The issue of Maryland’s congressional district maps is back in court. The latest hearing on Friday was strictly on the new map lawmakers approved this week. Judge Lynne Battaglia heard two hours of evidence on the map, but then said she will not rule on the merits. That’s because Battaglia’s ruling from last week throwing out an old map is being appealed. The judge did hear from experts who say this new map is more compact and addresses her concerns in last week’s decision, though some of the plaintiff’s attorneys questioned why a part of Baltimore City went from the heavily Democratic 7th District into the Republican 2nd District.
As crab season begins, small seafood businesses in Maryland are getting extra help with the release of additional visas to hire temporary migrant workers. U.S. senators from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, have announced that 35,000 temporary nonagricultural worker visas will soon be available. These are vital to the small businesses that make up Maryland’s crab and seafood industries. “The Maryland seafood industry depends on this seasonal labor,” Van Hollen told WTOP. “This, we hope, will provide some really important relief to Maryland seafood.”
Maryland lawmakers made its final advance Thursday on the legislature’s premier climate package, sending the measure to Gov. Larry Hogan (R) who has called it a “reckless and controversial energy tax bill.” Democrats, who hold majorities in both houses, passed the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 (SB 528) with enough time to override a potential governor veto before April 11, the end of session. Hogan criticized the bill mid-March as it was being debated in the Senate, though its alterations to property tax law only concern exemptions for certain solar users.
Maryland employees could get up to three months of paid leave to support their family or take care of medical issues if Republican Gov. Larry Hogan chooses to sign the bill that won final approval in the Senate Thursday. The Time to Care Act (SB275), previously approved by the House of Delegates, is now on Hogan’s desk for his possible signature. By sending the bill to Hogan by Friday, lawmakers have time before the end of their 90-day session to override a possible veto.
As Maryland lawmakers steam into the final days of the General Assembly’s annual legislative session this coming week, much work remains to be done — hashing out deals, lining up votes and killing bad ideas. Of the hundreds upon hundreds of bills lawmakers filed before the session kicked off in January, the ink from Gov. Larry Hogan’s pen signing them into law has only dried on a handful of them. The governor and legislators quickly agreed, for instance, on a 30-day temporary suspension of the gasoline and diesel fuels taxes.
Montgomery County officials are soon expected to approve a new plan that would place police officers back in schools. The about-face comes after several violent incidents inside Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) during the 2021-2022 school year. A year ago, Montgomery County Executive (CE) Marc Elrich abruptly announced the end of the county’s School Resource Officer (SRO) program. This was before school officials completed a study ordered by the Board of Education seeking more community input about the program.
With a primary election scheduled for July 19, the boundary lines of Maryland’s eight congressional districts are in flux. A map adopted in December to account for population changes determined by the 2020 census was struck down by a judge on March 25 as too partisan. Now, the Democratic state lawmakers who approved it are waiting to see if a newer map — their attempted fix — will meet judicial muster. A hearing on the new map’s adequacy is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.
Maryland’s Senate on Thursday took a major step toward making “personal use” amounts of marijuana legal beginning in 2023. Lawmakers gave approval to two bills that would allow residents 21 and older to possess small amounts of marijuana — up to 1.5 ounces — beginning next year. Possession of between 1.5 and 2.5 ounces would be subject to a civil citation. Anyone caught with a greater amount would be subject to the state’s existing laws on possession with intent distribute, said Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher (D-Montgomery), vice chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee.
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