Politics

Marylanders voted last month to allow the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, making the state the 22nd jurisdiction and the last state in the DMV area to do so. The legislation, which goes into full effect on July 1, 2023, allows the possession and sale of cannabis products up to one ounce for anyone 21 or older, and will mean the expungement of cannabis-related records for thousands of people.

When thousands of Marylanders were thrown out of work at the height on the COVID-19 pandemic, the state Department of Labor found itself under siege, trying to process a flood of unemployment insurance claims that arose seemingly overnight. The agency’s workforce and its benefits system struggled, not least because department personnel suddenly found themselves working from home. They also found themselves coping with a cascading set of changes in federal eligibility guidelines, each requiring software updates and staff training, as well as an onslaught in fraudulent claims from around the globe.

In a city stacked with vacant rowhouses that are fire hazards waiting to erupt, the Baltimore City Fire Department’s vehicle fleet isn’t exactly ready for the challenge. That was the message that the city’s two firefighter union presidents sent to City Council members during a public safety committee hearing on Wednesday to discuss the department’s shortage of firefighting vehicles and mechanics to keep the fleet up and running. The challenges date back to 2009 following the Great Recession, when the city pulled back on its fleet purchases due to financial concerns.

Computer system problems that delayed payment of thousands of unemployment benefit claims during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic were unavoidable and saved the state hundreds of millions in potentially fraudulent payments, Maryland’s secretary of labor told lawmakers Tuesday. Tiffany Robinson defended her agency during a hearing on two legislative audits that found problems with both how the state paid claims and how it ensured businesses properly paid into the system. The outgoing secretary, speaking to members of the Joint Committee on Legislative Audits, told lawmakers the state had no choice but to fight fraudsters even as it means significant delays in paying “honest claimants.”

Five weeks ago they were on the campaign trail. Five weeks from now, they will be sworn in as state legislators, completing a whirlwind transition. For many, it will be a first taste of public service. To help ease the newcomers’ transition from citizen to servant, senior members of the General Assembly — lawmakers from both chambers and both parties — are offering a two-day crash course on what it takes to be a success. Several speakers at Monday’s opening session in the House of Delegates chamber urged next year’s freshman class to treat one another with respect and to nurture bonds with colleagues of all stripes.