Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
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Fruit display in supermarket grocery store
With grocery prices creating ‘hunger cliff,’ two General Assembly bills would help Marylanders buy food

The hunger rising in Maryland could be lessened by bills in the General Assembly that would increase food stamps and make school meals free. Senate Bill 35/House Bill 666 would increase the minimum monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit, also known as food stamps, from as low as $23 to $95 for 74,000 households. Senate Bill 579/House Bill 696 would provide universal free school meals in the state’s public schools.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Maryland House, Senate at odds over whether to raise taxes, fees to balance state budget

Maryland House Democratic leaders unveiled plans Friday to balance the state budget with a $1.2 billion push to raise taxes, tolls and fees. House Democratic leaders contend it’s time to resolve the ongoing budget deficit and fund the state’s priorities, including education and transportation. “We are not going to balance our budget without a serious conversation about revenues,” said House Speaker Adrienne Jones, D-District 10.

Maryland Senate votes for Moore’s gun violence prevention center

Maryland would create a new center to foster a statewide partnership with federal and local agencies to reduce gun violence, under a bill approved by the state Senate on Thursday. The measure, proposed by Gov. Wes Moore, would put the Center for Firearm Violence Prevention in the state health department to implement a public health approach to reducing firearms violence. The bill, approved on a 35-11 vote, now goes to the Maryland House, where a similar bill has been introduced.

Read More: AP News
Opioid deaths spur push for kids to carry naloxone in Maryland

Jackson Taylor remembers when a peer passed out from an overdose across from his high school. He knows friends who have struggled with addiction. One has been in and out of rehab. Those experiences help explain why the Rockville High School senior now trains his peers on how to administer naloxone, a lifesaving medication that reverses opioid overdoses. They’re why he carries naloxone at school and why he wants all districts to let their students do the same.

Alsobrooks proposes freezing 800 county positions in tough budget year

Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) wants to freeze more than 800 county positions, cut agency budgets and draw down rainy-day funds to fix a projected $171 million budget shortfall for the 2025 fiscal year. The county’s hands are tied, she said. Revenue fell short of projections — again. And with each passing year, state mandates for education spending have mounted, prompting Alsobrooks to ask the legislature for more flexibility on school spending this session even as she to seeks to leverage her record on education in appeals to voters.

Some highlights from a busy day in Annapolis

The state Senate and the House of Delegates held double floor sessions and several committee meetings Friday and churned through scores of bills. It was all part of the rush before Monday’s “crossover day” — the deadline for bill to pass out of one chamber of the legislature to guarantee consideration in the other chamber.

Maryland politicos weigh in on Israeli-Hamas war

Maryland politicians weighed in on the Israeli-Hamas war over the weekend, appearing on major talk shows as concerns seem to be growing about a humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen spoke in support of a mutual ceasefire between Hamas and Israel and a return of all Israeli hostages on “Face the Nation” Sunday morning — doubling down on a message he has been pushing for months.

Maryland Senate approves $63B budget legislation for next fiscal year

Despite recent fiscal challenges, Gov. Wes Moore’s $63 billion budget plan remains largely intact under legislation approved unanimously Thursday in the Maryland Senate. The measure makes reserves available if needed to cover a miscalculation in Medicaid costs that was discovered after the governor submitted his budget to the General Assembly in January. The legislation now goes to the Maryland House, where majority Democrats haven’t been shy in voicing support to raise significant revenues this year to help address deficits in future years, pay for a major K-12 education funding overhaul and fund ambitious plans to fight climate change.

 

Read More: AP News
Meet the women who help power Maryland’s political campaigns

Baltimore’s most powerful political offices are exclusively held by men, but women fueled the campaigns that got them there. A handful of women are the most sought-after — and effective — campaign fundraisers for races in Baltimore and across Maryland. That several Maryland women represent most mainstream Democratic city and state officials is unusual, said Martha McKenna. The communications consultant advises federal and local campaigns, including Sheila Dixon’s current mayoral bid.

Baltimore mayor calls on House to restore highway funding cuts by Senate

About 200 miles of Baltimore city roads need to be repaved, but funding cuts at the state level may put the projects in jeopardy. Senate lawmakers approved Senate Bill 362, which includes potential long-term cuts in transit funding that are intended to address the state’s $3.3 billion budget shortfall. The bill heads to the House for its approval. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is calling on the House to restore the cuts to the city’s highway user revenue.

Read More: WBALTV

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