The House of Delegates gave initial approval to two bills – House Bill 588 and House Bill 589 – that would constitute a $50.45 billion budget plan for fiscal year 2022. After debating aspects of the spending plan for more than two hours Thursday night (including social issues such as vouchers for private schools and [...]
On March 12, several bills regarding the state’s public health system were passed out of the Maryland House of Delegates. The bills were designed to bolster the state’s response to a wide variety of public health topics, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic, to historic racial disparities in government services, to performance of existing state programs. [...]
On March 2, Governor Hogan announced a series of updates regarding mass vaccination and the COVID response. In his press conference, the Governor praised the current rate of vaccine rollout, saying that “the pace of daily vaccination is hitting a new high every day, a third safe and effective vaccine is now available, a next [...]
A series of legislation aimed at police reform has reached the floor of the Maryland Senate. The nine-bill package, which will be debated on the floor starting today, would overhaul the police disciplinary process in Maryland, as it seeks to speed up the disciplinary process, allow citizens to participate in the judging of misconduct, and [...]
On February 15th, Governor Hogan signed his primary effort of the 2021 legislative session, the RELIEF Act, into law. After undergoing a series of expansions bringing the total to well over $1 billion in direct payments, tax breaks, and business aid, the measure aims to enable hundreds of thousands of state residents and businesses to [...]
On February 12, the Maryland Senate voted to overturn Governor Hogan’s vetoes of a sweeping education bill, following the House’s override vote on Monday. Accompanying this vote, an override vote of a key revenue bill was also carried out to provide funding for the future education reforms. Both bills are set to become law in [...]
Governor Hogan recently made several announcements regarding the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that recent improved metrics have shown a promising development amid the continued shortage of vaccine, and as such the state is making plans towards securing more vaccines and easing certain restrictions. These plans include increased vaccination sites, a testing program [...]
The RELIEF Act – a $1.5 billion economic relief package to provide stimulus payments, grants, and tax breaks to low-income Marylanders, struggling businesses, and those seeking unemployment benefits during the pandemic – won unanimous approval Friday in the Maryland Senate, and is now being fast-tracked to the House of Delegates where leaders are working to [...]
On February 3rd, Governor Hogan gave his State of the State address, detailing several aspects of the pandemic response and how they will be handled going forward. Among the top concerns, the securing of vaccines was listed, as the Governor acknowledged the difficulty in ensuring adequate vaccine supply and rollout, as well as how much [...]
On January 28th, Governor Larry Hogan issued an emergency order stating that, as of this Monday, bars and restaurants will no longer be required to close at 10 p.m. (though the statewide order for 50% indoor capacity at restaurants will remain in place). The order purportedly follows several weeks of improving COVID-19 metrics, as Governor [...]
