As the legislature’s required midnight adjournment for the year was just a few minutes away, Democratic House Speaker Adrienne Jones stopped Republicans from explaining their votes, which angered Republican Del. Nic Kipke.
Annapolis
Moore signs child sex protections, 90-plus bills into law
The bills that will become law are designed to protect victims of child sexual abuse, defend workers, assist Maryland families and much more.
General Assembly has grown more representative of Maryland’s demographics over past decade
The 2023 session saw a group of legislators that was more representative of the state in terms of race, gender, party affiliation and age than a decade ago.
Federal banking rules make funding Maryland cannabis industry tricky
Since deposit insurance is issued by the federal government, working with cannabis businesses, even those licensed at the state level, means potentially risking the insurance that protects depositors from bank runs and liquidity crunches.
Lawmakers consider legislation to limit Maryland universities’ sports betting agreements
The University of Maryland College Park is the only school in the state with a betting sponsorship, but the legislation wouldn’t apply to the university.
General Assembly approves decriminalizing oral sex
Democratic sponsors of the bill said repealing the current statute is necessary to protect the constitutional right to privacy between consenting adults.
Hate crime package aims to curb Maryland’s rising antisemitic incidents
Maryland recorded the 10th-highest number of antisemitic incidents nationwide in 2022 with 109 — nearly double how many there were in 2021.
Legislators working to make Maryland Rye official state spirit
Maryland has a long history with rye whiskey. State laws also recently changed to allow for more of a boom for distilleries.
Maryland’s Moore fights national hype to stay focused on state business
The national media clamor has only continued to mount since Moore took office in mid-January.
Sen. Kagan pushes package promoting election integrity in Maryland
One bill would require county elections boards to begin processing mail-in ballots eight business days before the start of early voting.