The Big Ugly Bill that Trump oddly refers to as "Beautiful" included quite a few provisions that added tons of tax deductions for the wealthy by looting state treasuries and their revenue systems. A number of bills are quietly getting traction in the Assembly to choke off that loot-fest, as noted atop our HERE IN MARYLAND roundup.
The Assembly has also passed, and Gov. Moore signed today, a measure preventing ICE and border control goons from co-opting the efforts of local law enforcement through an agreement that looks good for local governments but puts everyone at risk -- as we know from the depredations of those same masked, unidentified ICE goons around the country.
So far so good -- but, as one veteran legislator used to say, it takes three or four years to get a good bill through the Assembly -- but only one year for a bad one. How can you make a difference?
Many Marylanders find themselves surprised by how much they can learn, and do, at https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite -- the website of the Maryland General Assembly. All the bills are there and all the hearings where the fate of those bills may be decided. You can be heard in those hearings, and without going to Annapolis to do so. The website language is carefully neutral and therefore a little deceptive about which bills are important and highly supportable. That's where outfits like Progressive Maryland and the Maryland Legislative Coalition step in. You can get weekly accounts of the bills that need passing at our Weekly Memo (you can get it in your inbox here ) or get our virtual Annapolis Task Force briefing on how to be heard on bills here. The Maryland Legislative Coalition's weekly roundups during session keep you up on the bills and hearings that really matter. Advocacy organizations in climate/environment, social justice, education and community solidarity all have ways of keeping you up during our top-speed legislative sessions. The legislature is entering one of the most active parts of their session, so don't get ambushed after April by bills that are bad for you and your community.
Below you can see how states (and the feds) are managing their governance, for better or worse. Might be some lessons there, pointing in both directions. That's why we call it News You Can Use.
HERE IN MARYLAND
Assembly Hearings Listed as Deadlines for Bill Submission Converge
Final deadlines for submission of bills in both chambers of the legislature have arrived and a flood of hearings are coming up in the next several weeks – here’s a roundup from the Maryland Legislative Coalition, a progressive advocacy group.
General Assembly Passes Ban On Ice Agreements With Local Law Enforcement: Moore will sign it The Maryland General Assembly sent legislation prohibiting local formal agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk Thursday, the first bill to pass the legislature in the 2026 session. The legislation is an emergency bill, effective immediately if Moore signs it. Baltimore Sun. >> Moore is expected to sign the bill today (Tuesday). Baltimore Banner
Bill Would Reform Automatic Adult Charging for Some Offenses: The General Assembly is once again considering legislation to remove certain offenses from the list that automatically charges children as adults. The acting secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Betsy Fox Tolentino, discussed her support for the Youth Charging Reform Act and her upcoming Senate confirmation. Baltimore Sun
High School Protesters Who Left School Grounds Face Discipline: Roughly 300 Arundel High students walked out of the building Friday to protest immigration enforcement, and dozens of them will face consequences for leaving school property following the walkout. Baltimore Sun.
‘Definitely discouraging’: Maryland land conservation programs continue to be axed Before Maryland lawmakers opened the 2026 legislative session in January, the state’s land conservation programs were already facing a $75 million shortfall over the next three years. It’s a familiar story, conservation advocates say. In 1969, Maryland became the first state to set aside a consistent, dedicated funding source for land conservation. That money has enabled the state to save hundreds of thousands of acres from encroaching development. But since 2002, legislators looking to patch budget holes have diverted more than $750 million of the funds meant to go to land preservation efforts. Bay Journal
Most DHS Workers Will Be On Duty For This Shutdown: Roughly 90% of the more than 260,000 employees at the Department of Homeland Security will continue working through the DHS shutdown that began Saturday, many without pay. Maryland Matters
Black Caucus Lays Out Legislative Priorities For 2026 Session: The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland notched a victory on its expanded list of legislative priorities Thursday, the same day caucus members unveiled their agenda. Maryland Matters.
Bills in Assembly would cut MD deficit by blocking federal giveaways in Big Ugly Bill Maryland is staring at a $1.4–$1.5 billion budget shortfall. This week, we're emphasizing five tax bills that help close the gap by stopping federal tax changes from the Big Bad Bill that would drain state revenue. These bills block or reverse giveaways that primarily benefit wealthy investors and large corporations, protecting Maryland from losing hundreds of millions at a moment when every dollar matters. Maryland Legislative Coalition
Lawmakers Float Taxing Social Media Companies Over Mental Health: Maryland lawmakers are considering taxing social media giants for their role in harming the mental health of children. A new bill would require social media companies with more than one million monthly users or $500 million in annual revenue to pay a tax to the state. That money would be put into a fund specified for children’s mental health. WYPR – 88.1 FM.
Senate Bill Targets AI Deepfakes: State Sen. Katie Fry Hester is leading the charge on artificial intelligence regulations with the 2026 election cycle fast-approaching. Her first bill, SB0141 — which passed with unanimous bipartisan support in the Senate on Thursday — specifically targets the use of AI-generated deepfakes to distribute election misinformation. WYPR-FM.
Lawmakers Seek Improvements to Black Maternal Health Outcomes: Juggling diaper changes for her “deputy delegate” and her legislative duties is giving Del. Jennifer White Holland of Baltimore County firsthand working mom experience. But it was moving through the medical system as a Black pregnant woman that showed her how much still needs to be done to improve health care for mothers in Maryland — specifically Black mothers. Maryland Matters.
THE REGION AND THE OTHER 49
Next Door: HEALTH CARE: The Virginia House of Delegates has approved legislation creating a board of experts to review prescription drug prices and set payment ceilings on what state-regulated health plans can pay. The measure is similar to those creating Prescription Drug Affordability Boards in other states, but Virginia’s would be the first to link the board’s work to negotiations between Medicare and drugmakers under the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Pluribus News [paywalled; more in Virginia Mercury]
More Next Door: ECONOMY: The Virginia House of Delegates has approved legislation requiring paid sick leaves for workers. The measure expands Virginia’s existing program to all public and private sector employees, offering an hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. (Virginia Mercury) via Pluribus
Still More Next Door: HOUSING: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) has rolled out a housing action plan, a proposal to borrow $1 billion through bond offering to establish a Critical Infrastructure Development Fund to speed home construction. The Philadelphia area alone is expected to need 206,000 new housing units by 2035. (State Affairs) via Pluribus
Communities fight ICE detention centers, but have few tools to stop them -- The federal government doesn’t have to follow local zoning rules. During Trump’s second term, ICE is holding a record number of detainees — more than 70,000 as of January — across its own facilities as well as in contracted local jails and private prisons. ICE documents from last week show plans for acquiring and renovating 16 processing sites that hold up to 1,500 people each and eight detention centers that hold up to 10,000 each, for a total capacity of 92,600 beds. The agency also has plans for some 150 new leases and office expansions across the country, Wired reported. But ICE’s plans to convert industrial buildings — often warehouses — into new detention facilities have recently faced fierce local opposition over humanitarian and economic concerns. Stateline Daily
Pennsylvania: In a scathing opinion, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore exhibits on slavery that had been removed from the President’s House in Philadelphia last month. Stateline
Wisconsin: The ACLU is asking a court to enforce a state program that is meant to allow incarcerated mothers to maintain custody of their young children. Stateline
Utah: The work to keep up with new laws banning “sensitive material” from school libraries has been arduous for officials and schools — and some Republicans are opposing any additional rules, citing exhaustion. Stateline
Indiana: Lawmakers are crafting statewide penny-rounding policies as retailers struggle through a nationwide shortage of the discontinued coin. State revenues could also suffer.. Stateline
GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND THE FEDS:
“Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader Who Sought the Presidency, Dies at 84,” “The Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose impassioned oratory and populist vision of a ‘rainbow coalition’ of the poor and forgotten made him the nation’s most influential Black figure in the years between the civil rights crusades of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the election of Barack Obama, died on Tuesday. He was 84. His death was confirmed by his family in a statement, which said that Mr. Jackson ‘died peacefully,’ but did not give a cause.” Mr. Jackson was hospitalized in November for treatment of a rare and particularly severe neurodegenerative condition…” NYT >> “At the height of his influence, Rev. Jackson was widely regarded as the nation’s preeminent civil rights leader, a ubiquitous presence before the television cameras. He showed up at protests and marches across the country to champion civil rights and social justice. And when civil disorder broke out — as it did after King’s assassination in 1968 and, decades later, after the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 — he urged restraint and nonviolence.” WaPo
Trump’s EPA drops climate regs but touted savings are net loss
The Trump administration claims its latest move to gut climate regulations and end all greenhouse gas standards for vehicles will save Americans money. But its own analysis indicates that the new rule will push up gas prices, and that the benefits of the rollback are unlikely to outweigh the costs. A chart within the analysis indicates that the US will through 2055 incur $1.4tn in additional costs from increased fuel purchases, vehicle repair and maintenance, insurance, traffic congestion and noise. An additional $40bn in costs will come from reduced energy security, increased refueling time and lowered “drive value”, or costs associated with operating a vehicle. In total, this means the repeal of the “endangerment finding” [ruling that greenhouse gases are a clear danger] will impose an estimated costs of $1.5tn, overshadowing the projected $1.3tn in savings. And that’s before you take into account the huge social and climate costs. [The Guardian UK]
Here is the update from [a nearly vacant] Capitol Hill from People’s Action’s Megan E, their federal affairs director. Congress is on what feels like their tenth break of 2026 already, but as she points out, there’s still stuff to do. People’s Action is the national affiliate of Progressive Maryland.
Hello People's Action!
The Department of Homeland Security is in a shutdown but since most of its employees are deemed essential, they are working. And since HR 1 gave ICE & border patrol a slush fund, their agents could be paid well past the rest of 2026. Here are some recent tidbits from late last week.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attended the Munich Security Conference for the first time in order to raise the alarm about how rising inequality is contributing the rise of authoritarian leaders around the world and to call on world leaders to address working- class peoples’ issues.
Civil rights leader, Reverend Jesse Jackson, who ran for president forming a rainbow coalition, organizing working class people across race died at age 84. [see more above]
As reporters and civilians continue to pore over the Epstein files that the Department of Justice released, there continues to be revelations about elite and powerful people who were friendly with him before and after his conviction. Steve Bannon is among them. Ezra Klein interviewed Anand Giridharadas about how he conned his way to fortune and power and what that reveals about U.S. elites.
ACTIONS TO TAKE: ASKS: What You Can Do This Week
We're participating in a bunch of Affordability events in February, including a May Day Strong Affordability Launch Event and events leading up to the State of the Union on February 24th. There will be a forum with Members of Congress on the evening of February 23rd where we would like members to speak on the affordability crisis related to health care, housing, and utility costs primarily but also child care costs, loss of SNAP or other issues. Solutions are likely to involve tax the billionaires and corporations to pay for government solutions. Speak out by checking out the interest form.
ISSUE UPDATE: ELECTIONS
From Politico: “The DNC and RNC have struck a deal that would mostly curtail Republicans’ efforts to strike nearly a quarter-million people from North Carolina’s voter rolls, per The Charlotte Observer’s Kyle Ingram. The settlement still needs a judge’s OK. In Georgia, civil rights groups including the NAACP filed a motion to try to stop the federal government from misusing the voter rolls it seized in Fulton County, per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s David Wickert.”
Opinion | How Hard Is It to Rig an American Election, Really? By Jamelle Bouie, Michelle Cottle, David French and Vishakha Darbha
The NYT round table convenes to debate whether we need to worry about the midterms being free and fair.
ISSUE UPDATE: CLIMATE
Trump's EPA is revoking the "endangerment finding" on greenhouse gases. Here's what to know.
Voltz podcast Are utilities making too much money? Spoiler Alert - yes. This Podcast explains one way utility commissions [like, hello Maryland’s PSC] could claw back some money from utilities.
>>More next week when Congress (maybe) goes back to work, for better or worse… Megan