It’s been a busy month and things will continue to pick up fast in our government. Tomorrow marks the ceremonial beginning of our new era for Maryland as Governor Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller will be officially sworn into office. We should expect the Governor to present his budget on Friday and unveil a legislative package the following day that will address education, transportation investments and finalize the last few cabinet office appointments. 

In addition, in two weeks all bills for the legislative session will have been introduced and bill hearings will be occurring more frequently. We’re eager to see what the Governor has planned and to see how we fair with our legislative priorities during session.

We’re excited yet determined to attain many progressive victories in the legislature and in our communities. 

Thank you for being part of the fight.

In solidarity, 

The Progressive Maryland Team

A new administration for Maryland will get sworn in tomorrow (Wednesday) -- except for new (and first woman) Comptroller Brooke Lierman, who by state law was sworn in yesterday (Monday) despite the holiday. As we note below, Maryland in the wake of eight years of Larry Hogan's tender care shows plenty of remediation needed. It's all News You Can Use, and you have our permission to get angry enough to do something about it yourself. Team up with others in a group that seeks a better Maryland. May we suggest Progressive Maryland?

House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson announced in a statement that a new hybrid system for meetings of standing committees in the General Assembly aims to eliminate barriers to public participation in the legislative process while nodding to continuing health concerns. The 2023 session begins tomorrow (Wednesday, January 11). Conduit Street, the Maryland Association of Counties newsblast, has the early details.

There’s a lot going on in Maryland right now. While the new cannabis legalization law won't go into effect until July, small possession of cannabis is no longer subject to criminal penalties as of the new year. In addition, the Maryland Medical Assistance Program and the Water Assistance Relief Program have launched and we encourage you to share this information with anyone you know. And in just two days, the Maryland General Assembly will convene as the legislative session will officially begin and last until April 12th. 

We can always count on the new year to introduce an abundance of changes in our personal lives and our state's political status. It’s a crucial time for us and our allies to prepare for the legislative session and garner support for any bills that will help fight for progressive change in Maryland and improve the lives of the working class people in our community. In the 90 days of the legislative session, we will be working persistently to achieve numerous progressive victories. As a reminder, you can view our preliminary 2023 Legislative Agenda here. 

Let's keep organizing and mobilizing against the injustice we face in our communities and across our nation. 

Maryland and other legislatures buckle down to their agendas for 2023; Covid hasn't gone away and MD hospitals filling fast; new faces in state government; Federal money and how to get it, and the Bay gets straight D+ grades. News you can use even if it's not all good, here courtesy Maryland's tireless progressive watchdogs at Progressive Maryland. Read on, and give in to the urge to take organized action.

Happy New Year! We’re excited to get 2023 off to a great start and—after ending 2022 with some historical victories—make this one of our best years yet! We’re kicking off this new year by gearing up for the upcoming legislative session which begins in just 8 days. Together we will continue our journey to creating a more equitable Maryland through our legislative advocacy pushes, community organizing, working with allies, and harnessing grassroots power.

We’re committed to holding our new and experienced elected officials accountable. We want to ensure that the legislature passes bills that make working class families the top priority. We will be fighting for important legislation in areas related to: criminal justice and police reform, drug policy, healthcare justice, economic justice, labor reform, affordable housing, environmental justice, education, democratic reform and more.

If you’re not already a Progressive Maryland member, we invite you to join today. Your membership powers our organization and helps shape our many task forces. Becoming a member is easy and flexible! We offer many membership levels and the option of choosing specific issue campaign interests. Please join our growing grassroots movement and help us influence what comes next in Maryland. Click here to view our membership page. If you join by January 31st, you will be eligible to attend our Annual Membership Assembly on February 4th (it only happens once a year!)

It's news you can use... since we last communicated, a big federal budget bill has been wrestled to the Floor and signed by the Prez, with long-running consequences. Congress is back and its leadership is being decided as we write (but maybe not quickly) and Maryland has a new "Trifecta" status and big plans to make the most of it. A lot has happened over the holiday hiatus, so sit back and soak it up, right here.

There’s an African Proverb that says: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. That sentiment and wise offering is on our minds as we look back on significant election wins and big policy gains in 2022 and look ahead to the potential that 2023 holds. 

Together this year we’ve been able to go far thanks to our members, volunteers, and leaders! Working with all of you, our allies and affiliates, we’ve built more grassroots capacity and increased our impact in the Maryland General Assembly and at the ballot box. 

Now we need to go further! Maryland can make some bold moves to tackle the economic and environmental problems everyday folks are facing. The legislature and the Governor can push for the investments our state needs to strengthen state agencies, public schools, mass transit, healthcare services, and green jobs. But some corporate lobbyists and entrenched interests are already urging them to delay or scale back things like budget spending, action on climate, criminal justice reform, and investments in healthcare and childcare. And as we know, the needs of our communities can’t wait. 

We can defeat the corporate lobbyists and their messaging by building more power! We need to organize a large base of supporters who believe in putting people and working families first. This is the perfect time to get involved and help us organize! Save the date for our Annual Membership meeting on Saturday, January 28th and we’ll be sharing the location soon. If you are not already a member, please join our growing grassroots movement and help us influence what comes next in Maryland. 

As the year draws to a close, the Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo will go on hiatus till January but the News You Can Use blog may pop up now and then in the interim  -- if Maryland produces real news beyond awards ceremonies. Let's all resolve not to be ambushed when the General Assembly fires up its engines in early January, while we are recovering from the holidays. What they do affects our lives.

Today, some stories are coalescing around health care, energy concerns and the economics of living in Maryland. Plus there's what happens in D.C. It's all connected, and so must we be to survive. Read on, and take action when you can. That's why we are here and what we do, and we'll still be at it in the New Year. Join us.