Politics

Maryland lawmakers facing a critical deadline turned the legislative gears a little faster Monday, passing hundreds of bills between the chambers to give each the best chance of becoming law. If a bill hasn’t been shuttled across the State House’s marble hallway by the last session on “crossover day,” it’s less likely to make it through the legislative process. The General Assembly has filed more than 2,700 bills, a tall order for the short 90-day session. Senate President Bill Ferguson, speaking for his chamber, warned weeks ahead of the key date that a “crushing bill load” may keep some good ideas from advancing.

The House of Delegates voted Monday to increase Maryland’s eviction filing fee and establish a tenant’s right of first refusal, among other policies from Gov. Wes Moore that proponents say will decrease displacements and preserve affordable housing options. Lowering housing costs in a state with a growing shortage of available units and a rising median home price has been a priority for the governor this session. The House has passed two of the administration’s three housing proposals so far.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.