barbara mikulski

• Crime

Md. officials seek resolution of international abduction case

— As the prime minster of Tunisia visits the White House today to discuss his nation's move toward democracy Maryland officials are pressing him to resolve a years-old international kidnapping case they say speaks directly to whether the country will honor rule of law.

• Africa

Md. officials seek resolution of international abduction case

• Maryland

Maryland political leaders rally for FBI headquarters

Gov. Martin O'Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown joined the state's two U.S. senators and two of its congressional representatives Monday to tout the advantages of a Greenbelt location for the nation's new FBI headquarters.

• FBI

Maryland political leaders rally for FBI headquarters

• Business

FBI headquarters would be boon for Md., economists say

The effort to lure the FBI to Maryland could have a profound payoff for the state's economy but the benefits could take years to materialize and the impact would hinge on how local officials handle the project, several of the state's top economists say.

• Laws and Legislation

Bill to protect Pax River could scuttle Eastern Shore wind project

Legislation that could kill a $200 million wind energy project on the Eastern Shore is moving through the General Assembly, pushed by Southern Maryland lawmakers who contend the 600-foot tall turbines threaten their region's most important job generator, Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

• Features

Maryland lawmakers urge Obama to issue LGBT employment protections

Six Maryland lawmakers signed a letter asking President Barack Obama to sign an executive order protecting LGBT employees from discrimination.

• Opinion

No gifted child left behind [Commentary]

After years of being silent on the issue, the state now requires that local school districts identify and serve gifted students, joining 27 states that require such actions. Unfortunately, Maryland does not provide any state funding to districts specifically to support this work, which means we may not have raised the floor for these students in some of the state's less well-off counties

• Anne Arundel

Midshipman opts for trial by judge in assault case

A Naval Academy midshipman charged with sexually assaulting a classmate chose a trial by judge instead of a jury as his court-martial began at the Washington Navy Yard Friday morning.

• Maryland

Bill would expand Connor's Law, require private pools to have defibrillators

• Opinion

FERC fumbles Cove Point [Letter]

Federal regulators not meeting their responsibilities with proposed Cove Point LNG export terminal

• Politics

Senate to consider changes to federal day care program

Child care workers would undergo stiffer background checks and states would spend more to improve the quality of day care under a sweeping, bipartisan bill crafted by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski that is set for a vote in the Senate as early as this week.

• Politics

Senate to consider changes to federal day care program

• Unions

Officials react to complaints of postal delays

Members of Maryland's congressional delegation, saying constituents have complained of lengthy mail delays, pressed the U.S. Postal Service Friday to resume regular delivery — even as the agency reported it was not aware of any significant problems.

• Laws and Legislation

Skyrocketing flood insurance rates have Congress' attention

Sticker shock over price hikes is causing review of a law passed two years ago to shore up the finances of the National Flood Insurance Program.

• Laws and Legislation

Senate clears path to final vote on farm bill

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate was poised Tuesday to give final approval to a nearly $1 trillion bill that would dictate the nation's agriculture policy for the next five years, reduce how much taxpayers spend on food stamps and alter conservation programs for the Chesapeake Bay.

• Opinion

Grant Obama trade promotion authority [Commentary]

Presidential trade promotion authority expired in 2007 and must be renewed quickly to ensure America continues to lead in leveling the playing field for manufacturers and workers. The stakes are high. Without new market-opening trade agreements, manufacturers will be at a competitive disadvantage.

• Maryland

Legislation to protect businesses from payroll services fraud sent to Obama

The U.S. Senate has passed legislation to give more protections to businesses victimized by payroll services companies that failed to pay their clients' federal and state taxes or committed other fraudulent acts.

• Laws and Legislation

New spending bill funds port dredging and airport towers

A $1 trillion spending bill passed by Congress late Thursday, averting another federal shutdown and funding the federal government through October, directs tens of millions of dollars to the port of Baltimore and will keep FAA towers open across the state.

• Opinion

Mikulski shows how budget is done [Letter]

Maryland's senior senator deserves praise for her role in bipartisan spending bill

• Opinion

Mikulski shows how budget is done [Letter]

• Politics

Spending bill keeps government open, directs millions to Md.

Mikulski first bill appropriations chair

• Opinion

Politics trumped prudence in Md. Obamacare exchange [Editorial]

The warning signs that the Maryland Health Connection was headed for disaster were obvious, yet officials in charge ignored them in a case of serious wishful thinking

• Politics and Government

O'Malley, Brown careers at stake with Obamacare exchange

A Washington Post report shows Maryland's leaders were AWOL as things went south at the state's insurance exchange.

• Politics

O'Malley continues defense of health exchange

Gov. Martin O'Malley on CNN Sunday continued to defend what host Candy Crowley described as a health exchange rollout "disastrous by most accounts," prompting criticism from some skeptical lawmakers.

• Health

Mikulski says Md. should stick to own health exchange

About 46,000 people are now enrolled in private plans or Medicaid through the exchange

• Laws and Legislation

Groups push to lift needle exchange ban in funding bill

WASHINGTON — Needle exchange advocates are urging lawmakers to use an upcoming must-pass budget bill to lift the decades-old prohibition on spending federal funds for clean syringes that are distributed to drug users, supporters of the effort said Thursday.

• Addiction

Groups push to lift needle exchange ban in funding bill

• Politics

Lawmakers take another look at military retiree cut

Facing a backlash from veterans, lawmakers in both parties — including several in Maryland — are reconsidering a cut to military retiree pensions that they approved last month as part of a rare bipartisan budget agreement.

• Opinion

Preschool proposal is a win for Maryland families [Commentary]

In November, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation known as the Strong Start for America's Children Act that would pave the way for a state-federal partnership that would provide Maryland and other states significant resources to create, strengthen and expand quality preschool programs.

• Laws and Legislation

Federal tax benefit for transit users to shrink Jan. 1

Thousands of MARC and bus riders in Maryland could pay more for their commute starting in January after Congress failed to renew an expiring tax credit that encourages mass transit use.

• Crime

Obama orders military leaders to report on progress against sexual assaults

Hours after Congress passed a range of proposals to combat sexual assaults in the armed forces, President Barack Obama ordered military leaders on Friday to conduct a yearlong review of their progress in eliminating rape from the ranks — and threatened further changes if he is not satisfied.

• Crime

Military sex assault critics want justice overhaul

Congress was poised late Thursday to pass new legal protections for victims of sexual assault in the military, but victims and their advocates already were looking ahead to what they see as the larger battle: The contentious campaign to overhaul the military justice system.

• Opinion

Lifting ban on federal funding of syringe programs would save lives and tax dollars [Letter]

Lifting ban on federal funding of syringe programs would save many lives and tax dollars

• Politics and Government

Senate advances bipartisan budget agreement

A bipartisan budget deal aimed at calming debates over U.S. fiscal policy for the next two years cleared a key vote Tuesday in the Senate, reducing the risks of another government shutdown and spending cuts that would have had an outsized impact in Maryland.

• U.S. Senate

Senate advances bipartisan budget agreement

• Opinion

End the senseless syringe funding ban [Commentary]

Currently Congress refuses to provide us with one of the cheapest, most effective tools as we struggle against the spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C in our communities. In response, over 70 scientists and health practitioners from Maryland have written to Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), asking her to help end the ban. Such action is essential not just for our state, but for the country as a whole.

• Opinion

End the senseless syringe funding ban [Commentary]

• Politics and Government

Congress faces deadline to reach a budget deal

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill Monday to begin a critical week of budget negotiations with wide-ranging economic implications for Maryland — on issues from Baltimore harbor dredging to pre-school classrooms to the Eastern Shore's poultry industry.

• Health

Technical problems, discord plagued health care site

Documents reveal behind-the-scenes trouble at Maryland health exchange

• Nelson Mandela

Maryland leaders remember Nelson Mandela as 'symbol of hope in the world'

Nelson Mandela remembered by Kurt Schmoke, Martin O'Malley and other Maryland leaders for his impact on the world

• Opinion

Baltimore has a stake in the farm bill [Commentary]

Baltimore city, like many other cities around the country is dependent on a comprehensive, multi-year Farm bill that addresses the current needs of local farmers, low-income residents, and consumers who want access to healthy foods grown nearby.

• Politics

Lawmakers call on Congress to pass smaller food stamp cuts

Standing in a warehouse full of food for needy families, three Democratic lawmakers called Monday for Congress to avoid sharp cuts to food stamps included in a pending $500 billion farm bill.

• Opinion

The generation Kennedy inspired [Letter]

John F. Kennedy's call to public service produced one of Maryland's most accomplished generations of political leaders.

• Politics

Cardin expected to endorse Brown for governor

U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin will join the parade of Maryland Democratic elected officials who are backing Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown for governor Monday, a source familiar with the senator's plans said.

• Politics

Bipartisan effort toasts Bentley at 90th birthday

Champion of the port, former congresswoman honored for service

• Politics

Shutdown costs feds $2 billion in lost productivity, report finds

WASHINGTON -- The 16-day shutdown of the federal government last month resulted in $2 billion in lost productivity and, at its peak, left 40 percent of the federal workforce furloughed, according to a report released by the Obama administration Thursday.

• Features

LGBT discrimination bill moves forward in Senate on key vote

A bill that would ban hiring and employment discrimination against LGBT individuals, will move forward in the Senate after a cloture vote.

• Opinion

Mikulski, Cardin should resign before they're voted out

• Politics

Teachers back Brown for governor

Delegates at Ocean City convention endorse lieutenant governor