Fact check: Filling in the details on Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's rosy view of bipartisan state
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan delivered his State of the State speech Wednesday, touting many accomplishments during his first four years in office. The Republican gave himself credit for a few strokes of good fortune on tax relief, and seemed to be banking on getting all of the Chesapeake Bay funding he’s proposed for the next fiscal year. Here’s a look at the address: Tax Relief Hogan: “We cut taxes, tolls and fees by $1.2 billion.” Facts: There’s more to the story. Hogan toute
Frederick lawmakers seek small law changes with big implications
ANNAPOLIS — Legislation from members of the Frederick County delegation continued to move forward this week. Teacher rights Freshman Del. Ken Kerr (D-Frederick) made his first appearance at a House committee hearing on Tuesday to defend a bill to protect Maryland School for the Deaf teachers from unreasonable termination. The bill codifies in law that Maryland School for the Deaf teachers are state employees, rather than “at will” employees, and cannot be let go without reaso
Community Action Agency submits application to sponsor food program
The Frederick Community Action Agency has applied to be the local sponsor of the Child and Adult Care Food Program in Frederick County. Nearly 200 local child care providers participate in the federally funded program that reimburses care providers for providing healthy meals to children. Mike Spurrier, FCAA director, said his organization submitted a preliminary application to run the program on Friday. The program is a way to stop child hunger and poverty, while promoting n
Delegation OKs brewing more beer in Frederick County
ANNAPOLIS — Frederick County lawmakers agreed on Friday to uncap local beer producers. A bill this session with the county delegation’s support will carve out an exception for small breweries in Frederick County by raising the cap on the number of barrels of beer they can produce. The breweries will also be able to sell up to 4,000 barrels of beer at a second location and double their distribution limit. “I don’t have any objection to the second location. I’m sure there’s goi
Young's retiree, cannabis tax bills get hearing at Senate budget committee
ANNAPOLIS — Two tax bills — one aimed at retirees and the other at medical cannabis — overcame their first hurdle at the General Assembly this week, but their future is far from certain. A handful of residents supported the bills, which Sen. Ron Young (D-District 3) sponsored, at a Senate Budget and Taxation Committee hearing Thursday morning. One bill aims to offer relief to seniors on their retirement income, and the other wants to conform medical cannabis growers, processo
Beyond the Ballot — Ron Young
Sen. Ron Young was only 34 when he took over as mayor of Frederick, but he oversaw the devastating flood of 1976 and a series of projects that shaped the way the city looks today. After a 16-year tenure and two subsequent re-election defeats, he re-entered the political arena in 2010 to run for Maryland Senate. In his downtime, though, Young is an avid painter and writer with five books currently in process. He sat down with “72 Hours” to discuss his personal life and in-dept
MARYLAND STATE SENATORS CALL FOR END TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Annapolis, MD – Citing hardship faced by over 147,000 Maryland federal employees, a group of 28 Maryland State Senators today called upon President Trump to initiate a bipartisan compromise that ends the partial federal government shutdown. In a letter to President Trump, the Senators stated: “In the Maryland State Senate we have a proven track record of working across the aisle to serve the residents of our state. We work daily to ensure that partisan aims do not take the pl
Returning legislation first to appear in Md. House and Senate
ANNAPOLIS — By the time the 90-day General Assembly session ends in April, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. said he expects his chamber to introduce more than 1,000 bills, but first he needs his members to put them in the hopper. Sen. Ron Young (D-District 3) is one of only a few senators to pre-file bills for the session and have them introduced on Wednesday. The early start may help breathe new life into bills that in past sessions have not made it through. “We’ve
