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Politics

Bipartisan Coal Transition Bill Withdrawn by House Sponsor
March 9, 2021 -

The Maryland Coal Community Transition Act of 2021 was withdrawn during a committee voting session on Monday, so that environmentalists and labor unions can continue to work together during the legislative interim on what a just transition from coal would look like. House Bill 66 is a bipartisan bill that would have phased out Maryland’s coal-fired plants and established a Fossil Fuel Community Transition Fund and a Fossil Fuel Transition Advisory Council to mitigate economic impacts for displaced employees.

Read More: Maryland Matters
Democrats on House Committee Vote to Repeal ‘Maryland, My Maryland’ as an Official State Symbol
March 9, 2021 -

Maryland’s state song could be on the road to repeal. The House Health and Government Operations Committee voted in favor of a bill from Speaker Pro Tem Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore) that would remove “Maryland, My Maryland” as an official state symbol. The vote, taken during a virtual meeting on Monday afternoon, was along party lines, with the committee’s seven Republicans voting against the repeal.

Read More: Maryland Matters
WBAL Newsradio Special: Police Reform in Maryland
March 9, 2021 -

State Senator Jill P. Carter and Fraternal Order of Police President Clyde Boatwright joined C4 and Bryan Nehman to discuss the topic of Police Reform in the state of Maryland.

Senator Carter discusses the goals of police reform legislation making its way through the Maryland General Assembly. President Boatwright highlights the Commission to Restore Trust in Policing recommendations to hold police managers accountable for the hiring, training and supervision of law enforcement and the need protect due process for law enforcement officers in the state.

Read More: WBAL
Baltimore City Council committee advances nomination of Jim Shea for solicitor
March 5, 2021 -

Jim Shea, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s nominee to be the city’s next solicitor, is one step closer to being confirmed for the job following a unanimous vote by Baltimore City Council’s Rules and Government Oversight Committee on Thursday. Shea, the former chairman emeritus of the Venable law firm and a 2018 gubernatorial candidate, has been working for the city in an acting capacity since January. He will next face two votes from City Council’s full 15-member body.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Johnny O discusses local UMMS help and getting vaccines in arms this spring
March 5, 2021 -

Donna Jacobs of University of Maryland Medical System joins the Baltimore County Executive to discuss how the three vaccines are making their way to Timonium and other mass vaccination centers in Maryland.

 

Read More: Baltimore Positive
Bill Letting Schools Offer Telehealth Advances
March 4, 2021 -

An emergency measure, already approved in the Senate, to allow each of Maryland’s 86 school-based health centers to offer telehealth was voted out of a House education subcommittee Tuesday. The vote sends it to the House Ways and Means Committee which is scheduled to vote on it Friday. School-based health centers, traditionally located in schools with high concentrations of poverty, are required by regulation to receive approval from the Maryland State Department of Education before they can offer services remotely.

 

Read More: Maryland Matters
Sarbanes was his own campaign-finance guinea pig. The House weighs his bill Wednesday.
March 3, 2021 -

For years, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) had an ongoing experiment: testing his campaign-finance legislation on his own reelection races. He would set aside hundreds of thousands in high-dollar donations and would not touch it, not until he had raised at least $1,000 in small-dollar contributions from 100 different precincts in his district.

Read More: Washington Post
Maryland grants stimulus aid to undocumented immigrants, other noncitizens
March 1, 2021 -

Maryland lawmakers on Friday approved giving lump-sum payments to low-income noncitizens, including undocumented immigrants, becoming one of the few states in the nation to extend stimulus benefits to people without Social Security numbers. The legislation — which Gov. Larry Hogan (R) will let become law, his spokesman said — qualifies all taxpaying residents, regardless of immigration status, to receive the state’s earned income tax credit for the next three years.

Read More: Washington Post
Maryland lawmakers ready for floor debate on ‘transformative’ policing reforms
March 1, 2021 -

A raft of policing legislation that Maryland Senate leaders hail as “transformative” and the most far-reaching reform in four decades could pass in the chamber as soon as next week, after long hours of grinding committee debate and oft-contentious haggling over amendments. The nine-bill package would overhaul the police disciplinary process in Maryland, fast-tracking punishment for officers convicted of crimes and giving civilians a voice in judging allegations of misconduct. It would also set a statewide use-of-force standard, including penalties of up to 10 years in prison for serious violations, and obligate officers to step in to stop instances of brutality and report misconduct by colleagues.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Senate President Seeks to Enhance State Ed. Board to Prepare for Blueprint Reforms
February 26, 2021 -

Maryland lawmakers are trying to strengthen the State Board of Education in preparation for the sweeping education reform plan that is poised to become law next month. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) presented an emergency bill Thursday that would tighten the qualifications for state school board members so that as a whole, the board must have expertise in: antiracism and equity frameworks to make systemic change possible; students with disabilities; multilingual instruction; programs that enhance socioeconomic and demographic diversity in public schools; and implementing innovative education reform.

Read More: Maryland Matters

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