QUICK ACTIONS:

Take Action for Safe Staffing in Maryland Hospitals
Healthcare workers are pushing for the Safe Staffing Act of 2026, which would create hospital staffing committees to ensure safe, flexible staffing plans that meet patients’ real needs. Send a quick, easy email urging the Senate Finance Committee to vote on the bill and support safe staffing across Maryland. It only takes a minute!

 Take action

Keep Kids in School and Out of Shelters
Maryland families are struggling to stay in their homes, and children are paying the price. Use this quick and easy tool to urge legislators to fully fund the Community Schools Rental Assistance Program and prevent thousands of families from facing eviction.

 Take action

2026 Legislative Session: Upcoming hearings

Climate Justice

CHERISH (HB1268 / SB781)
Senate Hearing: Wednesday, 3/3 at 1 PM
The CHERISH Act would allow Maryland permitting agencies to reject or modify certain environmental permits based on an environmental justice score — factoring in pollution levels, community health, and demographics. This bill is about stopping polluting industries from piling more harm onto Black, brown, and already overburdened communities. No House version has been introduced yet, so this Senate hearing is key.

Task Forces & Issue Campaigns Updates: 

Healthcare Justice Task Force: Reclaim Medicaid!

We were in Annapolis last Thursday, just a few days after our Lobby Night! We testified for the amendment on Medicaid that Del. Cullison is adding to HB 1112. Many thanks to the four folks who spoke to the Health Committee, including two of our Healthcare Task Force members, a physician leader from our remarkable partner organization, Physicians For A National Health Program and Erica Puentes, PMD Legislative Coordinator. Erica highlighted just two of the drawbacks of using Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to manage our state Medicaid program: denials of care and the difficulty of navigating across nine MCOs to choose a plan. Yvette and Emily from our HCTF and Dr. Olson stressed the hundreds of millions of dollars Maryland would see if we moved away from using costly middlemen MCOs in favor of a fee-for-service model to manage our state Medicaid program; savings that could be invested in patient care, community health navigators to help enrollees understand new federal requirements, recruiting more providers, and coordinating care. 

It’s critical for Maryland to identify revenue to replace the loss of federal dollars. About half of the children in our state use Medicaid for health coverage. We need to support them and their families! 

Take action today to support Reclaim Medicaid Legislation:

• Sign our petition to state legislators
• Tell us your concerns, take our survey.

Contact Patty for more information, to arrange an issue briefing for your group or to get involved.  

Local Chapter Updates: 

Gaithersburg Tenant Union: Strategy Meeting

Join us Wednesday, March 4 from 7–8pm at Gaithersburg High School (101 Education Blvd, Gaithersburg, MD 20877) for a community strategy meeting focused on rent, utilities, and the next steps for protecting tenants in our area. This is a space to get updates, share your voice, and help shape the plan forward for Gaithersburg residents.

 RSVP here

War afar, legislation and stuff up close -- it's News You Can Use

A Monday morning note from the Associated Press about the (according to Trump) affordability “hoax”: “A barrel of Brent crude [oil], the international standard, was trading at $79.41 per barrel early Monday, according to FactSet, up 9% from its trading price of $72.87 on Friday, at the time a seven-month high. Higher global energy prices mean consumers will pay more for gasoline at the pump and have to shell out more for groceries and other goods at a time when many are already feeling the impacts of elevated inflation.”

So, back to forever wars (see Megan E's national report below). It's a good distraction, if you are Donald Trump, from the failure of his claims of affordability, the continued fascist brutality of ICE in Maryland and elsewhere, and the menace of Trump's threats to take over the way elections are run (constitutionally a job that states do.)

Working families have learned to duck and cover to preserve their already shaky jobs and livelihoods while the wars of choice flicker overhead. Marylanders' control and influence over the work of their own government and lawmaking remain, so don't duck so far you miss opportunities to increase our power and agency at our own level. Those options are always there, as we see each week in the Memo.

It's News You Can Use, peacetime or not.

Progressive Maryland BlogSpace:

We value creating space for our members to express their thoughts on any issues related to our campaigns. Have an idea for a blog post? You can submit writing, film, graphic design, etc., to be published on our website to the blog moderator, Woody. 

• NEW TODAY – War afar, legislation and stuff up close -- it's News You Can Use
• State and national issues -- redistricting, ICE, our kids and more -- rattle MD in mid-session mode
• Assembly, Moore fight ICE collaboration as legislature hits prime hearings time
• Maryland amps up its defenses against ICE incursions, worrying some that it might invite them
  

>>Read more on the homepage of progressivemaryland.org