Politics

In light of recent federal policy changes, Sen. Mary L. Washington (D-Baltimore City) and Del. Anne R. Kaiser (D-Montgomery) are urging the Department of Health to redesign its Medicaid policy surrounding health care for transgender Marylanders. Washington and Kaiser wrote to Maryland Department of Health Secretary Dennis R. Schrader in early April, saying that the state is at risk of being sued for violating nondiscrimination provisions under the Affordable Care Act.

With the primary election delayed to July 19, some local boards of elections had to reshuffle their jurisdiction’s early voting centers — and the State Board of Elections gave approval to several counties’ new early voting locations this week. Anne Arundel County replaced five early voting centers for the primary election only. County officials designated the “closest available schools” to replace four libraries and the Pip Moyer Recreation Center due to summer activities.

A Harford County Circuit Court judge granted a temporary restraining order in favor of Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) on Thursday, requiring the Harford County sheriff’s office to provide unrestrained access to evidence in the police shooting death of John Raymond Fauver. “We’re very pleased with the court’s decision,” Frosh said after the hearing. “She’s ordered everything that we’ve asked for — they will turn over all of the evidence, immediately.”

Gov. Larry Hogan described the redevelopment of a defunct Cecil County naval base as a “game-changing step forward” for Maryland during a ceremony on Thursday. The Maryland state government plans to redevelop the Bainbridge Naval Training Center along with more than 400 acres along the Interstate 95 corridor in an effort to bring thousands of jobs to a part of Maryland that “is home to a major distribution and logistics market,” Hogan said in a social media post.

At last, the district lines are cast in stone. The filing deadline is in the rearview mirror. So it’s time to look ahead to some of the most competitive legislative primaries on the ballot July 19. With fewer and fewer purple legislative districts in the state, much of the action over the last few election cycles has been in the primary. In 2018, for example, three Senate seats changed hands in the general election, with two that had been held by Democrats switching to the Republican column and one GOP seat flipping to the Democrats.