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Politics

In battle for new FBI headquarters, Maryland and Virginia differ on criteria as they prepare to make final cases
February 13, 2023 -

Virginia lawmakers are making their final push to build a new FBI headquarters in their state, while Maryland officials try to persuade the federal government to put it in Maryland. The Washington Post reports that the jockeying is happening as the General Services Administration gets closer to a decision in the decade-plus-long effort. In a letter to the GSA and FBI submitted Feb. 3, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, and most of the Virginia congressional delegation made a detailed case in hopes of swaying the federal government to prefer a site in Springfield, Virginia, instead of locations in Landover and Greenbelt in Maryland.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Moore’s juvenile justice pick comes with record of reform after attempt to turn around notorious NY jail
February 13, 2023 -

As Maryland Gov. Wes Moore begins to put his imprint on state government agencies, he’s picked a nationally recognized criminal justice reformer to run the state’s juvenile services system, pleasing advocates and state watchdogs who hope the changemaker will advance recently enacted reforms. Vincent Schiraldi, a justice policy researcher and seasoned public official, is the Democratic governor’s choice for secretary of juvenile services. He begins his confirmation process in the state Senate on Monday. Schiraldi comes to Maryland with more than 40 years of criminal justice reform experience. He’s known for remaking Washington, D.C.’s juvenile system into a national model and retooling New York City’s probation department. But he also brings with him humility and reflection after the recent sting of trying and failing to implement reforms at one of the most notorious prisons in the country — Rikers Island.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
Rift over planning reform process frustrates Montgomery County leaders
February 13, 2023 -

Montgomery County’s elected leaders agree that something must be done to revamp a sluggish development review process and restore public trust after scandal and infighting last year imploded the county’s powerful planning board. They also agree that politics shouldn’t block the path to accomplishing these goals. But a state lawmaker’s effort to create a nonbinding work group focused on county planning has exposed simmering tensions among Montgomery’s power centers, leading the county council to request more representation after being left out of the negotiations to create the group. The final version of the group announced last week shocked council members, who received no advance notice of the specific plans despite holding oversight powers over the planning board.

Read More: Washington Post
Proposed state bill could help Carroll police departments shoulder the high costs of body cameras
February 13, 2023 -

Police departments in Carroll County could get help from the state with funding the high cost of outfitting officers with body cameras, if a bill introduced in the Maryland General Assembly is passed. A law passed during the 2021 General Assembly session requires police agencies in Maryland to have on-duty officers wearing body cameras by July 1, 2025. In September, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office took the first steps toward implementing the program, when commissioners approved a $1.4 million contract to purchase body and in-car cameras and related equipment. Smaller law enforcement agencies have struggled to come up with funding.

Read More: Carroll County Times
Rockville residents weigh in on if non-US citizens should vote in city elections
February 13, 2023 -

A city in Montgomery County, Maryland, is weighing whether it should allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in municipal elections, and residents last week expressed their opinions on the move. “Let’s eliminate the barriers for noncitizens to take part fully in our democracy,” said Sandy Shan, a naturalized citizen who came to the U.S. a decade ago and now lives in Rockville. “Noncitizens live here, work here, pay taxes here, raised families here, start businesses here and send their kids to school here,” she continued. Among other changes, such as ranked choice voting and lowering the voting age to 16 for local election, the Rockville City Council is contemplating allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections during their revisions to the city’s public charter.

Read More: WTOP News
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore promised to give Latinos power in his administration. Here’s where things stand.
February 13, 2023 -

Last November, Democratic state Del. Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk said she’d never seen a candidate as dedicated to engaging Latino voters as her party’s gubernatorial nominee, Wes Moore. As the Moore administration takes shape, her enthusiasm over the inclusion of Latino voices is evident. “The cabinet is very diverse and you can see he has been very intentional about it, which is really wonderful and a great example for many other people to follow,” Peña-Melnyk said. “I know that this transition team has emphasized bringing our community to the table, every community to the table.” Peña-Melnyk, who represents parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties, is also vice chair of the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Baltimore City Council committee to subpoena documents on conduit proposal with BGE: ‘How can we trust what you say?’
February 10, 2023 -

A Baltimore City Council committee investigating a proposed management agreement with Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. for the city’s conduit system has agreed to issue several subpoenas after voicing concerns about the proposal. The subpoena vote came at the end of a hearing that lasted more than four hoursThursday night — the first meeting since the committee convened in response to the swiftly moving proposal. Council members lamented about the lack of communication from the administration — many learned of the deal via media — and a lack of analysis about what the proposal would do to customer rates.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Gov. Wes Moore supports package of bills to protect abortion services, patient and provider data
February 10, 2023 -

In his first joint news conference with legislative leaders, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore announced support for a package of bills Thursday that would provide protection for patients seeking abortions and their providers for decades to come. “We’re going to make sure that Maryland is a safe haven for abortion rights long after I am governor of this state,” the new Democratic governor declared. “That’s the importance of today.”

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Bates wants tougher sentences for carrying a gun without a permit. Will it deter crime?
February 10, 2023 -

Speaking to lawmakers, Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said he ran for office vowing to prosecute people who illegally carry handguns — a campaign promise that he’d like to keep. Bates was recently in Annapolis to push his proposal to increase the maximum sentence for those 21 and older for wearing, carrying or transporting a handgun without a permit in Maryland from three years in prison to five years. Five years is currently the highest penalty for people 18 to 20 years old.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
Dan Cox joins Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano as chief of staff
February 10, 2023 -

Dan Cox, the Republican nominee who lost Maryland’s gubernatorial race last year, has teamed up with conservative Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano as his new chief of staff. Mastriano also came up short as his state’s Republican nominee for governor in November after both he and Cox ran strikingly similar campaigns that supported each other. Both endorsed by former President Donald Trump, the pair of freshman lawmakers from neighboring states had mirroring campaign platforms that attacked COVID-19 pandemic response measures — such as mask and vaccine mandates — targeted transgender issues in schools and advocated for anti-abortion laws.

Read More: Baltimore Sun

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