Md. General Assembly session launches with guns, marijuana on the agenda

The Maryland General Assembly session launches Wednesday with larger Democratic supermajorities in both chambers and an incoming Democratic governor to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. It will have a multibillion-dollar budget surplus to work with. State lawmakers convene at noon for a 90-day marathon of lawmaking, with the Republican minority resisting a swing to the left as Democrats seek to put abortion rights into Maryland’s constitution, curtail gun access and set up the state’s newly approved recreational marijuana industry. The day will begin with a clear changing of the guard: Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) will join House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) in an annual public interview about the state’s next chapter.