Happy New Year! We’re excited to get 2024 off to a great start and—after ending 2023 with some significant milestones—make this one of our best years yet! 

The countdown is on! In just 8 days, on January 10th, the 2024 legislative session kicks off. This session presents a crucial opportunity for us to advocate for working class families and push for transformative legislative changes. Our commitment to holding elected officials accountable remains unwavering, and we are determined to prioritize the needs of our communities. We will be fighting for important legislation in areas related to: healthcare justice, housing justice, support for returning citizens, environmental justice and more.

If you're not already part of our movement, take this moment to join us! Your membership amplifies our collective voice and fuels the work of our task forces. We'd also love it if you would join us for our 2024 Power Summit set to take place on February 10th. Find out more, including signup options, below.

In solidarity, the Progressive Maryland Team.

We hope you had a restful, productive holiday. We did. Now we are back with news of the Maryland General Assembly session, where opinions about what ought to happen there are emerging. Several states, including our neighbors in Pennsylvania, are starting their sessions today, but Maryland more calmly will see the gavel fall on the 2024 madness Wednesday, January 10. That gives everyone two full working days to find Annapolis and the State House. Lots happening in other states too, as we outline for you -- plus Congress will be in session next week with an almost impossible agenda. It's all News You Can Use.

Happy Monday, can you believe it's the last memo of the year? Time flies when you're making progress! Maryland has the power to tackle social, economic, and environmental challenges head-on, but we need YOUR help to push for bold moves. Now, more than ever, we need to organize a large base of supporters who believe in putting working families first. This is the perfect time to get involved and help us organize! Join us in gearing up for our annual membership assembly on February 10th – your chance to connect with fellow members, engage with our leaders, and hear from legislative allies and community activists. Click here to RSVP and secure your spot!

As we gear up for next year's legislative session, our task forces and issue campaigns are working hard to finalize our priorities. Read on to discover what we're up to, what exciting things lie ahead, and most importantly, how you can get involved! And don't forget to check out our State and National news section for the last News You Can Use installment of the year

A budget shortfall requires early action to keep the cuts as close to painless as possible. Local governments don't find it painless because many budget cuts are slated for the transportation sector, meaning local roads may not get the upkeep money they are used to. Many early protests are coming from local jurisdictions already worried about the possible increasing costs on the education side of the ledger. Plus, fish with and without PFAS, juvenile justice and mental health and a free speech controversy with roots in the conflict in Gaza. It's all News You Can Use, happy or otherwise, curated for your Monday.

As December unfolds, we're excited about the opportunity to close out the year on a strong note. Your dedication has been the driving force behind our successes this year and as we embark on the final stretch of 2023, we invite you to fortify our ranks and become a member of Progressive Maryland.

Membership with us means powering community-centered organizing, supporting crucial issue campaigns, forming connections with fellow community members, and contributing to building a more inclusive, just, and sustainable Maryland.

Your membership matters beyond symbolism—it directly impacts our economic and political independence. By forgoing corporate donors, we remain flexible, nimble, and capable of taking bold risks in our pursuit of transformative politics in Maryland. As a member-driven organization, we can champion the causes that matter most to our communities.

Oh yes, and the continuing saga of the FBI building. Is it the whirlpool baths at Quantico? Surely Maryland can match them. Plus, transportation money woes, some student tests up a bit; unintended pregnancies due to lack of contraceptive access, and the story from around the states that can provide ideas for Marylanders (and headaches for the Assembly members). And then there's COP 28. It's all here in News You Can Use for this week.

Josh Kurtz, a founding editor of Maryland Matters and charter member of the Deans' Club of Maryland political observers, here munches on the different aspects of the state and national Democratic Party, clearly still in charge of Maryland's Blue-state blueness. But they are feeling blue, and divided in their blues-ness, for reasons outlined in expert analytical books separated by two-plus decades. Progressives are the energy of today's Dems, but can they co-exist with the big-money donors that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama brought into the party? This is a both entertaining and sobering overview by a longtime political reporter.

Some things seem like they are never really settled. With great effort, the Assembly passes Anton's Law, providing a window of transparency into police internal records. It's challenged in court. Transport efficiency advocates fight Larry Hogan's plan for Beltway toll lanes to a draw; the Moore admin brings it back. Despite good-government efforts to challenge the power of county Central Committees in filling empty legislative seats, they are still being filled that way. Now new legislation is proposed. All this is a good reason to let News You Can Use keep an eye on this random stuff for you, one-stop shopping every Monday for outrages and good ideas alike.

This Native American Heritage Month, we are acknowledging the ongoing effects of settler colonialism. We understand our responsibility as settlers and recognize the displacement, genocide, and past and present violence against Indigenous people on whose ancestral lands the present-day United States, including Maryland, stands. Progressive Maryland is committed to fostering a more just and equitable future for all Marylanders. All means all.