Commentary

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, more than 600,000 people in Maryland quit their jobs in 2021 as part of the “great resignation.” As a result, local businesses have struggled to rehire workers as many are now looking for more flexibility, as well as better pay and benefits. However, in this highly competitive job market, there may be a glimmer of hope in the form of the SECURE 2.0 Act making its way through Congress. The law aims to expand automatic enrollment in retirement plans. For example, the SECURE 2.0 Act would require employers with 401(k) or 403(b) plans to automatically enroll all new, eligible employees at a 3 percent contribution rate. This rate would also increase annually by 1 percent until it reaches at least 10 percent.

If you own an electric car or truck, or drive a hybrid plug-in, congratulations: You’ve made it to the 1%. At the end of July, there were 52,966 EVs or hybrid plug-ins registered in Maryland. That’s just 1% of all motor vehicles across the state. It has been 25 years since the first generation of the Toyota Prius — albeit a hybrid, not a hybrid plug-in with a larger battery — came off the assembly line. Since then, there’s been immense progress in battery technology, along with greater political and cultural acceptance of the environmental need to move away from gas-powered automobiles.

It has long been clear that covid-19 school closures led to widespread learning loss, particularly in low-income communities. As some schools prepare for a new academic year, evidence is piling up that the harm was far more extensive, particularly the toll on students’ behavioral and mental health. The National Center for Education Statistics reported last month that more than 70 percent of public schools surveyed saw a rise in chronic absenteeism after the pandemic began. Nearly 60 percent experienced increased classroom disruption stemming from student misconduct, and about half found that students were more disrespectful toward teachers and staff.

On Aug. 7 the U.S. Senate passed the historic climate legislation package hammered out between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. The House followed suit on Friday, giving President Biden a huge win on one of his administration’s priorities and finally making good on his pledge to tackle climate change.

Maryland should reconsider rules that allow public universities to object to the creation of new education programs, according to a newly released report to the General Assembly. The report calls for a systemic overhaul of the Maryland Higher Education Commission. It also specifically highlighted the commission’s rules on allowing public institutions to essentially block proposals of other universities.

It took many accidents, catastrophes, misjudgments and mistakes for Donald Trump to win the presidency in 2016. Two particularly important errors came from James Comey, then head of the FBI, who was excessively worried about what Trump’s supporters would think of the resolution of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails. First, in July 2016, Mr. Comey broke protocol to give a news conference in which he criticized Ms. Clinton even while announcing that she’d committed no crime.

The ink is barely dry on the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act, which allocates $80 billion over 10 years to help modernize IRS technology systems and provide more effective tax enforcement and collection. Yet already, Republican critics like Sen. John Thune of South Dakota are complaining that the needed funds will do little more than allow the IRS to “spend more time harassing taxpayers around this country.”