Our priority legislation – wins and losses

Before each legislative session, Progressive Maryland members, leaders, and staff come together to identify priorities, draft legislation, and develop strategies to move bills through the state legislature. Going into this year, our focus was once again centered on environmental, housing, and healthcare justice. In general, we had mixed results- there were some setbacks and some advances. Here’s our summary:

Environmental Justice: Progressive Maryland Members Secure Historic Win Against Incineration - The Fight to Hold Polluters Accountable Continues 

Thanks to the leadership of the Progressive Maryland Environmental Justice Taskforce (EJTF) Members, along with our dedicated allies and partners, we are celebrating a major win: the removal of “waste-to-energy” from Maryland’s Renewable Portfolio Standard! Because of this people-powered victory, Maryland ratepayer dollars will no longer finance dirty incineration facilities like the WIN Waste Wheelabrator (“BRESCO”) incinerator in Baltimore, the Dickerson incinerator in Montgomery County, and the Reworld Fairfax incinerator in Virginia. 

This triumph comes after a decade-long fight to end subsidies for waste incineration and years of grassroots organizing across impacted Baltimore City neighborhoods such as Cherry Hill, Brooklyn, and Westport - home to many EJTF leaders. The EJTF drove calls into Senate President Ferugson’s office, wrote op-eds, spoke to the press, and bird-dogged President Ferguson, which eventually led to his decision to publicly sponsor the bill. Their efforts did not end there - the EJTF continued to mobilize South Baltimore neighborhoods, built relationships with Baltimore City Council members, and successfully advocated for the passage of a local resolution in support of our campaign. EJTF leaders made their voices heard both inside and outside of the Annapolis State House - through powerful testimonies at hearings and rallies - demonstrating their unwavering commitment to seeing this legislation through and never letting up the pressure. 

Progressive Maryland member leaders’ dedication and vigor played a critical role in protecting Maryland ratepayers, especially Baltimore communities, from the economic exploitation of the incinerator industry. We are hopeful that this win will help pave the way toward shutting down the WIN Waste incinerator as it continues to exploit low-income, Black, and Brown communities in Baltimore.

Earned Media Hits:

EJTF Rally on CBS News Baltimore 

Mary Randall Interviewed by Maryland Matters

Jeff Barnes Interviewed by Baltimore Banner

Mary Randall, resident of Westport and Environmental Justice Task Force leader, shared her personal story about living in close proximity to the BRESCO incinerator during a rally at Lawyers Mall at the Maryland General Assembly on February 13th, 2025, in support of HB0220/SB0010 Reclaim Renewable Energy Act of 2025.

We also played a key role in several coalition spaces advocating for climate legislation that would benefit low-income, Black, and Brown communities. We pushed for the “Cumulative Harms to Environmental Restoration For Improving Shared Health,” or CHERISH Act, which would evaluate the environmental and health impact of proposed facilities on already overburdened communities in Maryland. Unfortunately, due to intense corporate pressure from large polluters, this bill did not pass, resulting in a major loss to communities living in heavily polluted sites. We also supported the “Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather,” or RENEW Act of 2025. This bill was designed to hold polluting corporations accountable for destroying our planet and communities by requiring investments in highly polluted communities of color. Although this legislation was weakened into a study bill, we remained committed and helped push it across the finish line. The Maryland General Assembly passed this bill before Sine Die - but in a disappointing decision to the climate and environmental justice community, Governor Moore vetoed it.

Healthcare Needs

We made significant strides in the push for health insurance reform.  Our organizing and advocacy have put the crisis of health insurance care and claim denials on lawmakers’ and regulators’ agendas! After sounding the alarm last year about the drastic increase in denials in Maryland (an unacceptable 70% increase in the past 10 years!), along with efforts to support the groups working to restrict insurance prior authorizations, the legislature is paying attention and taking action. The Health & Government Operations Committee (HGO)  focused significant attention on the problem. Drawing on a number of our draft policy recommendations, two important bills were crafted and introduced by the Committee Vice Chair and Chair. 

HB848/SB474 - Health Insurance - Adverse Decisions - Notices, Reporting, and Examinations   

The bill goes into effect this year and will make it easier to file an appeal and a grievance. Reports show that in Maryland, when people do appeal a denial and they carry through, they win a reversal more than 50% of the time! More appeals should result in fewer denials of the care that folks need.

HB995/SB476:  Work Group to Study the Rise in Adverse Decisions

Several state health officials will be in this work group, and they will start their work this summer. Meetings will be open to the public, and we plan to attend and push the group to look at the role that insurance company profiteering is playing in denials. Stay tuned for more. 

Another good bill that will require more transparency from the industry about their use of AI and that will put some guardrails in place about also passed: HB820

This is good news, we need protection since it’s well documented that many insurers like CIGNA and UnitedHealth Care are using it in ways that harm policyholders.

Our Lobby Night in Annapolis on February 24th gave a big boost to our healthcare agenda. 

At our rally and press conference, Baltimore resident Rhonda Jackson shared her story about UnitedHealth Group’s denial of the critical, doctor-recommended surgery she needs. Twenty-five of our healthcare campaign volunteers and storytellers came in for the event and met with legislators from several districts to urge them to support our statewide agenda. 

Housing: Senate Sides with Corporate Landlords- Good Cause Bill Blocked, Protections Weakened

We are incredibly disappointed that the Senate yet again refused to pass a clean Good Cause Eviction bill. This common-sense legislation would require landlords to provide a valid reason for not renewing a tenant's lease, helping to reduce arbitrary and unjust evictions. In states where Good Cause laws have been enacted, eviction rates have dropped significantly. We entered this session with high hopes. Last year, Good Cause passed the House, and Progressive Maryland Enclave Tenant Association leaders, along with housing advocates across the state, have made it clear that Maryland urgently needs Good Cause enabling legislation. Instead, the Senate succumbed to corporate landlord lobbyist pressure and added a “poison pill” amendment designed to undermine rent stabilization, a vital protection in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County. Had it passed, this amendment would have forced counties to pick from rent stabilization or good cause, creating a false and harmful choice. Despite widespread opposition from tenants, housing advocates, and local elected officials across Maryland, the Senate refused to advance a clean version of the bill.

Another important renter protection, the Tenant Possessions Recovery Act, was also weakened. Originally, it would have given tenants a 10-day window to retrieve their belongings after an eviction. But the bill was gutted—removing that safeguard—and turned into a notice requirement instead. Now, tenants will receive at least 6 days’ notice before eviction. While this change offers minimal progress, it falls far short of what’s needed. 

Overall, this legislative session was marked by disregard for tenant protections. As federal workers face layoffs and the housing crisis worsens, now is the time for lawmakers to strengthen renter protections—not back away from them.

People Power in the Face of Fear: Building a Just Maryland, One Victory at a Time

Although Progressive Maryland secured a few major victories this 2025 legislative session, this session was tough. This session proved especially difficult due to two major factors: a $3 billion state budget deficit and the inauguration of a hostile federal administration.

The primary focus of lawmakers this session was closing the budget deficit—a challenge that dominated the Maryland General Assembly legislative agenda and led to prolonged negotiations with the governor. Progressive lawmakers and advocates had some success in shielding the blueprint from deep cuts and getting progressive tax reform to generate revenue, but not enough.

Meanwhile, the chaos brewed at the federal level - from Trump’s cabinet picks, DOGE, the dismantling of DEI and entire government departments, not to mention hits on Maryland’s federal workers and attacks on immigrant communities- kept everyone in a constant state of uncertainty. This made it difficult for state leaders to know where to focus their efforts from one day to the next. 

These difficult challenges call for bold, progressive policies. Yet, in response to the budget deficit and federal administration, Maryland’s democratic leadership’s instinct was to lean into a more business-friendly approach and retreat in the face of Trump’s climate of fear rather than to stand up to it. Social issues were deemed “too risky” to grapple with and dismissed as distractions from restoring the state’s fiscal health.  But where they see economics as aligning with corporate interests, we see it as fundamentally about people. For us, real economic solutions mean investing in workers, supporting renters, ensuring housing stability, and building sustainable, thriving communities. That is what truly strengthens our economy. And when Trump’s administration throws its curveballs, our response must be to double down on protections for our most vulnerable, not shy away from them.

Despite this political climate in Annapolis, Progressive Maryland secured several key wins in 2025 on our legislative agenda. We are also proud to celebrate the passage of a couple partner-led priorities, which Progressive Maryland members supported by attending rallies, sending emails and calls to legislators, and submitting testimony. These include the MD Second Look Act, a key criminal justice reform bill, and the MD Values Act, an important step toward immigrant protection. 

However, the failure of the Senate to pass the most impactful immigration measure—ending the 287(g) program—underscores the urgent need for lawmakers to take bolder, more principled stands to protect Black and brown Marylanders from the escalating attacks of the Trump administration.

Each of these wins—no matter the size—was powered by people, not corporations. As our movement grows, so does our power to push lawmakers to reject fear-driven, corporate-centered politics and instead embrace a people-first agenda rooted in justice and equity. We invite you to join the movement and become a Progressive Maryland member.