State government

The new Democratic governor made a direct, public appeal to lawmakers, something that former Gov. Larry Hogan never did during his two terms in office.

Lawmakers will consider proposals from the Democratic governor to enhance the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and to increase the minimum wage — all steps that Moore hopes will boost the economic prospects of Marylanders.

The bill would increase the maximum sentence for those 21 and older for wearing, carrying or transporting a handgun without a permit from three years to five years in prison in Maryland.

”There’s a sense of urgency that we need to be mindful of,” said Del. Caylin Young, a first-year lawmaker from East Baltimore.

The acting secretary of juvenile services was the only Cabinet nominee to receive an unfavorable vote from Republicans.

The Maryland State Ethics Commission must approve the governor’s blind trust before he can move his assets into it. Moore’s office said they hoped to send the proposal to the commission in the next few months.

With the statute of repose, Maryland legislators granted the Catholic Church sweeping immunity from lawsuits — a constitutional protection they perhaps can’t take back.

Most of Gov. Moore’s Cabinet picks advanced to a full Senate vote, but Republicans requested more time with juvenile services nominee Vincent Schiraldi.

The former New York City Department of Correction Commissioner favors abolishing youth prisons.

At the end of a week bookended by threats and acts of gun violence, Senate President Bill Ferguson said Maryland and a the country has a “massive, massive problem” with guns.

Maryland lawmakers are looking at a bill that would create a voluntary Do Not Sell Firearm list, which supporters call an important tool in suicide prevention. Only three other states have one.

The bills would protect abortion providers and patients from out-of-state legal action, ensure reproductive services are available on public college campuses and add privacy protections for medical records.

The two unsuccessful candidates for governor on either side of the Mason-Dixon Line are teaming up.

With a new governor, a draft bill would allow six locations where people can consume illegal drugs with medical supervision.

All told, some 300 people signed up to make their voices heard on a day that’s colloquially known as ”gun day” in Annapolis because several gun-related bills were lined up for back-to-back public hearings.

Baltimore’s bus system has for years come under fire. Advocates say a wave of change could be coming to transit projects under a new administration in Annapolis.

After winning approval from a key committee, nominees move to the full Maryland Senate for confirmation votes.

A draft of the bill states ”every person, as a central component of an individual’s rights to liberty and equality, has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.”

Sen. Ben Cardin invited Gov. Wes Moore to President Biden's State of the Union address to highlight federal-state cooperation.

Samples saved by a Baltimore doctor have been used to solve more than 80 cold cases, but evidence from 1,800 cases remains untested. Brown and some lawmakers are acting to protect this evidence trove from destruction.