Wednesday, May 1, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
Baltimore, MD
77°
Sunny
Baltimore, MD 10 days weather forecast ▸
FOLLOW US:

Politics

Maryland State house with city in Annapolis
Long list of applicants for Luedtke’s seat, plus Md. Dems’ new leadership team and a new lobbying hire
December 20, 2022 -

Eleven Democrats have applied for the vacancy representing Montgomery County’s District 14 in the House of Delegates. The seat is about to become vacant now that House Majority Leader Eric Luedtke (D-Montgomery) has been tapped by Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) to be his chief legislative officer. The governor — and depending on the timing, it’ll either be Moore, who takes office on Jan. 18, or outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan (R) — will appoint the new delegate based on a recommendation from the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Environmental groups file suit over Maryland’s new stormwater permit for industrial facilities, arguing it’s inadequate
December 20, 2022 -

Several regional environmental groups have filed suit against the Maryland Department of the Environment, arguing the latest iteration of its stormwater permit covering hundreds of industrial facilities statewide is insufficient. In three separate suits filed Friday and Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court, the nonprofits argued that Maryland officials failed to adequately consider factors such as increased rainfall due to climate change while drafting the new permit — and that it won’t do enough to slow pollution flowing into state waterways.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Catholic Church in Maryland concedes to some reforms about priest abuse
December 20, 2022 -

The lobbying arm of the Catholic church in Maryland is making a partial concession to legislative reforms that would help victims of priest sexual abuse sue the church decades later. The Maryland Catholic Conference, which represents the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington, Del., announced Monday it will support legislation to erase the statute of limitations for future victims to sue the church.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
Gov. Hogan declares Friday a state holiday; Maryland state offices will close
December 20, 2022 -

Gov. Larry Hogan has declared this Friday will be a state holiday for Maryland state government agencies and offices. “This year, I am declaring Dec. 23 as a holiday so that our hard-working employees can spend more time enjoying the holidays with their loved ones,” the outgoing governor said in a news release. “This is just another way to show our appreciation to our dedicated state workers who have worked tirelessly to serve their fellow Marylanders and help us to truly change Maryland for the better.”

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
With 30 days left in office, Maryland Gov. Hogan reflects on his record and where to go next
December 20, 2022 -

Surrounded by pictures, knickknacks and a guitar signed by country music star Alan Jackson in his second floor State House office, Gov. Larry Hogan took stock of his dwindling time as governor. “It’s not that I’m counting, but my calendar has a countdown on it,” Hogan told The Baltimore Sun in an interview Monday. “It says 30 days today.”

Read More: Baltimore Sun
On historically diverse Montgomery council, tensions over transparency
December 19, 2022 -

Following a historic election in Maryland and across much of the nation, the Montgomery County Council welcomed its most diverse group of incoming members ever this month. At the council’s inauguration, speaker after speaker hailed the history-making slate of council members, who have said they are excited to work with one another, especially on issues that affect marginalized communities in the county. But by the next morning at the all-Democratic new council’s opening session, disputes over equitable representation, transparency and who gets to control policymaking discussions had already emerged, inflamed by backroom disagreements about leadership that ultimately left the council’s two Black members with little structural power.

Read More: Washington Post
Banner political notes: New names for Maryland’s top courts; Honors for departing Mosby, Anderson; More people join the Moore administration
December 19, 2022 -

Maryland’s two highest courts have new names, as of this week: the Appellate Court of Maryland and the Supreme Court of Maryland. The new names replace the confusing names of the Court of Special Appeals and the Court of Appeals. The Court of Special Appeals was the first level of appeals court in the state, and the Court of Appeals was the highest court — not that it was easy for non-lawyers to tell which was which. Maryland voters overwhelmingly approved the name switcheroo in November’s general election. The new names went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday. Along with the courts getting new names, the judges who serve on the highest court got new titles. They’ll be known as justices.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
Maryland’s top education leaders meet up to talk Blueprint
December 19, 2022 -

It’s not easy to get several people together in person these days, but it happened Friday in Linthicum Heights, where two of Maryland’s major education oversight bodies held a joint meeting to discuss the state’s $3.8 billion Blueprint plan. Members of the Maryland State Board of Education and Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board came together to align their visions on the comprehensive education reform plan adopted last week. It’s unknown if a similar joint session will happen in the future, but all the participants Friday agreed on one key focus: collaboration. “We’re all in to make this thing work,” said Clarence Crawford, who chairs the state Board of Education.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Hogan declares Dec. 23 a holiday for state workers; Moore family visits Government House
December 19, 2022 -

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Friday that state government agencies will be closed Dec. 23, the day before Christmas Eve. Hogan said in a statement that he made the decision so that those who work in these agencies “can spend more time enjoying the holidays with their loved ones.” “This is just another way to show our appreciation to our dedicated state workers who have worked tirelessly to serve their fellow Marylanders and help us to truly change Maryland for the better,” Hogan said. He added that the day will be treated like other state holidays. Dec. 23 is a state holiday in Virginia, but a spokeswoman for Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said the city’s government will be open that day.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Wes Moore wants to revive mass transit project
December 16, 2022 -

Maryland’s Gov.-elect wants to revive an abandoned mass transit project. Gov.-elect Wes Moore says the Red Line, which would have connected Woodlawn to Canton, wasn’t perfect, noting it wasn’t connected to Baltimore’s Metro or Light Rail system. Hogan canceled the project in 2015, returning nearly a billion dollars in federal money and using the state’s $2 billion dollar cost on roads, buses, and the Purple Line in the DC suburbs.

Read More: WBAL

The Morning Rundown

We’re staying up to the minute on the issues shaping the future. Join us on the newsletter of choice for Maryland politicos and business leaders. It’s always free to join and never a hassle to leave. See you on the inside.