Delores G Kelley

The Maryland Senate voted last night to repeal the computer services tax and replace it with a combination of cuts and an income tax surcharge on millionaires. The 30-17 vote sends the repeal bill, backed by Gov. Martin O'Malley, to the House of...

The Maryland Senate voted down a major piece of Gov. Martin O'Malley's environmental agenda yesterday amid a squabble among Democrats over how much money should be dedicated to rate relief for consumers coping with rising utility bills. The Senate...

Del. Joseph J. "Sonny" Minnick co-owns a tavern in Dundalk, and he said he's lost business since the state banned smoking in bars and restaurants. Now, at the request of fellow tavern owners, he is backing a bill that would create an "outdoor"...

Maryland lawmakers are nearing approval for legislation that would require employers to let workers use sick leave to care for a parent, child or spouse, and that would extend unemployment benefits to part-time workers. The bills, which have passed in...

The Maryland Senate approved yesterday a bill making it a crime for health care workers, police officers, educators and others to fail to report suspected child abuse to authorities, a measure that some fear would make those professionals scapegoats. The...

Spurred by the death of a toddler named Bryanna Harris, legislators are introducing bills intended to identify parents and others who might harm children before abuse occurs, closing gaps in a system that has too often failed families in Baltimore. Among...

Several state legislators said yesterday that they are drafting legislation to change Maryland's arcane ground rent system, including bills to prevent homes from being seized over missed rent payments and to ban the creation of new land leases. "We're...

Maryland officials announced yesterday that they would shut down children's group homes run by a company whose executive director expensed Caribbean cruises, luxury SUVs and meals while residents endured what they and former staff described as...

Ehrlich administration officials rejected yesterday a reform proposal to merge the scattered oversight of privately run group homes into a single agency, arguing that it is better to maintain the current regulatory structure. Administration officials say...

Lawmakers assailed the state's oversight of privately run group homes for troubled youths yesterday as a "disaster" and called on Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to work with them to improve monitoring of care, spending and staffing at the facilities....