Progressive Maryland and progressive, justice-seeking allies are demanding that every elected official who has received money from bail lobbyists return the money -- and refuse to sponsor bills that come from the bail lobbyists. Join more than 2,000 people who have signed a petition to make that happen.

Taking electoral outcomes for granted (including, maybe, staying home) has brought us Larry Hogan and Donald Trump. Did we learn a lesson about taking democracy for granted – including what happens when we don’t vote? A new grassroots group in Montgomery County’s Council District 1 is taking steps to make sure that lesson is always in front of us and the countdown to voting opportunities is completely explained.

After a week of the General Assembly session, progressive agendas are taking shape up against the Hogan budget's cuts to people programs and favoritism to his base. In an election year, the action is getting as hot as could be expected.

Organizing, training and extending our power through people and ideas are at the forefront in January 2018. Check out statewide action, including a member orientation in Frederick and upcoming training for building power -- and events and actions from our chapters around the state in continuing resistance, fair elections, Medicare for all and bringing people power to the General Assembly.

The "Kirwan Commission" was tasked with updating the results of the Thornton Commission's decade of education funding and making new recommendations on both funding and other aspects of education policy in Maryland.

The draft "final" report and work session earlier this week showed there was a distance still to go and some big fiscal decisions that would face the General Assembly. Because the commission delayed its final money recommendations the Assembly breathes a sigh of relief that it won't have to face that debate -- and the prospect of new revenues -- in an election year.

Len Lazarick, founder of Maryland Reporter, has been steadily covering the commission's work over the last one-plus years and delivers a roundup here.

A coalition of criminal justice advocates yesterday urged lawmakers to return donations from the bail-bonds industry, bolster pretrial services statewide, and work to end the for-profit bail system in Maryland.“We want any legislation put forward and supported by the bail-bond industry to be recognized as tainted, illegitimate and should not be considered,’ said Larry Stafford, executive director of Progressive Maryland,”

The new tax bill hits residents of wealthy Blue-state jurisdictions like Montgomery County hard. The IRS said it would disallow moves by local government to accept prepayment of real estate taxes for 2017 tax year deduction purposes. Hal Ginsberg (a former lawyer, but never a tax lawyer) notes "The IRS did not explain its reasoning, which is understandable since the law specifies just the opposite."

The Maryland General Assembly opens Wednesday and there is plenty to accomplish and plenty to guard against – the usual.

Progressive Maryland is working to advocate for and advance progress on criminal justice, override of the Hogan veto on Paid Sick Leave, and many other critical needs in Maryland, while fighting against the business-as-usual routines of high-paid lobbyists influencing legislators in dire need of corporate cash for their 2018 reelection campaigns. Not having their money, we'll just have to outwork them. And we know how to do that.

The Maryland General Assembly deals in big bucks, and businesses, corporations and the just plain filthy rich spend money, too, to make sure they get as much benefit as they can from the session that begins next week. Highly paid lobbyists are there to pursue that goal, and the welfare of ordinary folks are often not part of their plans, as we can surmise from this account by Len Lazarick of Maryland Reporter.

Welcome to 2018. More than ever this will be a year when solidarity matters. It is going to be top-line critical that we all, as progressives, seek our commonalities and find broad areas where we can work together. And make your voice heard. See below, and in the weeks that follow, for how.