Politics

Bike infrastructure in Baltimore has helped make city streets safer in recent years but the Department of Transportation is behind schedule in building a network of lanes, Director Corren Johnson told the City Council on Thursday night. “In total we have just under 37 miles. We are making progress, but not as great as we had planned,” Johnson said.

Is it a tax break or a tax increase in disguise? Maryland lawmakers are again considering a bill to cut the state sales tax — but expand it to include services. House Bill 1515 proposes lowering the state sales tax rate from 6% back its previous 5%. But the bill would also expand the application of the sales tax to 10 categories of services that currently are not taxed, which could include things like accounting, auto mechanics, dry cleaning, advertising, media streaming services and funeral services.

Several county leaders called on state lawmakers Wednesday to ignore special interests and campaign donors and pass a proposal that would raise $1.6 billion in new tax revenue. A coalition of more than two dozen groups and progressive lawmakers want to implement combined reporting for corporations doing business in Maryland, which treats a parent corporation and its subsidiaries as one corporation for state income tax purposes.

Maryland lawmakers this session are debating their possible role in funding a high-speed rail project from Washington, D.C. to New York City, with some convinced the answer is clear: the state shouldn’t have any role at all. Those who back the project continue to push for the construction of the Northeast Maglev, a high-speed rail that would run through Maryland on its course through the northeast.

A group questioning the validity of state voting systems and election procedures across the country is asking a federal court to rule Maryland’s election board is out of compliance with state and federal elections laws. The lawsuit, filed by Maryland Election Integrity LLC and Missouri-based United Sovereign Americans, is the first of many suits United Sovereign Americans is planning nationwide, according to a spokesperson.

There are job openings at the top of two of Montgomery County’s public safety agencies: the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service and the county Police Department are both looking for new chiefs. Now, on the heels of the withdrawal of his pick for fire chief, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is getting a message from some council members that they want more information on how the search for the next police chief is going.