MATERNAL HEALTH ACT AWAITS MOORE’s SIGNATURE: The Maryland Maternal Health Act of 2024 is among the hundreds of pieces of legislation awaiting the governor’s signature. The bill, considered a priority by the Legislative Black Caucus and Women’s Caucus passed both chambers of the General Assembly with no opposition. Maryland’s maternal mortality rate for 2021 was 21.2 per 100,000 live births; however racial health disparities persist. Wambui Kamau/WYPR-FM. HEALTH PROVIDERS TO LOSE 3/4ths OF FUNDING TO AID HIV PATIENTS: By the end of June, health care providers in Maryland will lose nearly three ..read more

HOW TAX INCREASES WILL PAY FOR BLUEPRINT: According to a chart provided by the Blueprint’s Accountability and Implementation Board that oversees the multi-billion-dollar education plan, a $1.25 increase in a pack of cigarettes could generate about $86 million, while tax increases on other tobacco products could provide another $5 million in the upcoming fiscal year. The total amount of tobacco revenue is expected to decrease from $91 million to about $71 million by fiscal year 2029, because when tobacco taxes go up, tobacco use often goes down — or users look to other states with lower taxes t ..read more

By MARIAM BUKHARI Capital News Service Earth Day is an annual holiday that celebrates the Earth and raises awareness about the need to protect the environment. The first Earth Day was introduced by Gaylord Nelson, the former governor of Wisconsin, on April 22, 1970. It was initially aimed at college students.Nowadays, Earth Day is celebrated by people all over the world. In addition to volunteering to help clean the environment or advocating for environmental issues, some choose to celebrate the day by spending time outdoors.Here are five places in and around Maryland where you can a ..read more

SOME JURISDICTIONS TO BEGIN PROCESSING MAIL-IN PRIMARY BALLOTS: Mail-in ballots are starting to roll in across the Baltimore region as Maryland’s May 14 primary election draws near, with some jurisdictions preparing to process ballots as soon as today. According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, approximately 558,000 ballots have been sent to voters statewide for a primary with two presumptive presidential nominees at the top. In turn, voters have sent in 17% of those ballots to local election offices with their choices. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun. ALSOBROOKS, TRONE DEBATE T ..read more

By MATHEW J. SCHUMER Capital News Service ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Workers at the Shipley’s Grant Starbucks cafe voted to unionize this week, just days ahead of a Supreme Court case involving the company’s challenge of a federal labor injunction. “I started working here two and a half years ago, and as soon as I got here, I knew something had to change,” said Noah Smith, a shift supervisor at the Shipley’s Grant shop, which voted 21-2 on Thursday afternoon to unionize. Smith was one of the first three workers at the store to speak with Workers United about organizing the staff. Dwindling hours cou ..read more

WASHINGTON POST ENDORSES ALSOBROOKS: In editorial urging Democrats to vote for Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for U.S. Senate, the Washington Post highlights her record as a “fiscally responsible steward,” “champion of economic development,” and “deserves credit for her leadership on public safety.” ALSOBROOKS’ SUCCESSOR ENDORSES TRONE FOR U.S. SENATE: U.S. Senate hopeful Angela Alsobrooks’ successor as Prince George’s County’s top prosecutor has endorsed her opponent, U.S. Rep. David Trone, as the congressman leads with about a month remaining before the Democratic primary ..read more

WAIT TIMES IN MARYLAND ERs AMONG THE LONGEST: While long emergency department wait times are a problem everywhere in the country, they are particularly bad in Maryland. Patients in Maryland spend 4 hours, 7 minutes, on average, from the time they arrive in emergency departments to the time they leave, according to federal data last updated in January. That doesn’t include patients seeking help for psychiatric or mental health reasons — a population that waits, on average, for about 6 hours, 40 minutes in Maryland. Angela Roberts/The Baltimore Sun. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COVERAGE LAGGING: Maryland h ..read more

By KIERSTEN HACKER Capital News Service ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Gov. Wes Moore bragged the other day about “going 26 for 26” in passing his bills through the General Assembly, a display of bipartisan achievement he called “Maryland’s win.” With his second legislative session now in the rearview mirror, Moore has been touting bipartisan support for his agenda the past two sessions since he took office in 2023. Even though he and the General Assembly again failed to resolve the state’s projected long-term fiscal imbalance, Moore is still laying claim to a measure of victory. He managed to achieve his l ..read more

By SAPNA BANSIL Capital News Service ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After a pair of deadly work zone incidents cast attention on the dangers of road work, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore enacted a set of protections for workers and their families that his administration describes as “a moral imperative.” Hours after the state’s legislature adjourned, a bill increasing fines for work zone speed violations and another covering educational costs for families of fallen workers were among the first measures from the 2024 session that Moore signed into law. At a bill signing ceremony, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, a former tran ..read more

NATIONAL REPUBLICANS AID HOGAN AS SENATE RACE FUNDING NUMBERS COME IN: Former Gov. Larry Hogan is launching a nearly $1 million television ad campaign today, half bankrolled by national Republicans eager to flip the deep-blue state’s open Senate seat red. Erin Cox and Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post. A month ahead of the primary election that will set up Maryland’s open U.S. Senate race, campaign filings show millions pouring into candidates’ coffers — including big donations from national groups banking on the seat’s significance for control of the chamber. Katie Shepherd/The Washington P ..read more