Rachel Baye

2 weeks ago | wypr.org | Rachel Baye

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed 94 newly passed bills into law Tuesday, including one bill that aims to connect laid-off federal healthcare workers with jobs. The measure’s primary focus is filling a shortage in dentists and dental hygienists by authorizing those with licenses in other states to work in Maryland.

2 weeks ago | wypr.org | Rachel Baye

In the final hours of the Maryland General Assembly’s annual 90-day session, lawmakers gave final approval to the state budget, including more than $1.6 billion in new taxes. They also finalized major legislation related to energy policy, education and immigration enforcement. When lawmakers arrived in Annapolis in January, finding a way to close the budget’s roughly $3 billion structural deficit was their biggest challenge.

2 weeks ago | wypr.org | Rachel Baye

Monday is the last day of the Maryland General Assembly’s annual 90-day session, and some major issues remain unsettled, including immigration enforcement and changes to education policy. Yet one thing lawmakers have reached an agreement on is the state’s $67 billion budget. The agreement reached late Friday includes more than $1 billion in new taxes. Among them is a controversial 3% tax on certain data and technology services.

2 weeks ago | wypr.org | Sheilah Kast |Ashley Sterner |Melissa Gerr |Rachel Baye

Maryland’s massive budget deficit has loomed over the General Assembly session that’s wrapping up. Today is Sine Die. What taxes are lawmakers raising? What spending do they intend to cut? How are they preparing Maryland for the Trump administration’s changes? We ask Rachel Baye, WYPR senior reporter and editor and Brian Sears of 'Maryland Matters' as the legislature starts its last day. On The Record WYPR ProgramsOn the RecordMaryland General Assembly 2025

2 weeks ago | wypr.org | Rachel Baye

The threat of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding is holding up Maryland legislation that would prevent local jurisdictions from assisting with federal immigration enforcement. The House of Delegates passed a bill last month prohibiting a local government from entering into an immigration enforcement agreement with the federal government, known as a 287(g) agreement. But Senate President Bill Ferguson indicated Friday that the full Senate is unlikely to consider the measure.