It seemed like the stars were aligning for Maryland medical aid in dying advocates. Many felt like the legislature had enough votes in the 2024 session to finally legalize the practice after years of failed attempts and near misses.

Even Senate President Bill Ferguson felt like the bill had a good chance.

“I believe it will pass the Senate,” Ferguson said in January, at the beginning of the session. “I expect it to be a topic of important conversation this year.”

Read more at WYPR.

The beaming yellow face of Mr. Peanut greets visitors outside of the otherwise prim and stately historic Governor Calvert House.

“He’s cool, he’s dapper, he’s, need I say, sexy?” saidScott Schmitz, the president of the Peanut Pals Club, a group dedicated to the monocled mascot of Planters peanuts, during their annual meeting in Annapolis over the weekend.

By their own admission, these are the legume’s most “die hard” fans; if it’s related to Mr. Peanut, they either have it or they want it. Collectors, most of them grey-haired retirees from across the country, sat at tables showing off their wares — like Mr. Peanut purses, paint kits, even an 80 year old candy bar wrapper preserved and valued at $1,000 dollars.

Tony Scola’s first experience with Mr. Peanut wasn’t actually a good one. He was a baby on the Atlantic City boardwalk when a costumed Mr. Peanut appeared.

Read more (and listen) at WYPR.

Maryland leaders voted Wednesday to cut $148 million from the state budget, due to what they described as “stagnant” revenues paired with rising health care and child care costs.

The cuts span state government. They include $12 million for local health departments, $6 million to boost security at higher education institutions, and a little over $1 million for pay raises at the Office of the Public Defender. Many of the reductions delay hiring for new positions in state government.

Gov. Wes Moore — who chairs the three-member Board of Public Works that approved the cuts — said the changes are designed to prioritize health care and child care spending.

“We know that when Marylanders have access to health care and also access to preventative care, and when families have access to affordable childcare, they are more likely to participate in our labor force and participate in our economy,” he said. “And the key is we’ve got to have an economy where more people can participate.”

Read more (and listen) at WYPR.

By Lydia Hurley, Capital News Service

A tragedy in the Port of Baltimore threatened to overwhelm their best-laid plans at the end of this spring’s legislative session, but Maryland state lawmakers still managed to pass several key measures that look beyond the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and ahead to the future. 

Passing the state spending plan is never an easy feat, but the General Assembly reached a resolution and passed the Fiscal Year 2025 State Budget several days before the end of session. Their $63 billion budget deal includes several tax and fee increases that aim to generate revenue for transportation and education initiatives.

Democratic lawmakers wrestled over the idea of raising revenues to cover rising costs, but in the end, the fees they raised represent only a drop in the bucket. Without major changes in future budgets, analysts predict Maryland will veer into a $3 billion deficit in five years. 

Lawmakers also approved Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed capital budget, authorizing more than $1.7 billion in funds for building, construction, land acquisition and other fixed assets. 

Lawmakers had only a 90-day legislative session in which to tackle these big ideas. As the final days ticked down this week, they worked hurriedly toward their deadline to pass crucial legislation. 

As the end of the night quickly approached on Monday night, the Senate rapidly concurred with the House’s amendments on several measures and passed the capital budget unanimously. The session culminated in a celebration with balloons and confetti hailing down from the chamber balcony just moments after they wrapped up.

Throughout the final days of session, however, lawmakers bore an added pressure to pass emergency aid legislation following the collapse of the Key Bridge. The General Assembly burned the midnight oil to dispatch help for the communities affected by the collapse. The bridge crumbled into the Patapsco River after one of its pillars was struck by a giant cargo ship attempting to pass beneath.   

As one of its last acts before adjournment, the legislature passed an emergency aid bill that would provide emergency funding to individuals and businesses affected by the debacle in the Port of Baltimore, set to be closed for several weeks. The bill will also assist those affected who do not qualify for unemployment benefits. 

Known as the PORT Act, the bill dips into the state’s Rainy Day Fund to provide this emergency funding. After lengthy discussions about the bill and its amendments, the bill passed unanimously in the Senate as one of the last pieces of business before Monday’s midnight deadline. 

“Democrats and Republicans (are) collectively standing together and saying that in this moment Maryland is going to do its part. But we have to understand what happened two weeks ago was not a Maryland catastrophe. This was a national catastrophe. And today, I will proudly sign the PORT Act into law,” Gov. Moore said at the bill signing on Tuesday.

Moore signed dozens of measures into law on Tuesday, and many others are on his desk for consideration now. Here are some notable bills from the 2024 legislative session:

Juvenile Justice

Lawmakers started the session with a strong focus on juvenile justice, leading to months of hearings and negotiations. In the end, among other things, the legislature expanded the list of crimes that can land children between 10 and 12 years of age in court.

Authors of the bill hope it will strengthen the state’s ability to link children with rehabilitative services, but critics worry it simply cracks down on young people responsible for a small sliver of Maryland crimes. 

The final version of the bill adds third-degree sex offenses, aggravated animal cruelty and various firearms offenses to the crimes where the courts have jurisdiction over those children. It doubles the maximum length of probation for misdemeanors to one year and felonies to two years, with the possibility of extension.

Sen. Will Smith, D-Montgomery, a co-sponsor of the bill, said the changes to the law are part of a “longterm, strategic outlook” to improve the juvenile justice system.

Energy and Environment

Legislators passed the EmPOWER Act, which requires gas and electric companies to create a plan to achieve specific energy efficiency and conservation goals. The bill aims to increase energy efficiency in low-income residences. In addition, the law creates a work group to study the effectiveness of these programs.

The legislature also voted in favor of the DRIVE Act, a bill that would create an electric vehicle (EV) charging program that connects charging vehicles to the state’s electric distribution network. The bill creates a pilot program to expand the adoption of electric vehicles and incentivize EV users to charge their vehicles in off-peak hours, reducing electricity brownouts. 

In addition, lawmakers passed a bill that builds upon Maryland’s offshore wind energy goals established in last year’s POWER Act. The bill would allow companies with plans for offshore wind to submit plans with revised schedules, sizes, or pricing, aiming to propel Maryland closer to its goal of 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2031.

Housing

Housing was a top focus in Moore’s legislative agenda this session. He even testified in committee on a package of three bills aimed at “making Maryland more affordable,” one of his key goals. All of the bills passed by the deadline.

Maryland has a housing crisis, Moore said, and this legislation will invest in low-income communities, build more housing, incentivize high-density and transit-oriented development and provide more resources to renters.

Along with housing legislation, Moore pushed through the ENOUGH Act aimed at reducing childhood poverty. The measure provides grants targeted at communities with higher concentrations of poverty.

Fellow Democrats applauded the measure, even though some of them have raised questions about how the state is going to pay for such programs as it moves closer to the projected budget deficit. 

Education 

Lawmakers approved the Freedom to Read Act, which aims to protect library materials and other literary resources from censorship and “book banning.” The bill acts as a safeguard for school and library employees and states that they may not be penalized for following state library standards.

Health and Safety

The legislature expanded the definition of “legally protected healthcare” in Maryland to include gender-affirming care practices and treatments. This bill expands on the legislature’s Reproductive Health Act of 2023. If signed, it will allow gender-affirming care to be protected from out-of-state litigation the same way abortion is. 

Lawmakers passed another healthcare measure known as the Access to Care Act, which would enable the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to permit undocumented residents to purchase individual health care plans from the state.

In addition, lawmakers passed the Judge Andrew F. Wilkinson Judicial Security Act, after a judge was shot and killed in his driveway because he ruled against a man in a divorce and custody case. The measure will increase judicial security by prohibiting the publication of personal information and removing information like judges’ home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses from the internet and social media.

Cannabis

A Republican-backed bill to repeal a law prohibiting law enforcement officers from stopping and searching vehicles based only on the odor of marijuana stalled in committee this session. Democrats expressed concerns that the legislation would lead to unwarranted search and seizure against people of color. 

Consumer Protection

A bill intended to crack down on ticket scalping passed in the final hours of session after weeks of debate in both chambers. The law will require the full ticket price be listed at each step of an online transaction. It also bans “speculative tickets,” meaning third-party vendors cannot sell tickets they don’t yet have in hand.

However, a proposed 10% price cap on tickets in the resale market did not make it through the legislative process. 

“I’m thrilled to have championed a bill that makes Maryland one of the best places for concert-goers in the country,” Sen. Dawn Gile, D-Anne Arundel, told Capital News Service. “While we’ve made major progress this year, I also look forward to working with stakeholders, including the Office of the Attorney General, to build on this work so that scalpers can no longer have safe harbor in our state.”

Medical Aid-in Dying

The End-of-Life Option Act would have allowed terminally ill Maryland residents the right to die by self-administering lethal medication. While advocates expressed optimism the bill would pass after years of advocacy on the issue, it stalled when it did not garner enough support to pass out of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

“I’m incredibly disappointed that the bill is one vote short [from passing],” Senator Waldstreicher, D-Montgomery, told Capital News Service.

Cage-Free Eggs

Before session began, Sen. Karen Lewis Young, D-Frederick, expressed high hopes of passage for her bill mandating that all eggs bought and sold in Maryland be cage-free by 2026.  

But the idea encountered heavy pushback from the farming community, amid concerns that increased costs of the requirement could put them out of business. The bill did not make it out of committee in either chamber and it’s unclear whether sponsors will take up the fight again next year.

Motorcycle Helmets

Yet again, the legislature heard a bill that would make wearing a helmet optional for most motorcyclists. Yet again, it failed. 

But the grassroots motorcycle group behind it is a hardy group. They’ve gotten such a bill introduced nearly every year since Maryland passed a mandatory helmet law in 1992.

“They’re diehards for what they believe in,” Del. Jay Jacobs, R-Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne’s, told Capital News Service. “They don’t let go of this stuff.”

Steph Quinn, Kiersten Hacker, Tyrah Burris, Sapna Bansil and Angelique Gingras contributed to this story.

By Elana Mutnick, Capital News Service

Maryland legislators are advancing an emergency bill to provide financial assistance for workers whose jobs are affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Port of Baltimore. The PORT Act will also provide relief for small businesses to pay their workers in an effort to keep their companies afloat.

By Kiersten Hacker, Angelique Gingras, Lydia Hurley and Tyrah Burris, Capital News Service

The General Assembly is quickly approaching an end-of-session deadline but lawmakers are still scrambling to introduce legislation in response to this week’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, and Del. Luke Clippinger, D-Baltimore City, are working on an emergency bill that would provide assistance for workers and businesses at the Port of Baltimore who are affected by the indefinite halt of boat traffic.

Many lawmakers have not yet seen the official language of the bill, known as the Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade Act, but sponsors hope to begin discussions soon.

Funding for the relief measures in the bill would tap into the state’s Rainy Day Fund. Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Chair Guy Guzzone, D-Howard County, said he’s expecting the legislature will grant Gov. Wes Moore authority to access these funds to provide support for affected individuals. 

“We routinely do that. But this is obviously a special circumstance where we all want to pitch in and be able to help wherever we can,” Guzzone said.

When the bridge collapsed Tuesday, lawmakers already had a full docket of work on their desks and were in the final two weeks before the scheduled close of session on April 8. Now, their minds turn to the tragedy in Baltimore while trying to compromise on the budget and put the final touches on high-profile bills. 

The PORT Act would take a three-pronged approach to provide assistance for those directly affected by the restrictions on boat traffic around the bridge. First, the bill would offer income replacement for the thousands of port workers and provide aid to small businesses related to the port and independent contractors. The bill would also use funding to incentivize businesses to keep their operations at the port rather than move elsewhere permanently. 

Guzzone said he doesn’t expect the PORT Act to affect budget talks and that he is confident the spending plan will pass.

In addition to state funding, lawmakers are working in partnership with the federal government to secure relief money. Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld sent a letter Thursday seeking the “quick release” of $60 million in emergency relief from President Joe Biden’s administration. 

Joining the legislative effort, Sen. Bryan Simonaire, R-Anne Arundel, unveiled another bill Thursday that would extend the powers of the state of emergency issued by Moore after the bridge collapsed Tuesday.

As the law stands now, the governor can issue a state of emergency in a crisis situation, allowing access to emergency response and resources that would normally not be needed. The state of emergency terminates within 30 days unless the governor renews it. 

Simonaire said his bill would alter the law, providing the governor with access to state-of-emergency resources for one year during the restoration, repair or replacement of critical infrastructure. After one year, the governor could renew the state of emergency and the General Assembly could rescind the powers at any time. 

“Considering a catastrophic event, you want to give (the governor) these powers,” said Simonaire. The proposed measure “gives us the protection that we have the oversight and we can stop those powers at any time, but it gives flexibility to the governor and the administration.”

Simonaire said the purpose of his legislation is to get this infrastructure in Baltimore back up and running as soon as possible. He hopes to have the bill under review in committee by early next week. 

Simonaire was also joined by other members of the Senate in praising Moore for his response following the bridge collapse.

Moore gave remarks at a gloomy Orioles’ opening day Thursday. 

“The reason I came here today is because I am calling on everybody to do their part,” Moore said. “We have a very long road ahead of us, and that’s exactly why we need partners like the Baltimore Orioles . . . The Orioles remind us what it means to be Maryland tough and Baltimore strong.”

Despite the newly introduced legislation and ongoing budget negotiations, lawmakers said it’s unlikely the General Assembly will head into an extended session. Clippinger said previous sessions have seen similar circumstances but still completed their work in keeping with the 90-day legislative clock.

“It’s kind of what happens,” Clippinger said. “I hope we don’t have to go over.”

Del. Mark Edelson, D-Baltimore City, said he has confidence that the House and Senate can come together with a shared focus on families and individuals impacted to quickly pass laws in Annapolis. 

“It’s about making sure that we do it right and don’t just rush it, but at the same time we are here to deal with long-term issues and to deal with exit issues,” Edelson said. “And we have until midnight on April 8.”

Just last year Maryland legalized recreational marijuana for sale and consumption. Now, lawmakers are opening a possible pathway for psychedelic substances to be less scrutinized by the law.

The House of Delegates passed a bill 136-1 this week to establish a task force that would look into the possibility of decriminalizing psychedelic substances and make recommendations about how the law should handle them.

The report would be due by July 2025.

“This is actually an area that’s been studied far more than cannabis, whether for behavioral health issues related to post traumatic stress disorder, addiction broader behavioral health, depression issues, addiction, chronic pain, just another tool in the toolbox when you’re dealing with a treatments,” said Sen Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery County), a sponsor for the bill.

Read more at WYPR.

By Sapna Bansil, Capital News Service

Jackson Taylor remembers when a peer passed out from an overdose across from his high school. He knows friends who have struggled with addiction. One has been in and out of rehab.

Those experiences help explain why the Rockville High School senior now trains his peers on how to administer naloxone, a lifesaving medication that reverses opioid overdoses. They’re why he carries naloxone at school and why he wants all districts to let their students do the same.

“It’s just like a student having a heart attack,” said Taylor, who runs a student task force on drug and opioid issues in Montgomery County. “It might be rare, but on the off chance it happens, you want to be able to save them and help them.”

Currently, a disparate and ambiguous set of district-level policies has created confusion on the role students may play in preventing opioid deaths among their peers. But a bill before the Maryland General Assembly aims to provide a clear and uniform set of standards. The measure, HB 1268, would explicitly authorize students across the state to possess and administer naloxone – also known by its brand name, Narcan – as adolescent opioid deaths surge and teens lobby for urgent solutions.

While the practice is already permitted for students in Montgomery County, others have gotten punished for carrying naloxone in school, according to the bill’s sponsor, Del. Joe Vogel, D-Montgomery.

“We know that our student populations are uniquely vulnerable when it comes to [the opioid] issue,” Vogel said. “And this [bill] is, to me, a common-sense step to say, ‘Hey, you should not be punished for carrying naloxone with you in a school hallway, and you should not be punished for saving a classmate’s life if they’re overdosing.’”

At a hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, Taylor, 18, was among those who testified in support of the measure. So, too, did Maryland’s Special Secretary of Opioid Response, Emily Keller, an indication that the bill has the backing of Gov. Wes Moore’s administration.

“Empowering people and giving them the tools necessary to help is a vital strategy, especially with young people,” Keller said in her testimony. “Making naloxone accessible with every Marylander is one of our priorities because we know it’s the number one life-saving tool.”

The bill responds to an alarming national trend: Between 2018 and 2022, adolescent deaths from opioids quadrupled, according to an analysis by KFF.

The rise in overdoses has coincided with two factors, said Patricia Kapunan, the medical director for Montgomery County Public Schools. One is the use of social media to market pills without a prescription. The other is the rise of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that is being mixed with illegal drugs, often unbeknownst to the user and with deadly effects.

In 2021, fentanyl was involved in nearly four times as many fatal overdoses among young people in Maryland as the next deadliest drug, cocaine, according to the state’s Vital Statistics Administration.

“Suddenly, [fentanyl] is showing up everywhere, and suddenly one pill can kill,” Kapunan said.

Implementation questions

In response to the opioid crisis, lawmakers have mandated that school districts take preventive actions. The Start Talking Maryland Act of 2017 required public schools to teach kids about the dangers of opioids and have naloxone available on campuses. It also authorized nurses and other health and school personnel to administer the medication in overdose emergencies.

Most districts have not extended the same permission to students. In Cecil County, students are not necessarily punished for possessing naloxone, according to director of student and school safety John Roush. But “they would be talked to by their school administration about it and informed that we don’t have a policy for [them] to carry that in schools,” he said.

Roush thinks the bill is a good idea and may help save lives, though he anticipates challenges with implementation and logistics.

“We have over 15,000 kids in our system here,” he said. “How do you get Narcan out? How do you get information out? How do you make them educated on the use? How do you make them aware? It seems like there would be a lot of time and details to be worked out in that regard.”

While the bill requires schools to educate students about the benefits of naloxone, it does not specifically address one major logistical consideration: training kids on how to dispense the medication.

Available over the counter as a nasal spray, Narcan must be administered by tilting the person’s head back and firmly pressing the plunger. Because the medication’s effects are temporary and overdose symptoms may return, it is critical that the individual providing Narcan also call 911 and seek medical aid.

To the American Medical Association, the benefits of expanding naloxone access in schools still outweigh the risks. Following a debate on the issue, the group approved a resolution last year encouraging “states, communities and educational settings to remove barriers to students carrying safe and effective overdose reversal medications.”

“Narcan saves people quickly, and lack of Narcan kills people quickly,” said Kenneth Certa, an AMA delegate from the American Psychiatric Association, which co-sponsored the policy. “When somebody is turning blue and cold, you don’t have much time. And to wait until a dose gets from another part of the building can be too late.”

‘Hugely empowering’

In Montgomery County, which saw a 78% spike in youth overdoses from 2021 to 2022, a policy permitting students to carry naloxone took effect on May 1, 2023.

Kapunan, who crafted the measure, said students were never punished for possessing overdose-reversing medications and were already protected under good samaritan laws if they acted in an emergency. But teen advocates nonetheless pressed for a policy change that eliminated ambiguity and codified their right to intervene.

“Those levels of permission were really important to students,” Kapunan said. “For me, it was a very small part of the regulation. For them, it was hugely empowering.”

Kapunan says the policy does not mean schools are depending on kids to save lives. During the 2022-23 school year, naloxone was dispensed on school grounds in Montgomery County 18 times, almost always by nurses. Since the policy change, there have been no known instances of a student administering naloxone to a peer at school.

But to supporters, the measure remains an important preventive step, permitting those in closest proximity to an overdose to act without fear of repercussion.

“Students know before the teachers do, is the truth,” Taylor said. “I’m a lot more likely to know, ‘Hey, my friend has a pill in his bag that he’s thinking about taking, and it could have a repercussion’ than a teacher would know.”

Vogel, who is running for the open U.S. congressional seat in Maryland’s 6th District, said expanding policies like the one in Montgomery County has become a necessity. Six months ago, he met with student leaders who spoke to the urgency of the opioid crisis and their desire to help address it.

“A lot of them have taken matters into their own hands,” Vogel said. “A number of them have stepped up and said, ‘We want to get trained on how to administer naloxone, and we want to be able to carry naloxone.’ … That’s what this bill is in response to.”

By Lydia Hurley, Capital News Service

Correction: A March 7 story on the Northeast Maglev high-speed rail project said the line would run completely underground. In fact, it will run mostly underground. 

Maryland lawmakers this session are debating their possible role in funding a high-speed rail project from Washington, D.C. to New York City, with some convinced the answer is clear: the state shouldn’t have any role at all.

Those who back the project continue to push for the construction of the Northeast Maglev, a high-speed rail that would run through Maryland on its course through the northeast.

But some Maryland lawmakers vow they won’t let the state pay for one inch of it. Del. Nicole Williams, D-Prince George’s, sponsored the measure this year that would have prohibited any state funding for the project, even though none has yet been requested.

“I felt like this project should not be built with their taxpayer money,” said Williams. “It’s a funding issue. It’s also an impact issue of the communities that it will traverse through.”

Maglev supporters consider it silly to debate a bill that would outlaw funding that no one has asked for. Williams’ no-funding bill is currently stalled in committee, leading some Maglev fans to conclude a majority of the Maryland General Assembly is supportive of their high-speed rail project.

“I think the fact that the bill has been turned down (several) times tells you that it’s not something that the General Assembly supports,” said Wayne Rogers, Chairman and CEO of the Northeast Maglev project. Similar measures have been introduced since 2021.

For years, the U.S. has debated the idea of a high-speed rail system like the Northeast Maglev that would travel from New York City to Washington D.C. in just an hour. Maryland’s leg of the trip would allow passengers to travel between Washington DC and Baltimore in just fifteen minutes, as opposed to the hour it currently takes.

High-speed transit is a popular concept, in theory. Some 63% of Americans said they would use high-speed trains if they were available in the U.S., according to a 2015 study by the American Public Transportation Association.

However, decades since the idea was first proposed, little progress has been made in constructing these high-speed railways. Lawmakers and advocates disagree about what’s preventing the project from making headway, though.

In the 1970s, Robert Embry, the former Baltimore Housing commissioner, was invited to Japan to study their new railroad technology known as magnetic levitation, a step up from bullet trains. Embry came back home and promoted the Maglev project in its earliest days.

“My view was that America’s ground transportation was inadequate and too slow and that this was the new technology,” Embry told Capital News Service.

Embry said that even today, this sort of high-speed rail could have a “significant benefit” to Maryland, encouraging tourism and commercial growth in Baltimore.

Connecting Washington and Baltimore via high-speed rail may not be so simple, though. First, getting federal funding requires an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), said Embry. This comes from Maryland residents concerned with the project’s alignment and whether it travels through their communities.

Funding issues aren’t the sole reason the Maglev project hasn’t broken ground yet, according to Rogers, the Maglev CEO. The project has to go through a “review and approval process with 30 federal, state and local agencies” before it can get permitted.

The Maglev project, which would run mostly underground, would give commuters the opportunity to travel between Washington and Baltimore without the use of crowded roadways, Rogers said.

“We’re not 10 years behind on our infrastructure, we’re 50 years behind,” he said. “If we don’t do something, we’re drowning in congestion. We’re eliminating economic opportunities because we can’t even connect two cities that are 30 miles apart.”

As it stands, the Maglev project would not rely at all on state funding; it would be solely funded by Japanese private enterprise and U.S. government loan and grant programs. However, Maglev officials say they don’t want to rule out the possibility if the project faces funding concerns in the future.

“While this project is not immediately requesting dollars from the state, the conversation is about the possibility of – in the future – the state supporting the project financially,” said Maglev advocate Adrian Harpool of the Maryland Minority Business Counts Initiative.

Supporters of the project emphasized the need to keep improving transit options in Maryland.

“The bill would signal that the state is closed to innovative, future-oriented solutions to worsening transportation challenges,” said Ian Rainey, senior vice president of the Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail.

While a high-speed rail might be needed in some parts of the U.S., some question whether it’s necessary in Maryland.

The sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, Sen. Alonzo T. Washington, D- Prince George’s, said there are opportunities for high-speed rail elsewhere in the country, but he opposes the project in Maryland.

“It is not needed. We believe the MARC train is doing exactly what this project is trying to do,” Washington said in the Senate bill hearing.

Del. Williams said she plans to keep bringing up her no-funding bill until it passes. “I will continue to fight for this issue.”

By Steph Quinn, Capital News Service

Lawmakers are moving toward consensus on changes to Maryland’s juvenile justice system, discussing how to address crime by children ages 10 to 12 and get them into rehabilitation programs that can help.

The House and Senate have each passed their own version in this effort, and lawmakers are now turning to the task of agreeing on a shared solution.  

The main point of contention between the two bills now is whether kids who are being shielded from prosecution should go to programs without Department of Juvenile Services involvement or, instead, go into a DJS process that would play out in court.

“I think that what it comes down to is both sides want to find some way prior to the child being put directly into DJS, of having a stop on the way before that happens,” said Del. Luke Clippinger, D-Baltimore City, co-sponsor of the House bill.

Sen. Will Smith, D-Montgomery, co-sponsor in the Senate, said that in discussions to agree on a single bill, lawmakers will “do whatever makes sense to ensure that, obviously, our youth have the supports to succeed and public safety is upheld.”

But as the measures advance, they also differ on the crimes that would trigger mandatory rehabilitation.

The House bill would give kids accused of auto theft or firearms violations for the first time a chance to avoid court by participating in a so-called “diversion program” chosen by the arresting officer. Such a program is meant to offer services and divert a child from entering the juvenile justice system.

The Senate bill would send kids accused of auto theft for the first time to court through an existing DJS procedure, known as the “Child in Need of Supervision” process. In current law, when law enforcement or a member of the public reports someone as a Child in Need of Supervision, a DJS intake officer can decide whether to refer the young person to services or file a “CINS petition” in court. A CINS petition asks the judge to assess the case and decide on an appropriate intervention. 

The amended Senate bill would require the filing of a petition in court, but only in cases of children under 13 accused of auto theft for the first time. 

While a judge could choose from a range of options in such cases – such as community-based services, a substance abuse rehabilitation program or an out-of-home placement – incarceration would not be on the table. And if a child did not complete the rehabilitation, the judge could recall them to court.

Both bills would require police to file a written report with DJS when they refer a young person to services or take them into custody. The CINS petition required in the Senate bill would also create a written record in a child’s case history.

Smith said that by requiring an intake officer to send children before a judge, the Senate bill will allow children “to have the ability to get services and support, but there will be a level of accountability there.” 

Both bills would specify that if a child repeats the same offense a second time, they could be sent to court with the possibility of incarceration.

Clippinger said he’s “happy to hear more from the Senate” but that creating a separate CINS process for children ages 10 to 12 accused of auto theft could create confusion.

Some youth advocates are still skeptical.

“Only one diversion for a kid who’s 10, 11 or 12 is not going to solve the problem of whether they’re competent to stand trial,” said Kimber Watts, attorney in the Forensic Mental Health Division at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. 

When a young person is charged with a crime, they undergo a process to determine whether they are “competent” to understand the court proceedings. During this process, they can only receive services to help them attain competency.

In cases when children are ruled incompetent, Watts said, “then we’re high and dry, and we can’t get them whatever it is they need.”

Both versions of the bill moved through their chambers with largely favorable votes, with support from Democrats and Republicans.

Sen. William Folden, R-Frederick, said that while the Senate bill wasn’t “as far-reaching as we would like to have had,” it would help hold kids accountable for their rehabilitation.

“That’s an important component, being able to have that recall authority of the judge to say that their sentencing and their guidelines have some teeth,” Folden said.

Neither bill would change a 2022 law that bars police from interrogating minors before they have consulted with an attorney.

“There are parents that want law enforcement to be in contact with their child and say, ‘Listen, you’re going down a bad path. Don’t do this. This is why,’” said Folden. “That type of candid dialogue is now gone because the officer can’t talk (with the young person) even with parental consent.”

By Elana Mutnick, Capital News Service

Lawmakers in the Maryland General Assembly are hearing bills to prohibit the distribution of heroin and fentanyl without lawful authority to do so. 

Victoria & Scottie’s Law is named in honor of two individuals who died from fentanyl overdoses.

The bill would impose up to 20 years of imprisonment on anyone convicted of selling these substances that lead to serious bodily injury or death.

By Sapna Bansil, Capital News Services

Lawmakers have tabled a fiercely debated bill that would have granted terminally ill Maryland residents the right to end their lives, a setback to supporters who hoped it would finally pass this year.

Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, said in a press conference Friday that the measure had not won enough support among the 11 members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee to move forward this term. Ferguson indicated he was unwilling to bring the bill for a vote if it was likely to fail.

“For this year, it’s certainly over,” said Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair Will Smith, D-Montgomery, noting the bill would have fallen one or two votes shy of passing his committee.

Although Democratic leaders – from Gov. Wes Moore to Ferguson and Smith – all previously expressed support for the bill, they said there would be no last-ditch efforts to change lawmakers’ minds on an issue that is deeply sensitive for both supporters and opponents.

“I told every member of this committee that on issues like this, it’s a vote of conscience,” Smith said. “It’s so personal. It’s such a tough issue … In order to come to me and say, ‘Hey, look, I’m expressing unreadiness, I cannot vote for this bill,’ I would honor that.”

This bill, known as the End-of-Life Option Act, sought to make Maryland the 12th jurisdiction to legalize medical aid in dying, which provides patients with incurable illnesses the option to die by self-administering lethal medication. Patients would have been eligible if they had less than six months to live, were of sound mind and made a series of oral and written requests.

As the Senate and House considered companion bills over the past few weeks, the issue became the subject of contentious debate and hours of testimony. Proponents said aid in dying was a matter of dignity and bodily autonomy, while opponents expressed religious, ethical and moral concerns.

The bill’s failure elicited strong emotions from its supporters on Friday, many of whom have experienced years of setbacks on the issue.

“It’s gut wrenching,” said Sen. Ariana Kelly, D-Montgomery, a member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee and a bill co-sponsor. “The proponents of this bill have come before the legislature, year after year, explaining why it’s necessary. I have a broad community of constituents back at home and friends and colleagues who I see in Annapolis who are gutted … People feel this very personally.”

Among those who testified in support of the bill was Diane Kraus, a 59-year-old Baltimore woman living with metastatic breast cancer. She said she wanted to have the option of medical aid in dying in the event her condition became terminal.

“I’m really disappointed,” Kraus said in a phone interview. “I don’t want to have to move out of state in order to be able to use this.”

But one opponent said the bill’s demise was the right outcome.

“I’m actually very pleased,” said Sen. Mike McKay, R-Allegany, Garrett and Washington. “I know that it’s a very, very personal piece of legislation that affects each of us much differently than [Republicans] to [Democrats] or rural to suburban … There’s just people [who] weren’t comfortable moving forward.”

While the bill has met its end for this session, lawmakers said they anticipate reintroducing aid-in-dying legislation in upcoming terms.

“This is one that in time, maybe things will change with more education and more discussion,” Ferguson said. “And so it’s best to just know that it’s just not happening this year.”

Angelique Gingras contributed reporting for this story.

By Angelique Gingras, Capital News Service

A day after a threat to the state capitol prompted a near two-hour lockdown, lawmakers applauded the quick work of law enforcement but raised concerns about efficient communication. 

Sen. Antonio Hayes, D-Baltimore City, said he was voting in a Finance Committee meeting when a member of the press texted him about a security threat to the State House. A few minutes later, a state trooper in the room notified committee members to shelter in place, before they were escorted out of the building. 

“I wish I would have gotten a text message internally before I got one externally, but I think just given the series of events, it is what it is,” said Hayes. 

Capital News Service covered the incident, which began around 5 p.m. Thursday when an anonymous call was made to the Annapolis City Police Department threatening to target the state capitol. After nearly two hours of lockdown, the Maryland Capitol Police determined there was no evidence of a potential threat. 

The Senate and House of Delegates convened Friday, each opening their floor sessions with a standing ovation for the law enforcement officers who sprang into action. 

“Yesterday was certainly a very scary moment for many, a very intense moment, but a moment when our first responders did everything that they were supposed to do and kept everyone safe, followed protocol and really responded to a very intense situation appropriately,” Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore County, told reporters Friday. 

Capital News Service reached out to a spokesperson for the Department of General Services, which oversees the Maryland Capitol Police, who provided no comment on the communication efforts by law enforcement.

“The one thing you can’t have happen is, you don’t want to over alert or over alarm the people you’re trying to protect,” said Sen. Will Folden, R-Frederick, who also serves as an active duty police officer in the city of Frederick. “It’s a necessary element to only provide absolutely necessary information to not create panic.”

The incident occurred just days after the General Assembly signed a contract with Motorola to incorporate a text message alert system for state officials in the State House complex, according to Ferguson. That system is still being built, he said, and was not in use at the time of the threat. 

“Within the structure we have right now, (state troopers) did an amazing job. I think we all would like a world in which we had a text service to keep us informed.” said Sen. Sarah Elfreth, D-Anne Arundel.

Hayes added: “I didn’t even realize that we were in the middle of negotiating a text messaging contract, which I think would have been helpful.”

While it isn’t clear when the alert system will be up and running, lawmakers expressed gratitude for police efforts yesterday. 

By Kiersten Hacker, Capital News Service

Gov. Wes Moore delivered a State of the State address on Wednesday that candidly described some of the state’s most pressing challenges and called on lawmakers to join him in a spirit of “partnership” to tackle them all. 

One year into his administration, Moore laid out several areas to work on, including public safety, affordable housing and economic competitiveness, among others.

Still, the Democratic governor described the state as “strong,” in part because his office is working collaboratively with the legislature. “I’m proud of what we’re doing. But most importantly, I’m proud of how we’re doing it. The executive and the legislature are working together again,” Moore said of the Democratic-led General Assembly. “That feels good,” he added, chuckling. 

“For too long, we watched the executive pick fights with the legislature in the media, instead of showing real leadership and engagement in the State House,” he said, an apparent reference to former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, his immediate predecessor. 

Republicans pushed back against some of Moore’s assertions, with Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey noting that a “lofty goal” requires more work than “grand declarations.” Republicans have a duty to raise concerns about legislative actions, even while working collaboratively, Hershey said in prepared remarks shared with Capital News Service. 

“This is a vision we can certainly support,” said Hershey, who represents Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne’s counties. “After all, our ultimate goal is the success and well-being of every single Marylander.” 

With his first year in office under his belt, Moore is now diving into some of the more difficult challenges of his tenure. He inherited the sweeping education reform known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, and then he set his own costly goals, including construction of the Red Line and rebuilding of the American Legion Bridge. He also pledged to fill widespread vacancies in the government and eventually make Maryland the offshore wind capital of the world.

But now Moore is facing the realities of a tough financial picture with a projected deficit that could reach $1.78 billion by fiscal year 2028, mostly due to the costs of the Blueprint. With that reality looming over his plans and priorities, Moore appealed to lawmakers to work with him as partners in order to make Maryland more affordable, competitive and safe, and to make it “a state that serves.” 

“Partnership doesn’t keep score. Partnership has no ego. And partnership isn’t partisan,” Moore said. 

Moore announced that this week his administration will release a State Plan, outlining specific actions and realistic goals to achieve his priorities.

One of Moore’s top priorities is public safety. At a time when many communities are worried about violence, Moore pledged his administration will take an “all of government approach” to the problem. 

People shouldn’t have to choose between “feeling safe in their skin and feeling safe in their communities,” Moore said. In recent days Moore has joined lawmakers to announce legislation that will crack down on youth crime and proposed a package of three other public safety bills. 

Other priorities Moore raised were affordable housing and childcare, important goals in what he refers to as the country’s seventh most expensive state. His proposed fiscal year 2025 budget also includes record investments in childcare without raising taxes, he said.

Moore also called for the state to support a world-class education system, prioritizing programs like the Blueprint plan that he proposes to fully fund in the new budget. The state should create more pathways to success for young people, Moore said, and also make it easier for people to start businesses. 

“This will be Maryland’s decade,” Moore said. “Not because we say so, but because we make it so – together.”

In his response to Moore’s address, Hershey argued that the governor must push for a more proactive plan in addition to the three bills. The Joint Republican Caucus has proposed two bills, the Safe Communities Act and the Violent Firearms Offenders Act, and GOP leaders say they will continue to support the Gun Theft Felony Act proposed in the past.

“Our vision for Maryland is one where public safety is not just a priority but the foundation upon which all other aspects of society rest,” Hershey said in the written remarks. “It is impossible to envision a thriving state without a strong commitment to ensuring that repeat violent offenders are held accountable and that our communities are protected from harm.”

Hershey also raised concerns about the possibility of tax increases to pay for all the Democratic priorities. Republicans support lowering the income tax rates and tax brackets, he said.

“We recognize that tax cuts are only achievable if we address the expensive mandates from the past and refrain from adding new ones that will further weigh down the budget,” Hershey said. “We must be disciplined in prioritizing the programs that are cost-effectively achieving their intended results while eliminating or scaling back the ones that are no longer necessary.”

By Steph Quinn, Capital News Service

Almost two years after passing landmark youth justice reform, Maryland lawmakers are scrutinizing its impact on young offenders  – and questioning whether they’ve done enough to make things better. 

The 2022 reforms were meant to help more young offenders avoid incarceration and get on the path to rehabilitation. But with spikes in auto thefts, carjackings and handgun violations by youth around the state, lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are thinking about refining and updating the reforms this year.

Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, said there is an agreement taking shape among lawmakers who want to smooth the process for referring young people for rehabilitative services. State agencies have the resources to help kids and families, Ferguson said, but a lack of cooperation sometimes gets in the way. 

He said one thing in need of improvement is the Child in Need of Supervision process, which lets law enforcement refer young people to Juvenile Services for assessment and programs when they get into trouble. 

“What happened over the last few years is that the CINS process never led to actual conversations (or) collaborations amongst agencies that have various resources to surround the child with those supports,” Ferguson said this week.

In their quest to change the law, lawmakers are motivated both by complaints from constituents and by a sense that youth crime is on the rise. While youth violent crime arrests fell 16.5% overall between fiscal years 2022 and 2023, according to a Juvenile Services report last year, carjackings increased by 85.4% and handgun violations rose almost 220%. Auto theft grew 64.6%, doubling between 2022 and 2023.

Some Republicans blame the reform itself, and some prosecutors are joining them in raising concerns about the law. Among other changes, the 2022 reforms set 13 as the minimum age for a young person to be sent to juvenile court – except in cases of violent crime, where the minimum age is 10 – and prohibited police from interrogating youth without letting the child consult an attorney.

But Democrats are more interested in refining the system, and they’re engaged in discussions that could produce a more sweeping set of improvements in the coming days. 

Gov. Wes Moore’s office is also involved in talks and expects that like-minded lawmakers may introduce legislation aimed at making improvements to the current law.

Sen. Jill Carter, D-Baltimore City, one of several lawmakers concerned about juvenile justice this session, said she wants to see police and prosecutors work together to use the tools the legislature has already given them. 

“I think that the most effective thing that could happen is that law enforcement and prosecutors could work within the law, stop resisting it and work more collaboratively, and if they come up with suggestions, they should be data-driven,” Carter said. 

Several lawmakers defended the 2022 reforms in a press conference with the Maryland Youth Justice Coalition this week, and urged law enforcement and state’s attorneys to use the tools it set up.  

Del. Charlotte Crutchfield, D-Montgomery, said that the reform legislation is “still in its infancy.”

“We know that there are things that need to be put in place to ensure that it continues and that our youth are well taken care of under this legislation,” Crutchfield said.

Prosecutors say it’s not that simple. Juvenile Services officers sometimes see six or seven complaints regarding the same young person before prosecutors are notified, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said during a recent Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. 

“Let us, as state’s attorneys, have what we had before,” McCarthy said, “the ability to have those matters referred to us so that we may put a second additional set of eyes on it.”