Politics

At 6 feet, 7 inches tall, Harry Dunn towers over most people. So it’s fascinating to watch this retired U.S. Capitol Police officer talk to prospective voters at the opening of his congressional campaign headquarters in Ellicott City. “Hello, how are you?” he says, leaning down to shake hands and smile. “So nice to see you.”

A bill before the General Assembly this year has been hailed by Maryland’s environment secretary as a critical next step for incorporating environmental justice into state decision-making. But it doesn’t have the support of the community that the state government ranks as the most environmentally burdened in Maryland: South Baltimore’s Curtis Bay.

Marylanders could see higher costs for goods and services following state delegates' approval of a $1.3 billion budget and a companion bill that mandates increases for ride-sharing and food delivery services. The legislative measures include additional fees for Uber, Lyft, and food delivery services like DoorDash. Throughout the legislative session, Maryland faced a budget dilemma, with lawmakers expressing that the proposed budget fails to meet the House, Senate, and Governor's priorities.

Maryland congressional Democrats endorsed a $1.2 trillion spending package to avert a partial government shutdown, while Republican Rep. Andy Harris of the 1st Congressional District said it contained wasteful spending. Maryland’s seven Democratic U.S. House members voted for the package of six federal funding bills that headed to the Senate earlier Friday in advance of a midnight deadline.

When Larry Hogan announced his bid for Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat, it immediately turned the state into ground zero for the Democratic Party’s chances to hold onto its thin majority. To replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin, the party will now likely have to expend significant party resources to defeat a formidable former governor on the Republican side in what previously seemed like a safe blue seat.

The Maryland Senate as early as this week could take up the stalled appointment of a Howard County woman to the Maryland State Board of Elections. Diane Butler was nominated by the Maryland Republican Party to fill one of two vacancies on the panel. The Senate Executive Nominations Committee delayed a vote two weeks ago after one member of the committee asked for a pause because of comments made in emails and a social media post described as antisemitic.

The Maryland General Assembly delivered both disappointments and successes in pursuit of the state’s climate and environmental aspirations as it moved past the crossover deadline on March 18 — the point in the session where most bills have to move from one chamber to the other to stay in the race to pass.

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) is not budging from opposition to broad-based tax increases or iGaming in the waning days of the 2024 session. House and Senate leaders are expected to head to a conference committee next week to work out differences in the $63 billion fiscal 2025 spending plan.