Politics

A recently introduced Maryland bill would weigh removing Montgomery County from the bi-county agency that oversees its land-use and planning functions — such a change would significantly alter the way the county has long approached development. Maryland State Senator Ben Kramer, D-District 19, earlier this month put forward MC/PG 104-23, a bill which, if advanced by suburban Maryland’s legislative delegations, would establish the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Restructuring Task Force.

A year after state lawmakers gave the Maryland attorney general greater investigatory authority in police-involved deaths, local prosecutors have so far declined to charge any officers, prompting state lawmakers to consider giving that power to the state’s top prosecutor. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office’s Independent Investigation Division on Tuesday released its first annual report on 23 police-involved deaths spanning its inception on Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30.

Outgoing House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has started transitioning into a new role after stepping away from his leadership position Nov. 17. The Maryland Democrat said he looks forward to returning to the House Appropriations Committee, where he served during the years when he was not in party leadership. “I’m going back to a committee that I think is one of the critical committees in the Congress of the United States,” Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday.

Montgomery County’s new law prohibiting gun possession within 100 yards of a park, religious institution, hospital or other enumerated “place of public assembly” has essentially created a countywide ban in violation of the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, a gun rights group stated Tuesday in seeking a federal court order striking down the statute. “In short, it is simply impossible, as a practical matter, to possess and transport a firearm in the county in public with a wear and carry permit in compliance with (the law),” Maryland Shall Issue wrote in papers filed in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt.

The U.S. House moved urgently to head off the looming nationwide rail strike on Wednesday, passing a bill that would bind companies and workers to a proposed settlement that was reached in September but rejected by some of the 12 unions involved. The measure passed by a vote of 290-137 and now heads to the Senate. If approved there, it will be signed by President Joe Biden, who urged the Senate to act swiftly.

The Montgomery County, Maryland, Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the Comprehensive Building Decarbonization bill, which will ban fossil fuels, such as gas heating, from almost all newly constructed buildings by 2026. There are exceptions. The ban will not apply to hospitals or other facilities that need emergency backup systems, such as generators, or buildings that need commercial cooking facilities. It does guarantee that almost all new buildings will be equipped with electric hot water systems and heat pumps. The legislation faced opposition from several trade associations and business groups and had the support of two dozen citizens groups representing Montgomery County.

Despite receiving only one bid that came in over budget, the Annapolis City Council voted Monday to approve a $1.8 million overhaul of traffic signals and crosswalks at Church Circle, a crucial intersection in downtown Annapolis. The 6-3 vote followed a long presentation from Lisa Grieco, a civil engineer in the city’s Department of Public Works, who argued that after five years of planning, it was time to move forward with the project despite skyrocketing costs. “Public Works deems this a safety issue that cannot be ignored,” Grieco said. “Unfortunately we received only a single bid.” That bid, from Glen Burnie contractor Scott A. Duncan, came in at $1.6 million, double the projected construction estimate. A company spokesperson said he could not explain the high cost and the company’s owner was not available Tuesday.