Politics

Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater on Wednesday announced the creation of a new government office to oversee agriculture, as well as the opening of a 24/7 walk-in crisis center and the launch of a dashboard to gauge her administration’s transition. Fitzwater highlighted three recently completed projects during her first State of the County address — a tradition she inherited from the prior administration.

Newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson is drawing sharp criticisms from most of Maryland’s House Democrats, who view the Louisiana lawmaker as a political extremist and opponent of democracy. “Speaker Mike Johnson? Anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, anti-gun safety, anti-democracy. This is what theocracy looks like,” Rep. Jamie Raskin tweeted Wednesday.

Shortly after April McClain Delaney announced her run for Congress in District 6, one of her Democratic rivals – Delegate Joe Vogel – attacked her on Twitter. Vogel has been running since early May and is the current leader in fundraising. His video is posted below and is accompanied by a transcription. Do you seriously think the answer to the chaos we’re seeing in Congress right now is to let another mega-millionaire buy an election?

A legislative workgroup created to assess Maryland Higher Education Commission policies for approving new academic programs convened for a third time Wednesday, but has less than six weeks to complete its work. Called the Program Approval Process Workgroup, it is co-chaired by Sen. Nancy King (D-Montgomery) and Del. Stephanie Smith (D-Baltimore) and it heard presentations on the commission’s higher education plan and overviews of plans from other states.

Prince George’s County Council members Mel Franklin (D-At Large), Sydney Harrison (D-District 9) and Calvin Hawkins (D-At Large) are supporting legislation banning home appraisal bias. The Real Estate Appraisal Ban of 2023 would prohibit real estate appraisers from considering race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, age, disability, familial status or national origin in their real estate appraisal analysis.

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, the only Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation, backed Louisiana’s Mike Johnson for House speaker on Wednesday as the GOP-led chamber elected the Louisianian to the leadership post. Harris told The Baltimore Sun that Johnson projected the sort of values the country needs, and would approach the threat of a federal government shutdown in the right way.

Six lieutenant governors from across the country joined gun violence prevention advocates to share their stories and offer solutions at a policy discussion event Tuesday. The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association hosted the gun violence prevention policy summit, which was the first event of its kind. The DLGA partnered with the gun violence prevention advocacy groups Everytown for Gun Safety, March for Our Lives and Giffords, as well as the labor union American Federation of Teachers, for the event.