LAWMAKERS POISED TO CONTINUE DEBATE OVER BLUEPRINT CHANGES: Maryland senators gave their version of Gov. Wes Moore’s proposed bill to revise the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future the green light Wednesday, setting up a negotiation between the two chambers in the coming days. Bri Hatch/WYPR-FM.
- Because the delegates rejected many of the governor’s proposals, such as a four-year pause in the phase-in of collaborative time for teachers, the House is expected to reject the Senate plan, setting up a conference committee to hash out differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The last day of the legislative session is April 7. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
IN 7-HOUR BUDGET DEBATE, SHOUTS, FINGER-POINTING RULE: After hours of fervent debate, the House passed two key bills Wednesday to close the state’s $3.3 billion-and-growing budget deficit. The bills now head to the Senate, where they’re likely to be amended. Debate on both bills was varied, with Republicans alleging that the Democrat-led legislation will worsen the state’s budget woes down the line and both parties acknowledging that the legislature had a hand in contributing to Maryland’s current deficit. Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
- There were repeated references to “my friend” from here or “the gentle lady” from there, but the niceties were overpowered by the shouting and the finger-pointing Wednesday during a second day of debate on the fiscal 2026 budget. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
WHERE DID MARYLAND’s COVID MONEY GO TO? Few states benefited from the Covid-19 and post-pandemic surge in federal spending more than Maryland. Last year, federal agencies awarded nearly $115 billion in contracts, grants and assistance payments to the state — more than $18,500 per resident, according to data from USASpending.gov, a federal site that tracks government payments. Sapna Bansil/The Baltimore Banner.
PLAN TO CAP ABUSE SURVIVOR PAYOUTS CALLED ‘LIKELY UNCONSTITUTIONAL:’ Attorneys representing hundreds of people with allegations of sexual abuse while in state custody said a late-session attempt to limit financial damages is insulting and likely unconstitutional. The state faces what could be billions in potential financial settlements under the 2023 Child Victims Act, which made it easier for child sex abuse victims file claims against public and private institutions. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- The amended version of House Bill 1378, sponsored by Del. CT Wilson, a Democratic lawmaker who championed the Child Victims Act in 2023, would put a lower cap — $400,000 — on the maximum potential payout per each claimant who files after Oct. 1. It would also mandate an alternative dispute resolution process to settle claims of child sexual abuse. Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE SCHEDULED APPEARANCE AT PAC EVENT RAISES EYEBROWS: Gov. Wes Moore is set to appear as a “featured guest” at a political action committee event in early April that’s raising eyebrows among some in Annapolis — though a lawyer for the PAC says everything is above board. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
BILL WOULD GIVE PARENTS OF STILLBORN A TAX CREDIT: If passed, a bill before state legislators would allow parents who suffered a stillbirth to claim a refundable credit of $1,000 against their state income tax. Parents would need a stillbirth certificate from the Maryland Department of Health or a certificate of fetal death from another state, which are given when a loss occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Maya Lora/The Baltimore Banner.
FORMER NIH DIRECTOR SEES CLOUD OVER AMERICAN HEALTH: Former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said Wednesday a “great cloud looms” over the Bethesda-based agency and warned that cuts to federal funding and staff will prevent physicians from keeping Americans healthy. Ginny Bixby/Bethesda Today.
COLUMN: THEY CAN’T ERASE MY GRANDADDY’s MEDAL: It’s important that I tell you about my Grandaddy’s medal, because I won’t let them erase him. The “them” I’m referring to? The staff of the U.S. Defense Department, who recently egregiously purged references to the achievements of Black, Native, Asian, female and other nonwhite or non-male American military veterans. The official explanation is compliance with the elimination of DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion measures. But it’s simpler than that. Leslie Gray Streeter/The Baltimore Banner.
MEMORIALS CONTINUE FOR THOSE WHO DIED IN KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE: Father Ako Walker recited the names of the six men who died while working overnight on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed a year ago. They died serving Baltimore and the state of Maryland. Let us be people who do service and goodwill. Let us want the best for one another,” said Ako, who acted as spiritual support for the six men’s families following their deaths. “Let goodness prevail.” Darreonna Davis/The Baltimore Banner.
- Marking the first anniversary of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on a somber Wednesday morning, hundreds of people gathered along the Patapsco River near the hole in the sky where the span once stood. Katie Mettler/The Washington Post.
- “This morning we gather back to where we started, in the same place, at the same time. And even though the scene looks different, our memories are engraved,” Gov. Wes Moore said to hundreds of government officials, community members and the families of the six men who died. Sam Janesch/The Baltimore Sun.
- Many Marylanders felt they were called to help on Wednesday, the one-year mark since the Key Bridge collapse. Volunteers showed out in south Baltimore to honor the families and neighbors directly impacted by the disaster. Tommie Clark/WBAL-TV News.
KERMIT THE FROG IS UM’s 2025 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER: The University of Maryland announced its 2025 commencement speaker, and the choice is guaranteed to delight students and parents alike: it’s Kermit the Frog! Aliza Worthington/Baltimore Fishbowl.
- The university’s social media accounts had teased the news by changing its profile pictures to a green circle before the announcement — leading some to speculate that British singer Charli XCX, whose album “Brat” led to a profusion of green memes, would take the mic. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff/The Washington Post.
