SESSION IN ANNAPOLIS HAS CELEBRATORY VIBE When you get today's Memo, the Assembly is highly unlikely to have adjourned sine die, so you may have a chance to get word about YOUR priority bills to your members before the Session ends. We do our best to keep up with the state of play in NEWS YOU CAN USE on our BlogSpace.

Their Assembly office staff will keep grinding on all the way to the finish line, and probably still after the legislators have sung "auld lang syne" and adjourned to their pubs of choice. Remember to thank them.

This will be the last Assembly session for some of these members, and not always of their own choosing, as a well known political analyst once put it. The new General Assembly seated next January will be starting a new four-year turn and we, the voters, can have something to say about who they are. Progressive Maryland will have some recommendations over the next weeks before the (delayed) primary.

With just one week left of the Legislative Session, we are eagerly anticipating Governor Hogan's decision on multiple important bills. The good news is that some of our priority issues are moving forward - the Time To Care Act, Climate Solutions Now Act, Healthy Babies Equity Act, Stay of Eviction Proceeding for Rental Assistance Determination bill, and Cannabis Reform all passed the General Assembly and are now in Hogan’s hands. We are urging him to sign off on the bills (or not take any action) so these bills can go into law. If Hogan does veto any of them, we will be pushing the General Assembly to override the veto before the session ends. See below for ways you can take action and stay tuned for more legislative updates!

This morning, we met with activists from across the country in DC to call on President Biden to cancel student debt through executive order before the pause on federal student loan repayments expires on May 1.  

Whether you love showing up for rallies or prefer to participate virtually, there are opportunities for everyone to get involved in the fight for a better future. Check out this week’s Memo for plenty of updates, events, actions to take, and news you can use!

News you can use.

We start with the MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY -- because they are almost finished -- Session enters frenetic stretch BUT it ain’t over till it’s over on Sine Die, which is a week from today. Some big bills with veto potential were sent to the Guv in time last Friday. Here are  Nuts and bolts from the Maryland Legislative Coalition for the final stretch week.

Down in DC, the national budget dropped $5.8 trillion and includes a wide range of pro-family, pro-worker provisions that will have to be defended in Congress. By us.

Read all about it here.

Even if today’s chilly weather makes it hard to believe, Spring is here! We’ve had a great time gathering with supporters and allies for safe, socially-distanced outdoor actions like last week’s Rally for Environmental Justice, and we’re excited to announce more upcoming opportunities to hit the streets! Read on for more...

Larry Hogan and Assembly leaders agreed today (Monday, March 28) on a tax-cut package with social spending that melds their conflicts. There’s movement on the big climate bill, the impact of the gas tax holiday, and more. Also, lots going on in Congress and agencies to catch our eyes – “Build Back Better” may come in a discount version. Our Monday "News You Can Use" blog wrapup keeps you current on federal, state and local government activity. Alas, we don't have very much news about cute animals but we will keep looking.

On Thursday, Progressive Maryland and other involved progressive groups called for passage of three laws aimed at reducing the scourge of overdose deaths in Maryland.

Today in a Maryland Matters opinion, two state legislators and a colleague from Maine -- another state hard hit by overdose fatalities -- also urge movement on one of those bills, HB 190. The measure would strengthen the state's Good Samaritan statutes. The lawmakers explain how it could ease the fears in local communities that calling for help with an overdose can have bad consequences.

Progressive Maryland today joined the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) Maryland, Communities United and Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition to demand that the state, starting with the General Assembly, act quickly and thoroughly to combat the rising tide of overdose deaths in the state. Three bills awaiting action in the Assembly session can make significant progress in saving lives from the overdose epidemic in our communities.

It's Crossover Day in Annapolis! This is one of the key dates of the Maryland legislative session — if a bill hasn't passed out of at least one chamber of the General Assembly by the time lawmakers adjourn this evening, it no longer has a chance of becoming state law this session. It's a busy day for advocates and legislators alike, and we've been watching committee and floor votes closely to see which bills will still have a path forward when voting wraps up. We expect some major disappointments, but we also anticipate movement on some critically important bills. Read on for updates and actions you can take today to support progressive legislation and build a more just future for our state and communities! 

Here is News you can Use for this week (it’s mostly last week’s news, of course):

• Crossover day in the Assembly session, with highlights and movement on the $58b budget;
• news about money with a gas tax holiday and how it might or might not help; other tax changes;
• news about possibly dirty money from big corporadoes happy to buy more laws;
• what budget good news means in two big counties, and for whom;
• and at the federal level, progressives eye the gridlock in Congress and tell Biden: time for executive orders.

All that and more in this week’s News you can Use roundup.

Next Monday, March 21 is Crossover Day, one of the most important days in the Maryland General Assembly session. To have a chance of becoming state law, bills need to be voted out of the chamber they began in before the Crossover deadline. That means there’s less than a week left to ensure progressive legislation continues moving forward this session — we need all hands on deck!