ASSEMBLY’S FINAL VETO OVERRIDE GIVES RETURNING CITIZENS THE VOTE

One of Progressive Maryland’s top legislative priorities, voting rights for those returned to society from incarceration, was sealed Feb. 9 by the Senate override of Gov. Larry Hogan's 2015 veto.

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Union-Community Unity Leads to 700 Jobs Saved in Prince George’s

A mega-grocery company's backsliding after getting public benefits brought unity between workers, the community and local officials that forged a favorable outcome in a struggle with the hedge-fund mentality.

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MONTCO COUNCIL STRENGTHENS ENFORCEMENT ON LIVING WAGE LAW

Montgomery County's Living Wage law raised wages for employees of county contractors -- but some slick operators were cheating their employees without penalty. The County Council passed a strong enforcement package Feb. 2 to prevent this abuse.

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PM cheers family-friendly paid sick leave bills in Assembly

Progressive Maryland and allied activist groups cheered Wednesday's introduction of bills in both Assembly chambers requiring employers statewide to offer paid sick leave to many of the 700,000 Maryland workers who now have to choose between work and a sick child.

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Efforts to Roll Back LGBT Progress Continue in ‘Religious Liberty’ Bills

Marriage equality and other major cultural breakthroughs have been a significant human rights accomplishment of recent years, but there are constant attempts to use flimsy "religious liberty" arguments to roll those advances back. Matthew Snider notes one such effort in this year's Maryland General Assembly session.

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"Unscrew the locks from the doors"

Citizens returning from incarceration are still locked out from many of the jobs that give them a path to a full life. Proactive public policy is needed to make this path easier for more returning citizens, Kurt Stand shows.

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PROGRESSIVE PRIORITIES WILL BATTLE FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S ATTENTION

The Maryland General Assembly formally gets under way today (Wednesday, Jan. 13) and progressive bills and policies -- in which Progressive Maryland has a big stake -- are on the line. Here's a look at the contests ahead.

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Equality MD’s innovative survival

Following up on an earlier blog post about the threat that Equality MD, an important human rights organization, might have to close its doors, Matthew Snider provides an update and better news.

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The Session: The Most Important Veto Override

One of Gov. Larry Hogan's most controversial vetos was HB980, granting the right to vote to returning citizens. The Maryland Scramble blog Dec. 28 sussed out the chances of an override in the upcoming 2016 legislative session.

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Secularizing Maryland's Health Care

Marylanders deserve better end of life options and full disclosure of which providers decline those options for religious reasons. Mathew Goldstein describes a legislative move expected early next year.

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