Politics

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland has been advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment, either in Washington or Annapolis, for more than 50 years. A vote on his effort to revive the amendment is scheduled for Thursday and, for Cardin, it’s long been personal. “My mother was a force in my family,” the 79-year-old Democrat said in an interview. “So many people I love are women, like my two granddaughters. I want them to have every opportunity.”

The death this week of Harry Belafonte, the iconic singer, actor and civil rights leader, brought a wealth of memories for everyone who has known or admired the man and his work. For former Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening (D), the news of Belafonte’s passing at the age of 96, recalled a time when Glendening, then Prince George’s County executive, traveled to Senegal in the late 1980’s and ran into Belafonte on a couple of occasions. Each time, the meetings were fortuitous.

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners is proposing a $546.7 million operating budget for fiscal 2024, adding $25 million more in spending to the package budget officials recommended in early March. The spending and revenue plan for fiscal 2024, which starts July 1, is $45.4 million (9.1%) higher than the current operating budget. To help pay for the $25 million increase in spending, commissioners are proposing an increase to the recordation rate tax from $5 per $500 to $6.25 per $500, which will bring in a projected $3.9 million.

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who was diagnosed with cancer last December, said Tuesday that he completed chemotherapy treatment and “the doctors are extremely optimistic.” “I had the last chemo today and got to ring the bell,” the fourth-term, Montgomery County representative said in an interview, referring to the ceremonial end of chemotherapy or radiation. Raskin, 60, who was prominent in a House committee’s investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, was diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, a serious but curable form of cancer.

Offshore wind energy is getting most of the attention. The sector is rapid growing nationally, and Gov. Wes Moore (D) traveled to an industrial development in Baltimore County Friday to sign a bill that could expand the industry in Maryland. But beyond that legislation, Maryland lawmakers passed several bills in the recent General Assembly session designed to help the state respond to climate change.

President Joe Biden announced his campaign re-election bid Tuesday; the same day Vice President Kamala Harris visited NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. “This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for re-election,” Biden said in a video announcing his 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, Harris toured the facility at Goddard, and delivered remarks.

Before her election, Brooke Lierman had not even been inside the treasury building in Annapolis. Now, Maryland’s first woman to hold the office of comptroller is focused on making tax season easier for citizens, updating her department’s aging infrastructure and her next 100 days in office. A former member of the House of Delegates, Lierman was busy most of her first 100 days in office with the 2023 legislative session, which ended April 10. She said she sought to use her new role to collaborate with her former colleagues.

Those who have been vocal about their concerns regarding noisy helicopters flying over residential areas in Northern Virginia are getting some renewed attention from the Federal Aviation Administration. According to the FAA, helicopter pilots are being ordered to make changes as a direct result of “helicopter complaints” filed by residents over the past year.