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Politics

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Maryland likely to become sanctuary state in wake of abortion ruling
June 27, 2022 -

Abortion remains legal in Maryland after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday overturning Roe v. Wade, but advocates and experts warned that the broad ruling could still have significant consequences here. As other states enact abortion bans, Maryland is likely to become something of a sanctuary state for women seeking to terminate pregnancies, said Del. Ariana B. Kelly, D-Montgomery County. Kelly helped pass a law this year that broadened the types of medical practitioners who can provide abortions to include nurse practitioners, certified midwives and physicians’ assistants.

Read More: The Daily Record
Justicia
U.S. Supreme Court Gun Rights Decision Has Major Implications for Md. Concealed Carry Law
June 24, 2022 -

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a New York law that made it illegal to carry a firearm in public without showing a special need for protection — throwing into doubt the legal status of a similar Maryland law. The court ruled that New York’s concealed carry law violates the 14th Amendment of the Constitution — a major decision that expands the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The opinion comes at the same time Congress is considering new gun control legislation following two deadly mass shootings.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Baltimore City Council approves budget, but cuts $500,000 from sheriff citing eviction concerns
June 24, 2022 -

The Baltimore City Council unanimously passed Mayor Brandon Scott’s $4 billion budget Thursday after actions of lawmakers clashed on the council floor, ending a contentious budget season that featured 85 hours of hearings and sharp criticisms of Scott’s funding priorities and cabinet leaders. The council’s progressive wing spearheaded a $500,000 cut from the sheriff’s office, which passed by one vote. The funds will come out of the office’s surplus. Council President Nick Mosby decried the measure, as well as a $196,000 cut to an arts office, saying they are politically motivated and will fail to produce any meaningful progress.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
Biden And East Coast Governors, Including Hogan, Team Up To Boost Offshore Wind
June 24, 2022 -

The White House is launching a formal partnership with 11 East Coast governors, including Gov. Larry Hogan, to boost the growing offshore wind industry, a key element of President Joe Biden’s plan for climate change. At a White House meeting on Thursday, Biden administration officials will meet with governors and labor leaders to announce commitments to expand important parts of the offshore industry, including manufacturing facilities, ports and workforce training and development.

Read More: WJZ CBS Baltimore
Morgan State University’s AI Research Center Could Soon See $2M Bump
June 24, 2022 -

Morgan State University in Baltimore could soon receive $2 million for its new artificial intelligence research center. Legislation that would direct the money toward the university advanced last night in the U.S. House of Representatives, in part due to the efforts of Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), according to congressional staff. The funding was included in the Commerce, Justice, and Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for the fiscal year 2023, which was passed by a House Appropriations subcommittee and is set to go before the full committee for consideration, staff said.

 

Read More: WJZ CBS Baltimore
Maryland State Comptroller Calls For Tax Holiday To Offset High Gas Prices
June 24, 2022 -

Maryland State Comptroller Peter Franchot is among those calling on state and national leaders to temporarily suspend gas taxes. “We need to do something,” Franchot, who is running for governor, said at a Northwest Baltimore gas station Thursday. The state already had a 30-day gas tax “holiday” in March and April, suspending its 36 cents per gallon tax. The cost of gas is set to increase by 6 cents a gallon to adjust for inflation on July 1. “We need help,” Pastor Rodney Hudson said. “We need it now. Not tomorrow, because tomorrow’s too late.”

Read More: WJZ CBS Baltimore
Hogan Joins Workgroup Of 8 Governors Studying Recommendations On Gun Violence, School Safety
June 24, 2022 -

Gov. Larry Hogan is one of eight governors on a bipartisan work group that will study state-level solutions to gun violence and safety at schools, the National Governors Association said. Three other Republican governors, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Spencer Cox of Utah and Henry McMaster, are on the group with four Democratic governors, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Kathy Hochul of New York, Ned Lamont of Connecticut, and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, the organization said.

 

Read More: WJZ CBS Baltimore
Katie Curran O'Malley
The Sun endorses Katie Curran O’Malley, Jim Shalleck in attorney general primary race
June 24, 2022 -

As the state’s chief legal officer, Brian Frosh, 75, has served Maryland diligently in his two terms as attorney general, wisely advising and representing state institutions, faithfully protecting consumers and the environment, and striving to improve public safety — all while remaining true to his moral compass and unfailingly collegial, thoughtful and diplomatic. We wish him well in his retirement. Each of the Democratic candidates vying to fill his seat — retired Baltimore District Court Judge Katie Curran O’Malley, 59, and U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown, 60 — has deep roots in Maryland and would bring valuable skills to the position from different realms: legislative for Congressman Brown and the courtroom for Judge O’Malley.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Peter Franchot is an ‘outsider’ who spent his career in Maryland politics. Can he become a successful governor?
June 23, 2022 -

For nearly half of his life — since he was 39 years old — Peter Franchot has driven from his home in Takoma Park to work in Maryland’s state capital of Annapolis, helping decide where tax dollars are spent and later serving as the chief collector of those taxes. But even after all those years in Annapolis, Franchot insists that he’s actually something of a political outsider as he runs for governor.

Read More: The Baltimore Banner
Biden Call for Gas Tax Relief Reignites Special Session Debate in Annapolis
June 23, 2022 -

President Biden’s call Wednesday for Congress and state legislatures to provide a temporary reprieve from gas taxes reignited a fight by policymakers in Annapolis about how to proceed. Congress appears unlikely to pass a holiday on the federal gas tax, while in Maryland legislative leaders continue to resist a call to go into special session — even though the state gas tax is due to increase by 6.6 cents at the end of next week, bringing it to almost 43 cents a gallon.

Read More: Maryland Matters

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