maryland general assembly

Maryland's senators have approved a bill that would add a gender designation option of "X" on driver's licenses and state identification cards. The 32-14 vote came without any debate, and the measure now moves to the House of Delegates for consideration.

Baltimore attorney Ivan Bates once represented Jason Hodge and Andre Haydel. On Friday, he learned the men were both killed in Baltimore’s latest wave of violence.

Various racist incidents that have occurred recently show that we must study lynchings so that history doesn't repeat itself.

Maryland's fight against opioids must extend to those behind bars.

Glenwood/Glenelg/Dayton

Corruption in the Baltimore Police Department today may hog the headlines. But back in the 1970s it was suburban public corruption, primarily in Baltimore County, that spurred the creation of the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor.

Legislative analysts in the General Assembly are now recommending deep cuts to Maryland Gov. Hogan’s plans for fighting crime in Baltimore, arguing the governor’s proposals lack details, aren’t evidence-based and won’t necessarily drive down crime.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is considering a trip to New Hampshire after the end of the General Assembly session in April to speak to an event that bills itself as a “must stop” for presidential hopefuls.

An ongoing dispute over regulating the alcohol industry in Maryland bubbling up, with the state’s comptroller and lawmakers offering dueling views of a bill that would change how liquor laws are enforced. Maryland is one of three states that has an elected official overseeing alcohol enforcement.

If ancestral DNA evidence can be used to prove innocence, it should also be available to prove guilt.

The owners of Maryland's horse tracks are playing a dangerous game of chicken on the Preakness and Pimlico. Cooler heads need to prevail.

Sen. Bob Cassilly says the push to increase the minimum wage in Maryland to $15 an hour raises issues that are more complex than suggested by the advocates’ simple plea that everyone is entitled to an annual living wage of $31,000 from the moment they start their first job.

In 1991, the Maryland legislature passed the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) aimed at restoring forests to counteract the effect of larger-scale tree and forest demolition for housing developments and commercial or industrial projects. Trouble is, the FCA left loopholes . It's time to close them.

A bill is moving forward in the Maryland General Assembly that would give the state’s residents a third option for gender on their driver’s license or identification card: “unspecified.”

House bill 30, sponsored by Maryland Delegate Charles Sydnor, D-Baltimore County, seeks to prohibit searches of consumer genealogical databases for the purpose of identifying an offender in connection with a crime through their biological relative's DNA samples.

Arguing University of Maryland officials placed athletics over academics last year following the death of football player Jordan McNair, state lawmakers in Annapolis are now pushing legislation to overhaul the university system’s Board of Regents.

Baltimore, Howard and Harford counties are struggling with their school budgets, and Anne Arundel is scrounging for ways to boost teacher pay and reduce class sizes. How will Gov. Larry Hogan respond?

Maryland is poised to play a critical leadership role in the fight for smart and fair youth justice by introducing House Bill 694 and Senate Bill 823 to eliminate juvenile justice system fines and fees.

As the fatal overdoses continue rise, Maryland lawmakers are trying again to pass legislation to create safe sites where people could use drugs under the watch of a medical professional.

In a letter to Gov. Larry Hogan and legislative leaders, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said The Stronach Group would be happy to leave Pimlico Race Course as nothing more than a "fenced-in vacant lot." She blasted the track's owners after they urged construction of a "super track" at Laurel Park.

Agriculture is often thought of strictly as raising livestock and planting crops, but it encompasses so much more than that when it comes to potential careers.

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a federal court's decision that struck down a unique Maryland law to curb price gouging for generic prescription drugs. The General Assembly passed the law in 2017 at the urging of state Attorney General Brian Frosh and health care advocates.

Harriet Elizabeth Brown was

Behavioral health companies could not afford a $15 minimum wage without an increase in reimbursement rates from the state.

Leaders of Maryland's General Assembly have named a work group to study legalizing recreational marijuana — a clear signal that no legislation will be passed this year. The bipartisan group will study issues with a deadline to report recommendations at the end of 2019.

Renowned musician and recording artist Benny Russell, who has served as an adjunct instructor of music at Harford Community College since 2005, is one of five Harford residents nominated for appointment to 63 different boards and commissions by Gov. Larry Hogan.

Nancy Kopp has been re-elected as Maryland's state treasurer. Kopp won the overwhelming number of votes that were cast during a joint session of the House of Delegates and the state Senate. The treasurer is responsible for the state’s finances, including investments and pension funds.

Local business owners and law enforcement spoke for and against a 2 a.m. closing time for restaurants, bars and taverns, but the proposed law won't likely be under consideration until the 2020 Maryland General assembly session.

After being changed significantly in a Maryland senate committee, Sen. Justin Ready’s bill seeking to hold those convicted of animal cruelty accountable unanimously passed the senate Thursday.

The faculty members wrote that a police force employed by the university would be “undemocratic” and “antagonistic” with Baltimore’s nonwhite population.

A review of the bills introduced by Democratic legislators in Annapolis this Session suggests that their party is not out to spread love and affection, but are on a mission of revenge. It is evident that the Democrats are looking for retribution for not only losing the Presidential race in 2016 ..

Retired radio talk show host Diane Rehm testified in favor of a Maryland measure to allow terminally ill people to end their lives with the help of doctors, describing the misery her husband suffered during his final days. Opponents called the medically assisted suicide legislation dangerous.

Maryland is faring particularly poorly under the sweeping changes to federal tax code that President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans enacted in 2017. The comptroller’s office reports the state’s average tax return so far has decreased by about 6.1 percent — to $983 — since last year.

Del. Brooke Lierman said Friday she is withdrawing her bill that would have allowed Baltimore to have several options for new ways to conduct elections, including moving to open primaries or a “ranked choice” voting system.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan appoints Sen. Gail Bates to the state's school board. The appointment comes three months after the Republican lost her bid for re-election to the state Senate.

The Maryland Farm Bureau, high school students interested in agriculture and state FFA Association officers crammed into the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee Thursday to support Del. Haven Shoemaker’s agriculture education bill.

Harford school members have mixed feelings about when to start the school year — before or after Labor Day.

Christopher Doyle, who recently sued Maryland to overturn its ban on gay conversion therapy is featured in a new documentary "The Sunday Sessions." Baltimore filmmaker Richard Yeagley was allowed into Doyle's sessions with Nathan Gniewek for the movie, which will be shown at the Creative Alliance.

The Maryland House of Delegates approved a bill Thursday that creates a fund to make payments to federal employees who are forced to work without pay, in the event of another federal government shutdown.

Johns Hopkins is offering to put in statute accountability measures for its proposed police force that go far beyond what the Baltimore police are bound by.

As chair of unemployment insurance subcomittee, Del. Mary Ann Lisanti is working to address critical issues as a result of the extended federal government shutdown and its impact on our citizens.

Johns Hopkins University students, faculty members and others on Wednesday protested the school’s efforts to establish its own police force.

State lawmakers and health organizations are pushing a bill that would require Marylanders to have health insurance, and charge them a penalty if they don’t — although the money could be used to buy insurance instead.

It is hard to get a big picture look at the sentencing practices of judges. This is unacceptable in an era when the public is calling for more transparency in the criminal justice system.

Baltimore schools will be closed on Presidents’ Day, the school board announced Tuesday, giving frustrated families and teachers notice less than a week before the holiday.

A bipartisan panel of Maryland lawmakers recommended Tuesday that Nancy Kopp retain her job as the state's treasurer.

The Maryland Transportation Authority and the Federal Highway Administration have released a sketch of options for the next Chesapeake Bay crossing.

A local delegate has introduced the Parishioner Protection Act of 2019, allowing parishioners to carry firearms in houses of worship to help protect their congregations from a mass shooting. The same bill did not make it past a committee hearing last year.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act that is likely to pass the General Assembly this year won't deliver unless lawmakers also strengthens restrictions on what counts as a renewable energy source.

The leaders of the Maryland General Assembly are conducting a “workplace climate survey” of the legislature