Lawmakers

If there is some good to arise from the tragic death of Nathan Krasnopoler - the 20-year-old Johns Hopkins University student killed while riding his bicycle on University Parkway by an 83-year-old driver who didn't notice him in the bike lane - it may be to call greater attention to the dangers of Maryland's aging driver population. Today, Mr. Krasnopoler's parents were in Annapolis to brief the House Environmental Matters Committee on the latest data provided by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration documenting the threat.

State lawmakers are asking the Baltimore County Council to postpone a vote on a measure that would change the way public employees may challenge decisions on retirement benefits, saying it could violate state law. All but two members of the county delegation to Annapolis signed a letter circulated last week by labor leaders. They are asking the council not to vote on the bill until the General Assembly is briefed on its legal implications. Lawmakers said they also want to hear from the state attorney general on the measure.

Drivers who buy their car insurance through the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund, the state's auto insurer of last resort, seem always to be the door mats of the State House, but that comparison might be too generous. Rugs get a little respect every once in a while. For years, we have groused that MAIF customers — and there are about 36,000 of them on any given day — are legally fleeced by premium finance companies. Under state law, MAIF must collect insurance premiums in advance, but since most customers don't have the money for a year's worth of coverage (on average, at a cost of about $1,800)

Lawmakers and representatives of Maryland's county and municipal governments sparred Tuesday over a pair of bills in Annapolis that would raise the fines for sewage spills which annually dump millions of gallons of untreated waste into local waters and the Chesapeake Bay. One measure, SB289 , sponsored by Sen. Bryan W. Simonaire, an Anne Arundel County Republican, would boost the maximum administrative penalty for a water pollution violation from...

It seems as if it would be a common-sense maxim for cyclists: Wear a helmet. Maryland law mandates the practice for children 16 and younger, similar to standards in nearly two dozen states. Under a Sykesville town ordinance, a person of any age can have their bike impounded for being caught without one three times. A bill in the General Assembly would make Maryland the first state in the country to extend helmet requirements to any person on any bike. More helmets, more safety?

Two Baltimore city lawmakers have proposed legislation that would draw funding from the state's lottery revenue to support expanding early childhood education programs. The legislation would create a program called "Race to the Tots," -- named after the federal "Race to the Top" program- - and allow local districts to compete for grants that would "stimulate innovation for and expand access to high-quality early childhood education in Maryland," according to a release sent jointly by the bill's sponsors Sen. Bill Ferguson and Del. Sandy Rosenberg.

A legislative ethics committee on Monday recommended a reprimand for an Anne Arundel County lawmaker it said lobbied and voted for a measure that would make it easier for him to regain his real estate license. The committee's report found Republican Del. Tony McConkey failed to disclose a conflict of interest or abstain from voting when he should have. Aides said the House of Delegates is expected to address the report by the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics on Tuesday. The report recommends House Speaker Michael E. Busch request a public apology to the House.

Gov. Martin O'Malley urged the General Assembly on Wednesday to approve an unabashedly liberal agenda that includes repeal of the state's death penalty, new curbs on guns and spending for construction projects that create jobs. Asking Maryland lawmakers to make what he called “better choices,” the governor also prodded them to raise new revenue to relieve traffic congestion and to pass his twice-rejected legislation to foster a new industry harnessing the power of offshore wind.

Speaking at an emotional hearing on federal gun control proposals, Baltimore County Police Chief James W. Johnson urged lawmakers Wednesday to close loopholes and ban assault weapon sales or risk more tragedies like the recent elementary school shooting in Connecticut. Johnson, wearing his uniform, spent nearly four hours offering law enforcement's case for tighter gun laws, confronting a well-known witness - National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre - and noting the proliferation of guns sometimes makes police work "creepy.

Republicans in the House of Delegates proposed legislation Tuesday that they say would shore up the state employee pension system while cutting the risk that taxpayers will be left on the hook for losses. The House GOP leadership is backing a package of bills that would, among other things, steer the $40 billion system away from what Republicans consider overly risky investments and lower the long-term assumptions of the retirement plan's earnings on its investments. "The rose-colored-glasses projection of our pension system is deceptive to the citizens of Maryland," said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell of Calvert County.