Maryland Gov. Hogan declares state of emergency in advance of President-Elect Biden’s inauguration next week

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency Friday, in advance of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.

Amid concerns about violence in the nation’s capitol and state capitols, the governor’s declaration is a procedural step that allows the state to tap its emergency resources, including the Maryland National Guard, within Maryland from Saturday through Thursday.

Guard members already are on duty in Maryland to help with the coronavirus pandemic, including administering vaccinations, as well as in Washington, D.C., to help provide security following the Jan. 6 insurrection by outgoing President Donald Trump’s supporters at the U.S. Capitol.

The Republican governor’s official proclamation states that Maryland is “endangered by the reasonable possibility of unlawful acts including destruction or damage of public or private property, and disturbance of the public peace” in the coming days due to the inauguration.

Hogan has publicly said, however, that there have been no credible or detailed threats to the State House in Annapolis.

The state government complex is already largely off-limits to the public due to the pandemic, and many employees are working from home. The General Assembly plans to hold only pro forma sessions Wednesday with a handful of delegates and senators, as the legislature limits its in-person meetings for health reasons.

Hogan also has written to the White House to ask for a federal disaster declaration to pay the state and local governments for their response to the deadly events at the U.S. Capitol, as well as supporting the security efforts related to the inauguration.

Hogan has said he plans to attend Biden’s inauguration to witness the peaceful transfer of power, though he has urged Marylanders to stay away from the District of Columbia.