New Commission Will Study Md. State Parks As Visits Soared During Pandemic

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) announced the creation of the State Park Investment Commission on Friday, which will make recommendations on the need for new parks in “recreational deserts” and whether existing parks are accessible to certain populations such as those who do not have a…

General Assembly 2021: A surprisingly big year in Maryland | COMMENTARY

From overturning Governor Hogan’s blueprint veto and putting the state on a path to higher performing public schools, to dispensing billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief and moving forward with police reform at a particularly opportune moment in this nation’s history, the General Assembly outperformed expectations for even a non-pandemic year. 

Senate President seeks to enhance State Ed. Board to prepare for Blueprint reforms

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) presented an emergency bill Thursday that would tighten the qualifications for state school board members so that as a whole, the board must have expertise in: antiracism and equity frameworks to make systemic change possible; students with disabilities; multilingual instruction; programs that enhance socioeconomic and demographic diversity in public…

Jones and Ferguson to require racial impact statements in bill analyses

Undoing issues of systemic inequity requires us to develop intentional strategies for measuring and combating disparate impacts. This is an important step forward, and it will provide a more holistic picture of the effect of legislation proposed and debated by the General Assembly.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson forms oversight panel on vaccine rollout

Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, said the Senate would consider not confirming Gov. Larry Hogan’s nominee to lead the state health department, based on the current performance of the state’s vaccine rollout. Hogan nominated Dennis Schrader to the position last week. Ferguson said Maryland has global leaders in public health and should be…

Jones and Ferguson say police reform, COVID’s wrath top legislative agenda

Both presiding officers said mitigating the public health and economic devastation brought on by COVID-19 would be their top priority. Ferguson said the pandemic has been especially damaging to poor families ― specifically the 30% of the population at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Ninety percent of workers at the most risk of contracting…

4 things to know about Bill Ferguson, the next Maryland Senate president

Bill Ferguson was unanimously selected by Maryland’s Democratic senators as their nominee for the next Senate president. He is expected to succeed longtime Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., who is battling cancer and stepping down as president, when the General Assembly convenes its next session in January. Here are four things to know about Ferguson.