Maryland General Assembly watch: A to-do list for 2023

When a Maryland governor is elected by the kind of landslide margin that Democrat Wes Moore received in November (22 points) and his party gained seats in both legislative chambers (three in the House of Delegates and two in the state Senate), one should expect big changes in Annapolis after eight years of a Republican governor. After all, the voters have spoken. But in Maryland, transitions and 90-day legislative sessions are a funny thing. Governor Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller will have the disadvantage of being sworn into office one week after the start of the General Assembly session Jan. 11. That means much of their time in the weeks ahead will have to be devoted to forming their government — including naming a thus-far lightly populated cabinet, shepherding a state budget that predecessor Larry Hogan has actually put together and generally finding their footing in the State House.