Politics

Maryland legislators introduced a pair of bills that could mandate police, judges, state’s attorneys and public defenders undergo implicit bias training in order to recognize and counteract any potential biases they may carry against specific groups. Implicit bias is the attitudes, or stereotypes that may unconsciously affect someone’s actions and decisions toward a person or group of people.

Maryland Speaker Pro Tem Sheree Sample-Hughes grew up singing in the American Legion junior girls auxiliary. She used to sing the state’s song, “Maryland, My Maryland,” at events throughout the state. “Now I have a greater appreciation for what the lyrics truly mean,” Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore), told her colleagues Wednesday as she pressed for the song’s repeal as a state symbol. The song, which was composed during the Civil War by a Confederate sympathizer, James Ryder Randall, has enjoyed its status as a state symbol since 1939.

Plastic pollution is an ever-growing problem for the entire planet. “If we don’t do anything by 2050, we will have the weight of three million blue whales worth of plastic in our ocean,” Maryland State Delegate Sara Love said. Much of it isn’t getting recycled. According to the EPA, only about 9% of plastic waste was recycled in 2018, and the demand to reuse that recycled material isn’t high. “Recycling only works if there are people who want to buy it to turn it into something new,” Kate Breimann, Director of Environment Maryland, said.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday intended to boost manufacturing jobs by strengthening U.S. supply chains for advanced batteries, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals and semiconductors. The United States has become increasingly reliant on imports of these goods — a potential national security and economic risk that the Biden administration hopes to address with the planned 100-day review and the possibility of increased domestic production. However, Biden will also look to work with international partners to ensure a stable and reliable supply chain.

A number of state senators and their staff have tested positive for COVID-19, Senate President Bill Ferguson said Tuesday. At the start of Tuesday morning’s session, Ferguson said there is an undetermined number of positive rapid tests. Nine of 47 senators were off the floor at the start of the session, though it is not clear how many of those nine had texted positive.