State government

The volume of twigs, leaves and weeds collected has dropped since the county required them to be in paper bags. But the move away from plastic bags had other benefits, officials say.

The governor’s office is working with the University of Maryland Medical System to acquire more doses

Will Annapolis disappear in a cloud bank of pot smoke on July 1? Will it reek of the devil’s cabbage? And most importantly to me, should I get high? As we approach the end of pot prohibition in Maryland, I’ve got questions.

Thieves are targeting food assistance and other benefits programs fed by billions in federal funding with minimal security measures in place.

In Maryland, where state government is controlled entirely by Democrats for the first time in eight years, lawmakers have strengthened access to reproductive health care, tightened rewritten rules for carrying guns and more.

Gov. Wes Moore’s office said such a plan is coming “as soon as possible” and the administration is “exploring options” such as stockpiling the drug mifepristone.

Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater said in a statement that the federal conspiracy charges against Sheriff Charles “Chuck” Jenkins are “serious and disturbing.”

Moore devoted the majority of his remarks to two laws that aim to alleviate poverty by expanding the state’s earned income tax credit and raising the minimum wage.

Moore will give a speech to attendees of the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, England. He’ll highlight his service year option program and his commitment to service.

Del. Nic Kipke, an Anne Arundel County Republican who ground proceedings to a halt the night before as he hollered at House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, initially did not want to apologize for his actions. But after listening to the incident, he said that “things got heated” and he called Jones to offer an apology.

The Moore administration said the governor plans to sign the licensing and taxation bill, but did not answer if Moore still owns stock in a cannabis company or if he has set up a blind trust, as he promised before election.

Maryland leaders are setting a goal of increasing the amount of energy produced by offshore wind in the state to 8.5 gigawatts from roughly two gigawatts.

Maryland lawmakers showed up to their final official day of work on Monday, a marathon of last-minute lawmaking as a midnight deadline to adjourn approached. Some wore seersucker suits, many stopped by State Circle parties and all were tired by the time it was all over.

With roughly 10 minutes before the planned midnight adjournment, Speaker Adrienne A. Jones rejected the pleas of Republicans attempting to speak before a final vote on a bill prohibiting police officers from searching people based solely on the smell of cannabis.

As the dust settles on the annual lawmaking process, here are key measures that won approval and will be headed to the Democratic governor’s desk for consideration. He’ll have until May 30 to veto the bills, sign them into law or allow them to become law without his signature.

All 10 of the governor's bills he submitted to the General Assembly have passed or are close to passing in some fashion. He also got the vast majority of his nominees through the Maryland Senate confirmation process.

Over the past 89 days, Maryland lawmakers have protected access to abortion care, raised the minimum wage, fixed elections issues and gave survivors of child sexual abuse a greater ability to sue institutions that harbored abusers. But on the 90th and final day of their annual legislative session on Monday, state lawmakers still have a bit more work to do.

The sweeping legislation settled a host of commerce-related decisions — including the number and types of cannabis business licenses and the amount of sales tax businesses must charge — and built a framework for government oversight.

"I rise to stand with our colleagues in Tennessee. I rise to remind us of how delicate the fabric of this body is and how we must always work to defend and protect each other," Del. Jheanelle Wilkins said to her colleagues in the House of Delegates.

Gov. Wes Moore has one cabinet vacancy left to fill.