MD Corrections Agency Confirms New COVID-19 Cases, As Advocates Warn Of An Outbreak

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which oversees state prisons and jails and parole and probation services, has confirmed that 17 people have tested positive for COVID-19, including three inmates and four correctional officers. Advocates have warned that prisons, jails and other detention facilities are especially vulnerable to outbreaks of contagious illnesses….

Continue Reading

Coronavirus Sends General Assembly Home Early

The Maryland General Assembly adjourned its annual 90-day legislative session on Wednesday, 19 days early as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time since the Civil War that the legislature cut its time in Annapolis short. “This has been something that I don’t think any of us could have imagined or…

Continue Reading

Lawmakers Try to End Long Hospital Stays for Foster Kids

A 13-year-old boy in the custody of the Baltimore City Department of Social Services was admitted to an inpatient psychiatric hospital in September 2018. About two weeks later, an administrative law judge ruled that there was no medical reason for him to stay there. But Social Services didn’t pick him up for nearly four more…

Continue Reading

Hogan: Public ‘Crying Out’ For Mandatory Minimums

Gov. Larry Hogan spent much of this week attacking the Democrat-led General Assembly for not advancing his bills aimed at reducing crime in Baltimore. On Thursday, Democratic leaders fought back. Hogan’s latest comments came during a press conference Thursday. He accused legislators of ignoring a “crisis” in Baltimore by not voting his crime package out…

Continue Reading

Hogan’s Redistricting Plan Meets Democratic Resistance — Again

When Democrat Kweisi Mfume won Tuesday’s special primary election to represent Maryland’s 7th Congressional District, he became the presumptive winner of the late Congressman Elijah Cummings’ seat — even though there’s also a Republican nominee for the seat and less than a fifth of the district’s voters cast a ballot. Political analysts say that’s in…

Continue Reading

Schools Plan Set to Dominate General Assembly Session

Typically when state lawmakers return to Annapolis for the annual 90-day legislative session, each brings a unique set of priorities. But when the General Assembly convenes for its 441st session on Wednesday, one subject is poised to overshadow almost everything else:  A proposal to overhaul public education in Maryland.  Democratic leaders in the state Senate…

Continue Reading

After 33 Years, Maryland Senate Gets New Leader

Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller announced Thursday that he is relinquishing his gavel when the General Assembly returns to Annapolis in January. The 76 year old has cancer and several related health issues. “My mind is still strong but my body is weak,” Miller said at a press conference Thursday. “This is a…

Continue Reading