A proposed authority to oversee the Baltimore Convention Center could also control other parts of downtown Baltimore.
    Advocates say Howard County’s police accountability board is failing
    Advocates say Howard County's police accountability board has not pushed hard enough to address apparent racial disparities in policing and failed to fulfill some of their basic duties in 2024.
    Students gather to pray at McKeldin Mall on the University of Maryland campus for an interfaith vigil in 2024.
    A Maryland campus anti-hate bill is all but dead. What killed it?
    The backlash underscores the tension between curbing antisemitism and supporting free speech.
    Del. Charlotte Crutchfield, left, congratulates Del. Aletheia McCaskill after the House of Delegates approved a bill creating a state commission to study reparations for slavery. McCaskill, a Baltimore County Democrat, is one of the lead sponsors of the legislation, which won final approval after an intense debate on Wednesday.
    Maryland lawmakers approve commission to study slavery reparations
    Johns Hopkins University students and religious leaders gather on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, to announce petition to protect students from ICE.
    50 religious groups petition Maryland leaders to protect college students from ICE
    The petition asks for an executive order and emergency legislation to protect students from federal immigration enforcement.
    Lawmakers have rewritten a housing bill proposed by Gov. Wes Moore so that it will now set housing targets in each county and Baltimore.
    The last-ditch effort to salvage a statewide housing bill
    If it passes, the bill would require Maryland's housing agency to post public housing targets on its website and publish an annual report assessing the progress.
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