Page 3 - Steve Lash News Today

State Roundup: Bill would end ICE contract renewals, future private detention jails; pandemic relief bill expanded An ice sculpture of the State House st the Red Red Wine bar in Annapolis in January 2017. A lobbying firm paid for the sculpture. MarylandReporter.com file photo BILL WOULD BLOCK NEW ICE DETENTION CENTERS: The General Assembly is considering legislation that would essentially put an end to privately run immigration detention centers in the state. But currently, there do not appea...

State Roundup: Political powerbroker Mike Miller dies; revenue bills eye $1.4B; 16 vetoes overturned; Hogan declares state of emergency The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington. National Park Service photo REMEMBRANCES, TRIBUTES TO MIKE MILLER: Senate President Emeritus Mike Miller died Friday afternoon at age 78, Bryan Renbaum of Maryland Reporter writes. The political powerbroker and old school Democrat who led the state’s upper chamber for more than four decades “passed away pea...

State Roundup: Next vaccination phase begins next week A view of the State House dome from the Noah Hillman Garage. (MarylandReporter.com photo. VACCINE ELIGIBILITY EXPANDS: Maryland will move into the next substage of its coronavirus vaccination plan beginning next week, Bryan Renbaum reports that Gov. Larry Hogan announced. Monday will mark the beginning of vaccinating those 75 and older and people of any age living in assisted living, developmental disability or behavioral health group home...

State Roundup: Citing problems, Maryland seeks to improve reporting, rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations On Dec. 23 at the Franklin Woods Center in Baltimore County, Samuel Cushing became the first nursing home resident to get the coronavirus vaccine. He was accompanied by nursing director Donna Jones, who was among the first staff members to be vaccinated. Gov. Hogan attended the event. Governor’s Office photo STATE TRIES TO IMPROVE VACCINE ROLLOUT: The state is taking action to improve the rep...

State Roundup: Maryland could get $6 Billion in federal funds, if Trump signs Covid relief bill Government House, the governors mansion, decorated for Christmas. File photo STATE COULD GET $6B IN FED FUNDS, IF TRUMP SIGNS BILL: The long-awaited federal coronavirus relief bill — paired with an expansive government spending package — contains millions of dollars specifically for initiatives in Maryland, but President Donald Trump threw its fate into question Tuesday night when he blasted the ...

Roundup: Stay home for the holidays, Hogan urges Figures from the Thurgood Marshall plaza on Lawyers Mall across from the State House. MarylandReporter.com photo TRAVEL BAN FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Gov. Larry Hogan wants Marylanders to stay at home for the holidays to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and on Thursday he issued an order that prohibits non-essential travel, Bryan Renbaum reports in Maryland Reporter. Hogan said the state isn’t planning aggressive enforcement of the order, w...

St. Anns and Church Circle in Annapolis. MidAtlantic Aerial photo McGRATH MOSTLY MUM DURING PAYOUT TESTIMONY: Gov. Larry Hogan’s former Chief of Staff Roy McGrath declined to answer several questions during an oversight hearing Wednesday regarding the six-figure severance payout he received,  and what role, if any, Gov. Hogan played in that decision to dole out the cash, Bryan Renbaum of Maryland Reporter reports. Maryland lawmakers were again frustrated with more questions than answers Wedn...

State Roundup: Franchot urges aid for lower income residents as revenue estimates come in MarylandReporter.com photo REVENUE ESTIMATES HIGHER, BUT $600M-$700M LESS THAN PRE-COVID: Bryan Renbaum of MarylandReporter.com spoke with Comptroller Peter Francot on Friday. He said that while revenue estimates improved since September – which he called a surprise – “We are still $600 million or $700 million less than what we should have been pre-pandemic.” The state’s chief tax collector, an a...