Politics

The top Democrat in the House of Delegates is calling for the removal of the state’s labor secretary. In a letter to Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, House Speaker Adrienne Jones calls for the immediate firing of Secretary Tiffany Robinson, citing “the ongoing failures of her leadership to rectify the catastrophic unemployment benefit delivery” during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Tiffany Robinson’s tenure as Labor secretary has failed too many struggling Marylanders,” Jones writes.

The most ambitious part of the pandemic stimulus package signed by President Joe Biden earlier this year is about to hit the bank accounts of millions of U.S. parents. Starting next week and ending in December, the vast majority of U.S. households with children will begin receiving monthly payments as a result of changes in that law expanding and reworking the federal child tax credit. The tweaked tax credit drew less attention than stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits in that wide-ranging COVID-19 relief legislation.

On July 1, Mohammed Choudhury began his new job as the state superintendent of Maryland. Choudhury arrived in Maryland two weeks ago from Texas, where he was known for his innovative initiatives when it came to poverty and race in the San Antonio and Dallas school districts. Maryland lawmakers and education leaders have said they are looking forward to a reinvigoration of the state’s public school system with his arrival, but also warn that he is undertaking a difficult job, especially coming from out-of-state and with a multi-billion-dollar, decade-long education reform plan that starts this year.

County officials from across the nation are gathering in Prince George’s County, Maryland, this weekend to discuss issues counties are facing. The National Association of Counties, which represents 3,069 counties throughout the country, is holding its 2021 annual conference in-person and virtually from July 9 to July 12 in Prince George’s. It’s featuring speakers such as Vice President Kamala Harris, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

A Baltimore judge will hear arguments in court on Monday over whether he should require Maryland to continue participating in enhanced benefits for people who are unemployed. It’s the latest step in a fast-moving legal challenge that has pitted unemployed residents against Gov. Larry Hogan.  Part of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic includes enhancements to unemployment insurance to help people who are still struggling to find work.

More than six months before the filing deadline, a crowd of candidates has lined up to replace outgoing Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, in what analysts say could be one of the most expensive primary races in state history. The experience and sheer number of candidates could lead to a record-breaking contest, one that outpaces the Democratic primary in 2014 when Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and state Del. Heather Mizeur collectively raised more than $20 million, according to state election officials.

While most officials agree that body-worn cameras for law enforcement officers will be beneficial to officers as well as the public, Carroll County legislators are concerned about a number of other police reform bills that made it through the General Assembly. After the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis last year, the outrage and protests that followed quickly prompted a wave of police reform throughout the nation.

The House voted Tuesday to approve a bill that would remove from the Capitol a bust of Roger Taney, the U.S. chief justice best known for an infamous pro-slavery decision, as well as statues of Jefferson Davis and others who served in the Confederacy. The bill passed by a vote of 285-120. Democrats were unanimous in their support for the bill and were joined by 67 Republicans. A similar bill last year passed the House but failed to gain traction in the Senate. Backers are hoping for a different outcome now that President Joe Biden is in the White House and Democrats control the Senate.