Politics

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has amended her annual finance report to indicate that her 84-year-old grandmother – and not her deceased grandfather – contributed to her campaign. The corrected report, submitted to the State Board of Elections, wipes from the public record a $500 check that was listed as coming from Prescott Thompson, who died in 2016, on November 30, 2021

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. announced a $216 million plan on Wednesday that would boost funding for cancer treatment, prevention and research in Maryland. The investment, which uses a historic budget surplus to invest in projects prioritized by Hogan (R) and legislative leaders, was formally introduced as a supplemental budget amendment in the General Assembly.

Health care workers besides physicians could start performing abortions in Maryland and the procedure would be covered without cost by most insurance plans in the state under legislation passed by the General Assembly this week and is now headed to Gov. Larry Hogan’s desk. The Abortion Care Access Act received broad support from Maryland Democrats, who hold veto-proof majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, and was passed over fervent objections from Republican lawmakers who oppose abortion on moral grounds.

While her son spent 891 days in Maryland juvenile detention over a stolen cell phone, his first encounter with the justice system, Keisha Hogan found her voice. Earlier this month — seven years after her son was released — she delivered an impassioned speech to state legislators asking them to support proposed legislation that would prevent other Maryland youth from being incarcerated under similar circumstances.

President Joe Biden announced a new COVID-19 government website Wednesday while urging Congress to approve billions in funding to keep the pandemic at bay. Speaking from the White House, Biden said that without a bipartisan agreement on new funding, the federal government will need to roll back or end programs meant to curb the spread of the virus.

The use of campaign funds for the legal defense of both Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby and City Council President Nick Mosby did not violate state election law, according to a decision from the Maryland State Board of Elections. Jared DeMarinis, director of the candidacy and campaign finance division for the board, said he notified attorneys for both officials Monday of his decision. “The documentation was sufficient regarding the expenses in question,” DeMarinis told The Sun on Tuesday.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and leaders in the legislature have reached a $1.86 billion agreement for tax relief over five years for retirees, small businesses and low-income families, officials announced Monday. When combined with a recently enacted gas tax suspension, the governor’s office said this legislative session will deliver nearly $2 billion in tax relief. The Republican governor called the bipartisan deal “the largest tax cut package in state history with major and long-overdue relief for Maryland’s retirees.”

The Senate Finance Committee approved a measure Tuesday that would add Maryland to the growing list of states that have legalized small amounts of cannabis. The measure would take effect only if voters approve a related ballot question this fall. The bill would make it legal for people 21 and older to possess “personal use” amounts of marijuana and would allow households to cultivate up to two plants. It also would require the state to release some people who have been jailed for marijuana-related offenses and to expunge those convictions from their records.