Maybe even sweeter because of the five years it took to get here, progressives celebrated one of the top victories of the 2017 Assembly session -- the passage of paid sick leave for about three quarters of a million Maryland workers and their famillies, many in low-paid jobs and struggling to survive. As noted at the bottom of this blog post from our allies at Working Matters Maryland, Gov. Hogan still needs to be persuaded to accept the inevitable -- passed with veto-proof margins -- and make it law now. This post, first made on April 7, has been updated.

As the General Assembly drops the balloons and goes home on Sine Die today, we pat ourselves on the back for a quite successful session and note that our work continues all over the state. Plus recent blog posts you may have missed.

Maryland's highest court has ruled that cash bail as applied in the state is unconstitutionally discriminatory -- on racial and economic grounds. The bail bond industry, built on the lucrative supplying of emergency funds to the desperate, sees economic ruin in the ruling and is trying to head it off in the General Assembly with a last-minute bill. Progressive Maryland argues before the House Judiciary Committee that undermining the court's ruling is against the public interest.

Activists in Bladensburg and three neighboring towns -- the Port Towns -- are fighting the siting of a concrete batching plant in Bladensburg that they say endangers historic sites, the environment and public health. The town council meets on a special exception request next Monday (April 10) and faces an aroused community.

Steve Melkisethian walks the Progressive Montgomery walk and finds a comfort zone in the Town Hall environment, where public officials hope they control the tempo and agenda. Sometimes, thanks to activists like Steve, their plans don't quite work out...

One week to go in the 2017 legislative session, with plenty still on the table. Democratic leaders in the Assembly are hoping to put some veto bait in front of Governor Hogan well before sine die so he’ll be vulnerable to an override on some big-ticket items now, not next year. Meanwhile some important measures are still stuck in traffic and it may be time for us to blow the whistle on those who are slow-walking bills.

Progressive Maryland is building power in Montgomery County to take on corporate Democrats and resist the Trump agenda by fighting for family economic security, grassroots democracy, and community institutions that benefit all residents.

Democrats hope to drag Larry Hogan down with associations with Donald Trump, and are lining up some early veto bait to sharpen their fights with the governor as the session aims for Sine Die in less than two weeks.

Democratic legislators send Larry Hogan a bill tying his hands in case he decides to plunge into charter and voucher solutions without examing alternatives for poorly performing schools. This CNS-Maryland Reporter dispatch outlines the disagreements that may lead to a juicy veto battle -- in this session.

A couple of bills that would help make women’s pay more equal to men’s are slogging through the final weeks of the General Assembly session. Though a Senate hearing on these bills has been postponed or canceled, the effort continues. Progressive Maryland testified in favor of the bills earlier in the session.