Maryland Government News

Readers of this column have heard me gripe from time to time, and for good reason, about the fact that Virginia cleans our clocks here in Maryland when it comes to creating a good business climate.

The bills, HB 1024 and HB 1148, are based on the recommendations of a study panel created by the legislature in 2011 and were introduced in the House by Del.

Maryland residents could see the so-called "flush tax" added to their water and sewer bills double or even triple next year if a bill now before the General Assembly becomes law.The Bay Restoration Fund fees are currently charged at a flat $30 per year rate, but Senate Bill 240 would base the rate on actual metered water use for so... Its time to ... (more)

A provision in a Maryland bill that would give Prince George's County voters an effective veto over hosting a slots casino violates the Maryland Constitution, a state lawyer has concluded.

Maryland lawmakers tangled with one another and with many of the witnesses at a lengthy hearing Friday on same-sex marriage that was at times argumentative, emotional and testy.

Sharalyn Webre feeds Lottie, 1 week old. Webre said breastfeeding her first child was a challenge, but she's more confident with Lottie.

Staff photo by GRETCHEN PHILLIPS U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer shakes hands with Jamil Scott, academic affairs vice president with the University of Maryland, College Park, during a roundtable discussion Monday at the Waldorf Center for Higher Education.

The Maryland Department of the Environment is looking into "potential violations involving operations and procedures" related to a municipal waste incinerator at Fort Detrick, a state spokesman said this week.

Surrealism has taken the place of reality in the abode we call Annapolis. Insulated from the economic pressures Maryland's private sector must face, legislators and the Governor continue to pour our tax dollars into very generous benefits and salaries of state workers.

Maryland Del. Dan Morhaim introduced a pair of medical marijuana bills in the state House on Thursday, the latest development in an effort to help Maryland patients with a doctor's recommendation access the drug.

Last month Governor Martin O'Malley and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar together noted that the federal government announced that wind energy projects off the Mid-Atlantic coast would cause "no significant environmental damage."A According to The Washington Post this finding removes "one of several expected regulatory hurdles to wind farm ... (more)

By Mike Bock, Capital News Service While Barack Obama and his Republican opponent will capture national headlines this November, Maryland voters will turn their attention to in-state policy disputes, like 2011's In-State Tuition Bill, also known as the DREAM Act .

A panel of state senators reviewing Maryland ethics rules decided Friday to recommend local government officials should not be required to release as much information in financial disclosure forms as officials in state government.

Debate on Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's plan to make Maryland the next state to legalize gay marriage began in the House on Friday.

Last year, Gov.Martin O'Malleyproposed to build 500 megawatts of offshore wind. The debate centered around how much this would really cost, and the proposal died.

Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Catholic, has renewed his efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland.

Much of the attention paid to Gov.Martin O'Malley's second offshore wind proposal has centered around the cost of building and maintaining an offshore wind farm and its effect on ratepayers.

Two state senators from Montgomery County have asked the Maryland Transportation Department to raise the speed limit on the new toll road.

Marylanders for Offshore Wind Coalition produced a video that features leaders from a variety of fields, including Maryland Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola .

Immigrants to Maryland contribute significantly to the state's economy, and were vital to its workforce expansion in both technical and less-skilled occupations from 2000 to 2010, concludes a new report by a Maryland commission.