When will there be legal marijuana sales in Maryland?

Voters approved a referendum in November to make it legal for a person 21 years or older to possess and use cannabis beginning July 1, but there’s no start date yet for legal sales. The legislature this session is expected to determine how licenses will be issued, how sales will be regulated and taxed, and when legal sales will begin. Starting July, a person can consume up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower, 12 grams of concentrated cannabis or a total amount of cannabis products that do not exceed 750 mg THC.

What’s going to happen with abortion rights?

Look for a proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the Maryland state constitution, which would ultimately head to voters. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said he is certain he has the votes to get it through his chamber this year. (It failed to advance there last year after it passed the House of Delegates.) Ferguson also said he expects new laws protecting the privacy rights not only of Maryland patients, but also out-of-state providers and patients who might be targeted by laws from their home jurisdictions. Maryland already has state laws protecting the right to abortion for any reason until the point of viability and later in pregnancy for a broad set of reasons. Democrats are also looking to unshackle $3.5 million set aside in last year’s budget to train non-physicians to perform abortions, money Hogan refused to spend because he said only doctors should be allowed to perform the procedure.

Will survivors of child abuse have greater opportunity to sue their abusers?

The issue has come to the forefront after an investigation of the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore by the state attorney general’s office found more than 600 young victims of clergy sexual abuse over 80 years. Legislative leaders say that victims should receive relief and that lawmakers will look at ways to provide it. In 2017, a law passed that increased the window of time a victim of child sexual abuse has to file a lawsuit from age 25 to 38. The measure was sought for years by Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), who repeatedly testified about being raped by his adoptive father. Wilson is working on legislation this year. Incoming freshman delegate Elizabeth M. Embry (D-Baltimore City) had a lead role as a special assistant attorney general in leading the investigation into the archdiocese.

Are they going to restart the Red Line?

Not exactly, but that proposed east-west light-rail line through Baltimore is a top transportation goal for Democrats, both those leading the General Assembly and Gov.-elect Moore. Hogan canceled the plan in his first year in office, calling the $2.9 billion project a “wasteful boondoggle” that would not deliver on its promises to connect Baltimore residents with jobs. Transit advocates and many Baltimore residents are still mourning the loss of the project, and political leaders — including Moore — have pledged to revive it . Development has sprung up along the route proposed eight years ago, and while Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) promised to revisit it, the project might look different. “The Red Line of the past can’t exist right now,” Ferguson said.

Is anyone talking about tax cuts?

Sort of, but that is not Democrats’ big plan for the surplus . During the campaign, Moore mentioned that the state’s estate or death tax should be revisited, but he did not outline a specific proposal. Ferguson and Jones each say their priority is to rebuild the state workforce, which decreased by 3,000 jobs under Hogan. As of November, about 13.4 percent of the state’s remaining workforce — 6,500 positions total — were vacant, and Democrats say that hampers their ability to execute big programs they passed. Maryland also will need funds to support plans underway to launch a paid family leave program for most workers and more fully implement an overhaul of public education that includes more tutoring, better buildings and higher teacher pay, among many other provisions. Ferguson said “we have to be realistic” about how far that pool of cash can go. “While it sounds like a big number, in a state of 6.5 million people, it can really add up,” he said.

Will the state’s minimum wage go up?

During his campaign, Moore said he would push to accelerate the schedule for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Legislative leaders said they will look to him to lead the way on that issue and were open to his proposal to increase it faster than called for in current law. Ferguson said there remains concern about mom-and-pop businesses and how raising wages could affect their bottom line. This month, the rate increased from $12.50 an hour to $13.25 an hour. It is scheduled to jump to $14 an hour in 2024 and $15 an hour in 2025. Moore campaigned on making the wage $15 by the end of this year.

Will Maryland try to tighten concealed-carry permits?

Watch for some proposals from Democrats trying to rein in concealed-carry permit laws for handguns. This summer, the Supreme Court struck down state provisions that require gun owners to demonstrate a special need for carrying a firearm for self-defense, and Hogan responded by ordering Maryland State Police to relax the rules. Ferguson and Jones said the legislature will find some way to address the possibility that more people could walk around Maryland streets with holstered weapons. Jones said, “We have to look at that very carefully.” Ferguson said he was closely watching fresh laws in New York that bar concealed weapons from certain areas, such as Times Square.

Will state government give the Washington Commanders money for a new stadium?

It appears to be a tough road for the football team right now. Last year, the Commanders sought stadium deals in Maryland, Virginia and D.C., but none panned out. Maryland passed a $400 million package to improve the area surrounding the team’s existing FedEx Field stadium in Landover — including dismantling it — but expressly forbade using the money to build a new stadium. And as co-owners Dan and Tanya Snyder explore a deal to sell the team , state leaders appear less willing to craft a deal to persuade them to stay. Jones said it is up to the team to present any other proposals to the incoming governor. When asked about any potential stadium deals, Ferguson sarcastically replied, “Who’s the owner these days?”

What is the big under-the-radar issue important to state leaders?

Democratic leaders say there are too many vacancies in state agencies and that those shortages are affecting the delivery of government services. Ferguson said it is important to shore up the state workforce because it will be critical to implement paid family leave, education reform and other initiatives passed by lawmakers.

What will Moore push?

That’s the biggest outstanding question for this year and, frankly, for the next four. The governor-elect offered voters broad ambition that could fuel complex pieces of liberal legislation , but he also raised questions about how much he could accomplish while keeping the state’s budget balanced — as required by the state constitution. Moore’s spokesperson declined to identify his legislative package, but the governor-elect has said that addressing childhood poverty and the racial wealth gap would be “day one” priorities. Some of his campaign-season proposals regarding those issues include creating a $90 million-a-year baby bonds program that creates trust funds for low-income kids and heavily investing in making child care affordable and available for every family that wants it. He has pitched expanding access to prekindergarten, building the Red Line in Baltimore by the end of his term, creating a service year for recent graduates , and hastening the state’s transition off natural gas and onto more renewal sources of electricity, among many other ideas. In a recent op-ed in the Baltimore Sun , Moore issued a message of caution to advocates and agencies that have made budget requests, signaling that his administration will not be able to fund many of them. “There must be a deliberate process in deciding when and how to use taxpayer dollars,” Moore wrote. “Simply put, Maryland’s treasury cannot responsibly accommodate all these funding requests if we are to fulfill the primary obligations of state government.” Legislative leaders have embraced his policy ideas, but they have stopped short of promising to deliver legislation on them immediately. Ferguson signaled that shifts in Maryland policy might come incrementally: “It’s very difficult to make massive change in one year,” he said.

Md. Democrats are set to rule Annapolis. Here’s what you need to know.

Abortion rights, a new marijuana industry and gun control are top issues the General Assembly will tackle in the next 90 days

By Erin Cox

and

Ovetta Wiggins

January 11, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EST

(Washington Post illustration; iStock; Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post; Graeme Sloan for The Washington Post; Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post; Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

After eight years sparring with Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland’s General Assembly convenes in Annapolis on Wednesday with larger Democratic supermajorities and an incoming Democratic governor keen on pushing policy changes.

Democratic leaders in the General Assembly are waiting for Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) to lay out his top policy goals, after campaigning on a promise to “leave no one behind” by ending childhood poverty and creating more economic equality in Maryland.

Lawmakers are walking in with $5.5 billion in cash reserves, budgeting power and a lengthy to-do list. Republican leaders, who were able to moderate policies in past years under the General Assembly’s committee system, said they will continue to push back against efforts to move the state left on crime, taxes and education. But even with greater numbers in past years, they have long been unable to thwart Democrats entirely.

Here’s what you need to know about key issues heading into the 90-day session.