Commission asks lawmakers for upgrades in antiquated emergency system

A statewide commission is urging state lawmakers to approve a package of bills upgrading the state’s 9-1-1 system which is now over 50 years old.

Maryland taking steps aimed at addressing climate change

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland – While the Trump administration’s report last month detailing the effects of rising global temperatures said Maryland had begun feeling the consequences of climate change, lawmakers and state agencies already are taking steps aimed at combating it. From…

Small businesses feel impacts of the opioid epidemic

DUNDALK, Maryland – In a quiet suburb outside Baltimore, down the street from a church and walking distance from a grocery store, one white house is not like the rest. Inside, positive messages cover the walls and sobriety coins hang…

Local sheriffs join in effort to get Congress to approve immigration reform

Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler was among several sheriffs from Maryland who joined with dozens of other sheriffs from around the country on Capitol Hill Wednesday urging lawmakers to approve legislation they say will increase border security and reform the country’s immigration system.

Legislature passes bill to expand post-conviction relief

A bill addressing the rights of those convicted of violent crimes to challenge the conviction remained in the balance as the 2018 Maryland General Assembly session neared its end.

Child gun deaths marked by display of thousands of empty shoes on the lawn of the Capitol

Tom Mauser lost his 15-year-old son Daniel in the Columbine shooting that changed the nation. Mauser made the trip from his Colorado home to Washington bringing with him a memory: two pairs of Daniel’s shoes, including the ones he wore when he became one of the 13 killed in the massacre at the high school in 1999. On Tuesday, the shoes became part of a display of 7,000 pairs of children’s shoes on display on the southeast lawn of the Capitol. Event organizers say the shoes represented the estimated gun deaths of children since Sandy Hook.

Maryland Dental Action Coalition promotes dental care improvements for Maryland adults

A legislative briefing on Wednesday reviewed the findings the Maryland Dental Action Coalition. The organization told the lawmakers there’s a need for improved access to dental care for adults in the state of Maryland as many are unable to receive treatment only until they are faced with a difficult dental problem. In the 2016 fiscal year, Maryland adults made over 42,000 trips to the emergency room for chronic dental conditions.

Bills heard on airplane seats, venison donations and more

On Wednesday, legislators heard bills on the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration’s access to birth certificates; airplane passenger safety; e-cigarette sales; classroom cellphone use; tuition for those in foster care; and venison donations — among others.

State lawmakers asked to help with battle against skyrocketing drug prices

ANNAPOLIS–Imagine having a life threatening condition and not being able to afford the cost of your prescription drugs? That’s a very real problem for many Marylanders. The legislature is being asked to approve a series of bills aimed at providing…

Community-police relations a legislative priority, ACLU says

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland–After Maryland’s 2016 legislative session gave way to notable criminal justice reform, the ACLU of Maryland is looking to revive some prolonged efforts in improving the community-police relationship that may have fallen to the wayside. The majority of the…