Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford have won the general election against Democratic challengers Ben Jealous and Susan Turnbull. Governor Hogan is only the second Republican governor to be re-elected to a second term. The last Republican governor to do so was Governor Theodore R. McKeldin who served from 1951 to 1959.…

A recent story and editorial in the Baltimore Sun highlight many aspects of the proposed magnetic levitation train currently being discussed for the Baltimore-Washington corridor. From the story, …after 50 years and billions of dollars in Japanese research and development, JR Central says their maglev train is ready for its big roll out — and not just…

Junior Achievement of Central Maryland held its annual “JA Inspire” event on October 18, 2018 at Timonium, Maryland Fairgrounds bringing together more than 3,000 Baltimore County middle school students to explore Maryland’s in-demand careers. JA President, Jennifer Bodensiek, was joined by Secretary Kelly Schulz, Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, and Vice Chancellor for Economic…

Several new laws take effect today, October 1, 2018. These laws range from banning bump stocks, creating extreme risk protection orders to prevent individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or other from possessing guns, to prohibiting the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. A MarylandReporter article summarizes a large number of bills taking…

Comptroller Peter Franchot recently announced that the State closed out fiscal year 2018 with a surplus of $508 million. As reported by the Baltimore Sun, Strong returns from the state’s capital gains tax returns helped revenues come in about $339 million — or about 2 percent — higher than expected, while state agencies spent less…

Secretary of Health Robert Neall announced the appointment of Dr. Howard Haft as the new executive director for the Maryland Primary Care Program (MDPCP) and Fran Phillips as the new deputy secretary of Public Health Services. From the Department of Health press release, Dr. Haft has served as deputy secretary since 2015, focusing on improving…

Comptroller Peter Franchot has submitted emergency regulations to the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review in light of the South Dakota v. Wayfair decision. This decision reversed a 1992 ruling on Quill Corp. v. North Dakota that said sellers only had to collect state sales taxes if they had a warehouse, office or…