Politics

Maryland lawmakers passed a handful of gun bills this year, permitting civil lawsuits against the gun industry and banning devices that turn handguns into machine guns. Top Democrats representing some of the state’s most liberal districts championed the bills. They fought for measures they say are needed to bridge legal gaps, fund trauma centers aiding gunshot victims and improve public safety by preventing gun violence.

Although campaign finance reports showing federal candidates’ fundraising and spending for the first three months of 2024 aren’t due to be released until next Monday, some Maryland contenders are already teasing their numbers as a sign of their level of support. Harry Dunn, the former U.S. Capitol Police officer who is making his first political run in the 3rd congressional district, is going to report raising more than $3.75 million since becoming a candidate in early January, his campaign told Maryland Matters.

With barely a month to go until election day, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott retains a sizable cash advantage over his rivals, including former Mayor Sheila Dixon, according to campaign finance filings submitted Tuesday, reporting nearly double the balance of his leading challenger. Dixon out-raised Scott since the last filing deadline in January, bringing in almost $273,000 compared to Scott’s $231,000 over that stretch.

Maryland lawmakers passed legislation creating a “Purple Alert” that would create large-scale alerts when adults with intellectual disabilities go missing. Jimmy Hall, the father of a man with intellectual disabilities who recently went missing, says now, families like his “will have a voice.” Hall’s 31-year-old son Rashawn Williams, who has Down syndrome, was missing for six days before he was found in a locked room at the Glenmont Metro station in October of last year.

Under a bill he signed Tuesday, Gov. Wes Moore will have access to up to $275 million in state reserves to temporarily buoy businesses and individuals whose work relies on regular cargo shipping in and out of the Port of Baltimore’s main channel. The governor isn’t expected to hit the $275 million cap, and the legislature has limited to $25 million the amount that he can withdraw at a time from the state’s rainy day funds.

With the 2024 Maryland General Assembly in the books, Gov. Wes Moore signed the first of hundreds of bills into law, including an act that would temper the economic impact of a devastating bridge collapse. The Democrat penned the measures into law during a ceremonial bill signing Tuesday, one day after the 90-day legislative session ended and two weeks after a cargo ship slammed into the support pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending the superstructure tumbling into the Patapsco River.

All three bills in Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) affordable housing package have received final approval from both chambers of the General Assembly and are on the way to his desk. The bills were largely finalized on Saturday, when the Senate voted on some of his bills that had already been approved by the opposite chamber. But the House had to review the legislation one last time Monday before the bills officially landed on the governor’s desk.

The Maryland General Assembly passed a budget this session that raises approximately $340 million in additional revenue for transportation and education programs, and increases funding for the state’s shock trauma system. But not every Marylander will foot the bill. Most of the increases come in the form of vehicle-related fees and fines, which will be used to pay for trauma care and transportation projects.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates threw his support behind Sheila Dixon for mayor, just days after going public with a spat with Mayor Brandon Scott. Scott, meanwhile, picked up endorsements from Maryland’s U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, who he has spent much of the past two weeks with related to their response to the Key Bridge collapse.