The salary deadline is part of the state鈥檚 multiyear, multibillion-dollar education reform plan known as the Blueprint for Maryland鈥檚 Future. It鈥檚 also a mandate for which there is little wiggle room for local districts: At a legislative hearing in March, an official with the Accountability and Implementation Board, which oversees the Blueprint, said the July 1 date was firm and there was no waiver.

But some local school officials said it wasn鈥檛 easy to meet that July 1 deadline.

Denise Sopa, chief financial officer for Cecil County Public Schools, said in an email Tuesday that a first-year, 10-month teacher will receive a starting salary of $60,086 for the 2026-27 school year. But 鈥渋n order to meet the state requirement and balance the budget in general, we needed to reduce 104 positions,鈥� she said, including 60 teachers, 30 support staff and 14 administrators.

Jodi Colman, assistant superintendent for academics and student services in Dorchester County, said some restructuring had to be done to hit the salary mark and balance the system鈥檚 2026-27 budget. One of the results: an increase in classes sizes 鈥� possibly from 18 to 22 鈥� because the school system wasn鈥檛 able to fund as many teacher positions.

Colman said Dorchester schools, which have about 4,500 students, also had to resort to a reduction in force聽鈥渋n order to make sure we were funding the classroom positions because we wanted to have the least impact on the schools as possible.鈥�

Colman acknowledged the work on this year鈥檚 budget 鈥渨as difficult. We don鈥檛 have a lot of extras around here.鈥�

But legislators who support the Blueprint, such as Del. Jessica Feldmark (D-Howard), said Friday the salary increase is an investment that helps not only the education profession, but also the students.

鈥淲ithin the context of whatever budget challenges we鈥檙e facing, we have to remember that this is about investing in our children and in our future, investing in the future of our workforce, our economy, our democracy, and that investment is something we have to take seriously,鈥� said Feldmark, vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

鈥淚f we want to have great schools, we need to be able to recruit and retain great educators, and recognizing their value and paying them a fair salary is a critical piece of that,鈥� she said.

When AIB Executive Director Rachel Hise told a聽聽in March that there would be no waivers on the minimum salary requirement, just half of the state鈥檚 24 school districts met the threshold: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Calvert, Carroll, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George鈥檚, St. Mary鈥檚 and Washington counties. Starting salaries for those systems ranged from $60,000 even in Allegany and Carroll counties to $64,591 in Montgomery.

Since then, officials with Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Queen Anne鈥檚 and Talbot counties said they have met the minimum salary requirement. The remaining counties either did not respond or said they are still working on it.

One of the penalties for failing to hit the deadline is that the AIB can withhold a certain amount of funding from a district until the $60,000 salary gets approved.

At least one school district continues to work on it: Somerset County, which had the state鈥檚 highest percentage of people living in poverty, at 20.3% in 2025, according to the聽.

Somerset schools remain in negotiations with their bargaining units, Superintendent W. David Bromwell said in an email Thursday. Bromwell said the district is aware of the $60,000 minimum salary requirement.

鈥淎ny budgetary item/mandate, can be difficult to complete for any MD Public School system, especially the smaller districts,鈥� he wrote in his email.

Somerset officials have time on their side because they鈥檒l have until Sept. 1 to send an attestation to the AIB to confirm the $60,000 minimum teacher salary has been met. That must also be done by all other school districts.

While some school systems struggled, or continue to struggle, officials in Frederick County said it was simply a matter of doing what had to be done.

鈥淚t was a requirement under the law. We did it. I hope everybody else did the same,鈥� said Sarah Sirgo, chief of staff for Frederick County Public Schools.

Other school districts may have focused on the challenge to work on their budgets this year due to the salary mandate, but聽 Sirgo said she and her colleagues in Frederick don鈥檛 view it that way.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not like, 鈥極h well, if we鈥檙e going to pay teachers more, we can鈥檛 do X, Y, or Z,鈥欌�� said Sirgo, who also serves as the district鈥檚 Blueprint coordinator. 鈥淲hen we build our budget, we have our strategic plan. We make sure that our budget is advancing the goals that we鈥檙e after.鈥�

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The authority Tuesday issued a request for qualifications, or RFQ, from prospective contractors on the major part of the replacement project: construction of the main span bridge and of marine approaches of the bridge, which will straddle the shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore.

鈥淢aryland is working expeditiously to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge and this step is the first major milestone in assembling our construction team,鈥� said Maryland Transportation Secretary Katie Thomson, who acts as chair of the MdTA board, in a statement from the authority.

According to an MdTA news release, the request for qualifications starts a 鈥渢wo-step, competitive, sealed proposal process to select a design-build team for the contract.鈥� After reviewing the RFQs, authority staff will compile a shortlist of contractors, who will be invited to submit bids in response to a request for proposals, or RFP.

Under the schedule set by the authority, the field of candidates will be winnowed to a shortlist this fall, and the winner will be selected from those bidders, and a notice to proceed, will be issued by summer 2027.

It鈥檚 a continuation of the ambitious schedule to replace the bridge, which collapsed into the Patapsco River when it was hit in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024.

The shipping channel was cleared of debris from the collapse 鈥� and the Port of Baltimore reopened to ship traffic 鈥� within weeks and demolition of the old bridge remnants began not long thereafter. During a tour of the site this week, Gov. Wes Moore (D) recommitted to finishing the project and having the bridge reopened to traffic by 2030.

In the rush to start work on the bridge, initial estimates came in around $1.7 billion. But as they studied the project, officials came to realize that was a gross underestimate. The state now believes replacement of the Key Bridge will cost between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, and some have suggested it could be higher than that.

Faced with the higher costs, the state dropped Kiewit Infrastructure, the company that has done the first phase of the project, completing demolition of the old bridge and driving piles for the new one. The state also decided to split the remaining tasks into separate contracts, in hopes of keeping costs contained.

Even though they have parted ways, Kiewit will continue working on site through the end of the year, as it wraps up work on the first phase of the project.

鈥淭his is a significant milestone to get the largest procurement for this project out for qualifications in just over 60 days since announcing the project will be split into four contracts,鈥� MdTA Executive Director Bruce Gartner. 鈥淧rogress continues on the rebuild with permanent piles being driven into the riverbed daily laying the foundation of the future bridge while concurrently advancing through the procurement process on these construction contracts.鈥�

The project currently going out for RFQs will be the first, and the largest, of four remaining contracts on the bridge. MdTA also expects to issue contracts for聽demolition of the remaining structures over water and miscellaneous marine work; construction of the land approach to the bridge from the south; and construction of the northern land approach.

The contract that is currently being put out for RFQs will complete the new bridge鈥檚 signature span, marine approaches and systems to protect the new structure from collisions like the one that destroyed the old bridge, killing six workers in the process. The MdTA announcement said the main span bridge and marine approaches contract includes:

• construction of a cable-stayed bridge with a 1,665-foot main span and a total length of 3,365 feet, with a minimum 230-foot clearance over the federal navigation channel;
• two concrete pylons reaching an elevation of 602 feet;
• a vessel collision protection system at the main pylon piers;
• approximately 660 feet of south-approach bridge over water; and
• approximately 1,560 feet of north-approach bridge over water.

Kiewit will continue working on-site while the next contract procurement is underway. Permanent foundation piles are being installed, the MdTA said, along with the over-water work platform known as a trestle.

The authority owns and operates all of Maryland鈥檚 toll tunnels, bridges and turnpikes. For more information about the Key Bridge project, visit聽.

Source

House and Senate leaders had already agreed on an Aug. 3-5 special session to pass legislation that will set legal standards for how the state鈥檚 eight congressional districts are drawn. Moore鈥檚 July 17 executive order represents a necessary legal formality.

A spokesperson for Moore said the governor鈥檚 office did not publicize the order as it was viewed as 鈥減erfunctory.鈥�

The General Assembly can petition itself back into special session, but that requires a majority of both the House and Senate to sign a petition. More common is when the governor calls a special session by executive order.

Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Annapolis and take up an amendment to the Maryland Constitution that gets around a 2022 decision by Judge Lynne Battaglia. That ruling struck down a 2021 congressional map, citing language in the state constitution that requires districts be compact, contiguous and mindful of jurisdictional and geographic boundaries. Before her ruling, the compact and contiguous language had always been interpreted to only apply to General Assembly districts, not congressional districts.

The decision, while not a precedent, was a novel interpretation of the state constitution. It also represented a hurdle to midcycle redistricting to Senate President Bill Ferguson (D).

Moore, in his executive order, wrote that the session would be to amend the constitution to 鈥渞eaffirm that the provisions which govern the requirements of our state legislative districts do not apply to Maryland鈥檚 congressional districts.鈥�

Exact language of the bill lawmakers will take up in the August session is not yet public, but any changes approved in the special session would not have an effect before the 2028 elections. It is not expected that a new map, like the one passed by the House earlier this year, will be part of the special session effort.

Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Pe帽a-Melnyk (D-Prince George鈥檚 and Anne Arundel) sent a letter to delegates and senators in which they prohibited any bill not related to redistricting from being drafted or introduced.

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Gov. Wes Moore (D), current and former members of the state鈥檚 congressional delegation and state transportation officials took Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) on a boat tour of the site, where work continues even though the state parted ways this spring with the current contractor over projected costs.

Capito, the chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Womack, the chair of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, were generally supportive of the project, despite what Capito called 鈥渆ye-popping鈥� costs on the multibillion-dollar project.

鈥淲e have to have a transparent process,鈥� Capito after the boat tour. 鈥淚 want to see why these costs have ballooned and what are the performance measures that are built in 鈥� because now, the whole country is paying for this.鈥�

The bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River when it was struck in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024, by a fully loaded container ship leaving the Port of Baltimore, killing six workers who were on the bridge at the time and severing a major East Coast highway route.

In the weeks immediately following the collapse, state officials estimated that replacing the bridge would cost about $1.7 billion. Then-President Joe Biden pledged that the federal government would pay the full cost of replacement, a promise that was made law in late 2024 in legislation passed by Congress.

Since then, however, the state鈥檚 official cost estimate has grown to be between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion 鈥� and some unofficial estimates have suggested it might be much higher.

The state this spring with Kiewit Infrastructure over price disagreements on the job going forward. Kiewit was involved in expedited planning on a replacement bridge, removal of the old bridge structures and placement of piles for a new bridge, and it will continue that work through the end of this year. But state officials are seeking new contractors for subsequent phases of the project.

State officials have blamed a number of pressures for the higher costs, but say the chief culprit are the modern safety measures that were not a part of the original bridge鈥檚 1970s-era design, but have to be built in today to prevent another tragedy like the 2024 collapse from happening.

鈥淚f you look at the fact that this next bridge that we鈥檙e building, it is going to have additional safety precautions and mechanisms that were not there when聽 features鈥� that were not there when the bridge was originally built, Moore said Monday.

鈥淚t will have to be larger, because it has to accommodate larger ships,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淪o I know when people say. 鈥楾hat鈥檚 ambitious, to say you鈥檙e going to build a bridge that鈥檚 safer and bigger, and build it faster than was done before,鈥� the answer is, it is ambitious.鈥�

Moore pointed to the work done so far and speed at which crews cleared the shipping channel in and out of the port 鈥� in weeks instead of months 鈥� and said he is confident the project can still be finished by 2030.

Moore said Capito and Womack have been 鈥渨ith us every step of the way.鈥�

鈥淭hey were here walking with us after the initial tragedy,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is not an introduction to either of these two.鈥�

Both Capito and Womack remained supportive of the project, with Capito noting the 89,000 people who crossed the bridge daily and Womack noting that some of the steel used in the project came from an Arkansas foundry.

鈥淭his is not a shirts-and-skins issue. This is not a blue/red issue,鈥� Womack said. 鈥淭his is a national issue and the sooner we can get this thing built, and they鈥檙e track record is pretty good right now, when you consider the speed at which a lot of these things are happening,聽 this is going to be open in record time and everybody鈥檚 going to benefit, particularly the nation.鈥�

Capito said that permitting reform that is working through Congress will be key to dealing with projects like the Key Bridge as the nation continues to grapple with aging infrastructure. For member of Congress it has been a case of 鈥渓essons learned鈥� with the bridge, she said.

One of the lessons already learned, Capito said, is 鈥淢aybe don鈥檛 put an estimate out until you鈥檙e really sure what the estimate might be.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org.

Source

In a joint letter to delegates and senators Monday, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Joseline Pe帽a-Melnyk (D-Prince George鈥檚 and Anne Arundel) made it clear that when they gather next month for a special session on a constitutional amendment on drawing the state鈥檚 congressional districts boundaries, no other subjects will be taken up.

Ferguson and Pe帽a-Melnyk said they have 鈥渄irected the Department of Legislative Services to accept bill drafting requests for the 鈥� special session only if they relate to the purpose for which the General Assembly is being reconvened: consideration of legislation concerning redistricting standards.鈥�

The mandate 鈥� a departure from past special sessions 鈥� effectively blocks House and Senate Republicans, who were planning to request bills be drafted focusing on affordability issues.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want us bringing up these issues that are important to average, everyday Marylanders,鈥� said Senate Minority Leader Stephen S. Hershey Jr. (R-Upper Shore). 鈥淚t feels very targeted toward Republicans and another way they are trying to take our voices away.鈥�

Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Annapolis Aug. 3-5 to take up a bill to amend Maryland Constitution to get around a 2022 decision by Judge Lynne Battaglia. That ruling struck down a 2021 congressional map, citing language in the state constitution that requires districts be compact, contiguous and mindful of jurisdictional and geographic boundaries. Before her ruling, the compact and contiguous language had always been interpreted to only apply to General Assembly districts.

The Battaglia decision was cited as the reason the Senate did not take up midcycle redistricting this year. But if her opinion is removed, lawmakers could more easily redraw that state鈥檚 eight congressional districts in a way that makes it easier for a Democrat to be elected in the one Maryland district held by a Republican, Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st).

The House attempted to graft redistricting language onto another bill to amend the state constitution sponsored by Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery) during the 2026 session. Kagan鈥檚 original bill would have set new requirements for special elections to fill vacant House and Senate seats during the first two years of the term.

Ferguson, who had blocked a congressional redistricting bill that included a new map, bottled up the amended Kagan bill when it was returned by the House.

Legislative leaders over the summer talked about the possibility of bringing Kagan鈥檚 special election bill back in special session, passing it along with the congressional district standards bill. The two congressional amendments could then be presented to voters in November. Delaying Kagan鈥檚 bill again until 2027 means voters would not see the amendment before 2028 and, if approved, it would not take effect until 2030. The first special election could not be held before 2032.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of interest in having us finally pass that during special session, but as you saw, the focus is going to be fairly narrow,鈥� Kagan said in a phone interview from Iowa, where she is attending a national Scrabble tournament 鈥� the senator is a nationally ranked player.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 dead,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think conversations are ongoing.鈥�

Kagan said she understands why the presiding officers might have decided why it was necessary to impose such limits.

鈥淚 think the fact that we鈥檙e on a deadline and that it鈥檚 in the middle of summer vacations might make people a little impatient or even a little bit cranky, and so there鈥檚 not a great deal of interest in spending more time in Annapolis debating than is necessary,鈥� she said.

鈥淓very new agenda item could extend our time in session. I think most people are willing to show up and are to willing to debate, willing to vote, but I don鈥檛 think they want to do too much more time than is seen as absolutely necessary,鈥� Kagan said.

Another potential concern is how the limited issue mandate affects attempts to clean up a potential problem created by the passage of identical House and Senate bills reforming arbitration for state employees. The proposals, which amend the state constitution, would both appear on the ballot unless lawmakers to find a way to condenses the two questions into one.

鈥淭hose bills don鈥檛 have anything to do with congressional redistricting,鈥� Hershey said. 鈥淚 would stand up and oppose it.鈥�

Legislators will also have to consider overriding five vetoes by Gov. Wes Moore (D). Typically, vetoes issued by a governor in the fourth year of a term stand because lawmakers cannot take them up in the next term. But with the legislature returning once more before a new General Assembly is seated, they鈥檒l have the opportunity to override Moore.

In previous special sessions, presiding officers would announce their intent to limit the focus of work done. Lawmakers could request introduce legislation, but those bills typically would be sent to a Rules Committee.

In Monday鈥檚 letter, the presiding officers explained their decision 鈥渆stablishes one consistent standard鈥� and keeps the legislature focused on one issue during the short session.

鈥淭he Maryland Constitution authorizes each chamber to determine its own proceedings, and State law places DLS [the Department of Legislative Services] under the direction of the presiding officers,鈥� Ferguson鈥檚 and Pe帽a-Melnyk鈥檚 letter said.

Republicans were expected to file a number of bills focusing on utility costs, a gas tax holiday, lowering the costs of vehicle registration fees and other affordability issues.

鈥淭hose are the issues we feel are important to Marylanders, not congressional redistricting,鈥� Hershey said.

Also likely was a Republican sponsored bill seeking to restore $125 million in cuts made to self-directed care for persons with developmental disabilities.

鈥淲e recognize that affordability, energy costs, and other issues facing Marylanders remain important, and the Maryland General Assembly took meaningful steps to address many of those concerns during the 2026 session,鈥� the presiding officers wrote, adding lawmakers can 鈥渄evelop and submit legislation on those matters for the 2027 regular session.鈥�

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In Frederick County, which is planning for a data center hub, the council chair lost his seat in the primary, and politically inexperienced candidates urging 鈥渄ata center sanity鈥� largely won out.

In Calvert County, where officials are weighing data centers near the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant, a similar story played out, and three county commissioners were shown the door.

Environmental advocates believe Maryland鈥檚 electoral landscape is only just beginning to see the ramifications of a tsunami of AI data center opposition, as an increasing number of proposals crop up in the state, raising local concerns about electricity use, water use, diesel generator pollution, noise and environmental degradation.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the political story of this region, going forward,鈥� said Mike Tidwell, founder and director of the nonprofit Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Tidwell, a local environmental activist for decades, says the bipartisan, near-universal outrage about data centers is 鈥渁 phenomenon unlike anything I鈥檝e seen.鈥� Fomenting this much rage for environmental issues has typically taken years and years, he said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 coming from everywhere. It鈥檚 red and blue, and it鈥檚 not subtle,鈥� Tidwell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to get everyone in one small town to agree on facts. And yet 鈥� organically, unplanned 鈥� everywhere across the country, people have made up their minds that they hate data centers 鈥� and now we see that they鈥檙e voting on that.鈥�

鈥淭he public opinion tide has shifted 鈥� and it鈥檚 probably the fastest change of public opinion I鈥檝e ever seen in all my years of advocacy,鈥� Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, deputy director at Economic Action Maryland Fund.

In Montgomery County, the winning candidate in the crowded Democratic primary for county executive, Will Jawando, had what advocates considered the most aggressive stance against data centers. He proposed a bill calling for a two-year moratorium. On June 12, outgoing county executive Marc Elrich enacted a six-month pause.

鈥淲ill Jawando has had a clearer view of where the public is on this,鈥� said Tidwell, a Montgomery County resident. 鈥淚 think that helped get him elected.鈥�

While numerous Maryland counties enacted temporary data center pauses in the run-up to election season, including Prince George County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City and Howard County, other counties have resisted them.

That includes Calvert, home to the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant, where a possible data center development. A from Natelli Holdings would also place a data center development in an industrial zone near the plant and Calvert Cliffs State Park.

The Calvert County Board of Commissioners, has rejected a data center pause on a few occasions, including by a .

Melissa Emmal, a Calvert resident who has grown a social media presence by posting videos about the possible data centers in the county, started a calling for a two-year pause, which has since garnered nearly 10,000 signatures.

Across the county, residents are frustrated that county officials didn鈥檛 discuss the proposals openly before the companies came forward publicly. But the frustration may be strongest in Lusby, the community that hosts not only the Calvert Cliffs facility but the Cove Point liquefied natural gas terminal.

鈥淭hey already feel like they鈥檝e done their fair share of hosting infrastructure,鈥� Emmal said.

Of late, Emmal said she鈥檚 noticed more county residents turning up at Calvert County Board of Commissioners meetings to voice concerns about data center development. But she wasn鈥檛 sure whether it would translate into electoral success.

鈥淚t was a big surprise,鈥� Emmal said. 鈥淲e were hoping to just get one 鈥� then the votes would be possible to flip the other way.鈥�

The Republican nominations for the two at-large seats on the board, held by Ireland and Hance, were scooped up by newcomers Patti Stueckler, who ran on an explicitly anti-data centers platform, and Jason Scaggs, who has taken issue with a lack of transparency from county officials on data centers, but has said he is open to a data center at Calvert Cliffs.

The pair will face off against a pair of Democratic nominees in the general election, but as it stands, the council is entirely Republican.

Cox was unseated by Kenneth B. Lee, who will run unopposed in the general election, and ran with the slogan 鈥淪top the Data Centers.鈥�

In Frederick, the county council voted in December to expand an existing in the Adamstown area by about 1,000 acres, essentially creating a 2,500-acre data center alley, while at the same time preventing data centers in other industrial zones elsewhere in the county.

The council鈥檚 decision spurred a petition drive to bring the issue to a ballot referendum, which garnered more than 20,000 signatures, approved by the county鈥檚 board of elections. But data center companies challenged the legality of the referendum in court, and won a favorable on June 30 that will keep the issue off the November ballot.

Observers believe that the council鈥檚 decision led to the ouster of Council President Brad Young, who finished third of four Democratic primary candidates vying for two seats.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt in my mind that the data center debate played a significant role in the primary process, and I am anticipating it will again in the general,鈥� said Rick Weldon, who previously served as a Frederick County commissioner and represented the county in the General Assembly. He is currently president of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce.

The council鈥檚 other at-large representative, Renee Knapp, who supported the zoning expansion, took the second spot. But it was newcomer Tiffany Grant 鈥� who opposed the zoning change, arguing it would gobble up agricultural lands 鈥� who won the most votes of any candidate in the race.

Young was seen as the 鈥渇ace鈥� of the council鈥檚 decision to expand the data center hub, which was supported by County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, said Kai Hagen, a council member from 2018 to 2022 who opposes the Adamstown development. That鈥檚 why, Hagen believes, Young got the boot.

But it wasn鈥檛 just Young鈥檚 at-large race. In other districts, those nicknamed 鈥渄ata center sanity鈥� candidates won out, including In District 1, which includes Adamstown.

In the Democratic race, Louisa Conklin prevailed, after running a campaign 鈥渢o regulate and tax data centers, slow or stop approval of new projects and reverse the County Council鈥檚 disastrous vote鈥� to expand data center zoning in an area zoned for agriculture.

鈥淭his was the issue that got me off the bench 鈥� that got me running,鈥� Conklin said. 鈥淚 had no intentions of seeking office.鈥�

Conklin, who moved to Frederick County in 2022, served as an associate member of the Frederick County Democratic Central Committee. She defeated Jenn Alcorn, who has lived in the county since childhood and became an advocate for local first responders after the 2021 death of her husband, a county police officer. Alcorn also had Fitzwater鈥檚 support.

In a , Alcorn said she supported the zoning change聽鈥渘ot because I took it lightly,鈥� but because聽it would lower the total number of acres in the county available to data centers, set new specifications for data center development and add to the county鈥檚 commercial tax base to help provide residents with tax relief.

Data centers were 鈥渃learly a driving issue in this race,鈥� Alcorn said in her statement.

鈥淔or six months leading up to the primary, my opponents, Louisa Conklin and Frank Hollewa, ran a sustained effort to label me 鈥榩ro-data center鈥� 鈥� a mischaracterization of a position that always included guardrails and accountability measures,鈥� Alcorn said.

Outside money flowed into the Frederick County primaries in support of Alcorn, Young, and Knapp. Momentum Maryland, a super PAC that spent more than $43,000 on direct mailers supporting the trio, according to the most recent data available on the Maryland State Board of Elections website.

The PAC received all of its funding, $190,000, from a similarly named corporation, which lists a Washington post office box, and is not registered to do business in Maryland. Its states that its mission is to 鈥渇oster informed conversation about economic development,鈥� among other issues.

鈥淢omentum Maryland supports policy solutions that strengthen our communities, build our economy, and create growth that benefits all Marylanders.鈥� the website reads.

Neither Conklin nor Grant received any similar outside donations, according to the state鈥檚 campaign finance database.

Political action committees such as Momentum Maryland can spend almost unlimited amounts of money supporting or opposing a candidate 鈥� but cannot coordinate with candidates themselves.

鈥淢y campaign had no contact with that PAC, no knowledge of its plans, and no input into its materials,鈥� Alcorn said in her statement.

All of the Frederick County primary victors must still face a general election opponent. But in many races, the candidates on both sides of the aisle are data center skeptics opposed to the proposed expanded zoning in Adamstown. Hence, the council majority is 鈥渧irtually guaranteed鈥� to flip against data centers, Hagen said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 going to change everything,鈥� Hagen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a rubber-stamp council.鈥�

On July 1, about one week after the primary election and one day after the Maryland Supreme Court ruling, Fitzwater signed new data center development through Dec. 31.

鈥淎 week removed from the primary, the county executive is suggesting that we slow down,鈥� Weldon said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 called reading the tea leaves and reacting.鈥�

But Fitzwater, who was unopposed in her primary, chalks the decision up to the Supreme Court decision.

鈥淭he Maryland Supreme Court鈥檚 ruling marked the end of a years-long process of Frederick County setting clear limits on data center development, but we recognize many of our residents still have concerns,鈥� said Hope Morris, a spokesperson for Fitzwater, in a statement.

Fitzwater鈥檚 camp is hopeful that the pause will provide them with time for 鈥渁dditional outreach to share鈥� how the new zoning rules 鈥減rioritize our residents鈥� health and safety and restrict development.鈥�

It remains unclear how the shifting balance on county legislative bodies in Frederick and Calvert will affect local decision-making, and whether the primary results could make an impression on leaders in Annapolis. They established a separate electricity tariff for large-scale data centers, intended to make them foot the bill for their infrastructure build-out 鈥� and created an incentive system for data centers to use clean energy 鈥� but have not set major restrictions on the facilities statewide.

But Tidwell believes the shift will be apparent in January, when the General Assembly convenes for its regular session.

鈥淚 believe that when January rolls around, there is going to be more than one moratorium and ban bill in Annapolis,鈥� Tidwell said. 鈥淪omething that might have seemed unthinkable 鈥� it鈥檚 going to be inevitable in January.鈥�

Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), who will move to the state Senate next year, said data centers were 鈥減retty much the top issue鈥� he heard about while campaigning. In Charles, a data center company has proposed reopening a shuttered coal plant, switching it to run on natural gas, to power a data center. Wilson, for one, said he鈥檇 be open to a statewide data center pause 鈥� and he thinks the public sentiment is shifting that way, too.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what the impact is 鈥� but we should pause until we figure out what it is,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淲hen billionaires think it鈥檚 important, I鈥檝e got a feeling it鈥檚 not good for us. This is not Republican versus Democrat. This is billionaires versus the rest of us.鈥�

Maryland Matters reporter Bryan P. Sears contributed to this report.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org.

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The Tuesday letter to state Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis is part of a larger effort involving election officials across the country. It comes a day after Justice Department attorneys signaled their intent to appeal a Maryland case in which they unsuccessfully sought to force the release of comprehensive voter records.

DeMarinis described it as 鈥渁 nice love letter from the Department of Justice threatening my arrest.鈥�

鈥淚t is just unconscionable to threaten and try to intimidate election officials, not just in Maryland, but throughout the United States,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 mean, this is such a draconian step.鈥�

聽from Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division, focuses on 鈥淢aryland鈥檚 compliance with federal law governing voter eligibility.鈥�

In her letter, Dhillon raises concerns about noncitizens being allowed to vote in Maryland elections.

The seven-page letter, which includes a memo, threatens charges related to criminal conspiracy and civil rights violations. It is similar if not identical to one sent to election officials in every state.

鈥淭his letter here is for one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is to intimidate and scare election officials,鈥� DeMarinis said. 鈥淭he Department of Justice is trying to run roughshod over Marylanders鈥� rights. They lost in court to get the voter rolls. The administration has issued unconstitutional executive orders. Now here on July 7 there is this new letter with a memo 鈥� I would say threat 鈥� there鈥檚 no other way to take this.鈥�

DeMarinis acknowledged that speaking publicly about the letter was unusual, but that he felt he had to 鈥渃ome out and address this publicly 鈥� because this cannot stand behind the scenes.鈥�

鈥淎s a state election administrator one of my charges is to make sure that people always feel safe, secure about out elections and know that our elections are verified as well,鈥� he said.

Dhillon wrote that 鈥渁ny election officer, including the chief election officer of the state, who knowingly retains noncitizens on the state鈥檚 SVRL [state voter registration list] or facilitates noncitizens in receiving and casting ballots could be subject to criminal liability. An intentional act that is aimed at diluting the votes of citizens could also constitute a violation of (federal law) which makes it unlawful for two or more persons to conspire to injure any person in the exercise of that person鈥檚 constitutional rights. We encourage you to contact us to discuss what steps your state should take to maintain clean voter lists as required by law.鈥�

The letter, addressed to DeMarinis, does not specify others it considers part of an alleged conspiracy.

鈥淭he Department sent these letters to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, asking for voluntary compliance in a timely manner with their obligations under federal law to ensure only citizens vote in federal elections,鈥� a department spokesperson said in a one-sentence statement sent in response to questions Wednesday.

鈥淲e run safe and secure elections in the state of Maryland in compliance with the law,鈥� DeMarinis said. 鈥淣ow this type of a letter is trying to cast doubt over the election results with baseless claims and mythical evildoers. We鈥檝e proven it time and time again. I鈥檓 just, I鈥檓 floored.鈥�

Concerns about eroding voter confidence

Nikki Tyree, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Maryland, called the letter 鈥渆xtremely disturbing鈥� and linked it directly to so-far unsuccessful efforts by the same agency to obtain the state鈥檚 voter database.

鈥淭he idea that you fail in court, and your next course of action is to threaten detention or arrest 鈥� it speaks volumes to how election officials are viewed in this country,鈥� Tyree said. 鈥淵ou cannot threaten your way into winning elections, not here, not in Maryland, not in America. You cannot threaten our public servants into giving you what you want.

鈥淭he reality is that if anybody ever bothered to actually learn, they would see our election officials here follow the law that has been laid out for them by Maryland鈥檚 General Assembly,鈥� she said.

Both DeMarinis and Tyree said the effort is meant to diminish trust in state and local elections. Tyree blamed 鈥済roups of people who fundamentally are willfully ignorant about how the law works.鈥�

鈥淭heir goal isn鈥檛 to make sure our voter rolls are as clean as possible,鈥� she said. 鈥淭heir goal is to have enough people believe that there is something wrong with our elections, where they can cry foul, and they can get what they want as the winner. That鈥檚 it.鈥�

Recent polling shows that Americans across the political spectrum are losing confidence in the election process. Two-thirds of Americans surveyed in a聽聽conducted by PBS News, NPR and Marist University expressed confidence in the accuracy of their state and local elections, 10 points lower than a similar poll conducted before the 2024 election.

The decline is driven by double-digit decreases among Democratic and independent voters.

Election officials, advocates on alert

Action against state election officials has increased since Trump took office nearly two years ago.

In that time, the president has issued multiple executive orders on elections. A 2025 order mandated proof of citizenship for federal voter registration. Another issued earlier this year directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile citizenship lists and use the United States Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters determined by federal authorities to be eligible.

Both were blocked by federal courts.

The administration has also demanded voter rolls from Maryland and other states. The detailed databases contain personal identifying information and even detailed voter histories. Maryland has joined a number of other states in refusing the request, an action that has resulted in federal lawsuits by the administration.

There have also been a number of high-profile raids. Federal agents seized ballots in Georgia as the president continues to press unsubstantiated claims of election fraud in the 2020 election.

Last month, agents with the FBI and Homeland Security聽聽from a progressive group focused on social justice and voting rights.

Tyree said there is real cause to worry about the possibility of similar actions in Maryland against election officials and voting rights advocates.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not doing anything wrong. We鈥檙e just trying to get people to vote, but if your goal is to stop people from voting, or more specifically, if your goal is to stop people from voting who you know won鈥檛 vote for you or for your interested party, this is a really good way to do it,鈥� Tyree said. 鈥淗ave a bunch of raids that don鈥檛 mean anything. Arrest the top election official for doing his job.鈥�

鈥楾here will be a response鈥�

Dhillon gives DeMarinis five days to respond with information about 鈥渉ow the state of Maryland intends to ensure it is complying with these federal laws both at the state and local level.鈥�

A department spokesperson did not respond to questions about the consequences of not meeting the five-day deadline.

DeMarinis said 鈥渢here will be a response鈥� but did not immediately outline what it might say.

Those responses are to be sent to William Mohrman, a newly hired senior counsel who was also the lead attorney in a lawsuit against DeMarinis and the elections board last month.

Mohrman once represented Minnesota officers accused in the police custody death of George Floyd. He is part of a group of attorneys who worked on challenges to the 2020 election and have been hired within the Civil Rights Division.

Mohrman led the department鈥檚 federal lawsuit seeking comprehensive聽. A federal judge聽.

On Monday, the department filed a notice of appeal.

Mohrman also represents the department in a similar lawsuit in Georgia.

DeMarinis, commenting on the appeal, said he believed the state was on solid legal grounds to deny access to the voting records and believed the agency would prevail.

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The legislature is set to return Aug. 3-5 to consider legislation that would clarify how congressional districts can be drawn 鈥� a reaction to a 2022 court decision that resulted in the current maps in which the Democratic Party holds seven of the state鈥檚 eight districts. The special session was announced by Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Joseline Pe帽a-Melnyk Tuesday in a joint statement.

The announcement represents a reversal 鈥� in part 鈥� for Ferguson. The Senate leader had previously opposed midcycle congressional redistricting. He bottled up a bill passed in February by the House.

But in May, he said a Supreme Court ruling on the landmark Voting Rights Act and elections in Indiana in which President Donald Trump successfully turned out Republican state senators who blocked redistricting there, warranted a new look at the issue in Maryland, and the potential for a special session.

鈥淎fter recent court decisions weakened the federal Voting Rights Act and created new uncertainty around congressional redistricting, Maryland needs a clear legal path forward,鈥� Ferguson said in a statement. 鈥淭his special session will allow the General Assembly to do its part while ensuring that Maryland voters make the final decision.鈥�

The House of Delegates had joined Gov. Wes Moore (D) earlier this year to push for a Maryland response to hyperpartisan congressional redistricting undertaken by Texas and other Republican states at Trump鈥檚 urging, in an effort to stave off potential midterm losses and the possibility that Democrats could retake control of the House of Representatives.

鈥淐onsensus on this issue has been clear in the House. Maryland needs a durable, transparent constitutional framework for congressional redistricting that reflects the evolving legal landscape,鈥� Pe帽a-Melnyk said in Tuesday鈥檚 joint statement. 鈥淭his special session gives the General Assembly the opportunity to respond thoughtfully to recent court decisions while ensuring that Maryland voters have the final say on any proposed constitutional changes.鈥�

The announcement came hours after Moore told reporters in Glen Burnie that an announcement on such a session was imminent.

鈥淔or months, I have said that inaction is not an option and we cannot sit on the sidelines while voting rights, fair representation, and the foundations of our democracy come under attack across the country,鈥� Moore said in a statement released after the announcement from the legislative leaders. 鈥淚 appreciate the General Assembly鈥檚 continued conversations and the agreement to come back to finish the work.鈥�

What comes out of the session is likely to be less than what was hoped for by Moore and House Democrats.

It is unlikely lawmakers will take up new maps, which could not be enacted for the current election cycle.

Instead, it is likely that legislation 鈥� which has not been made public 鈥� will be limited to setting standards for new maps. Such a change to the Maryland Constitution would undo a 2022 ruling that said Congressional districts in Maryland must be compact, contiguous and mindful of jurisdictional and natural boundaries.

鈥斅燭his story will be updated.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org.

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The board unanimously approved the purchase even as one member raised concerns about the future of racing in the state. Racing officials, however, painted an optimistic picture for the industry. The purchase of Laurel Park and the expected acquisition of intellectual property rights for the Preakness Stakes has set the industry in Maryland on the inside track to success, they said.

鈥淟aurel will be one of the backbones of racing in Maryland鈥檚 racing industry,鈥� Maryland Jockey Club Chair James T. Dresher Jr. told the board Wednesday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a home of Maryland racing for many decades, and it will be of great use as a training facility. This also, in addition to the purchase of the Preakness IP, puts Marylanders in full control of our future. Now we have all the pieces of the puzzle for our industry to succeed.鈥�

The three-member board unanimously approved purchasing the property owned by 1/ST LLC.

鈥淚 think this is the right decision as well to move forward, given the industry is, of course, as many people have articulated, a major employer, a major revenue generator, which I appreciate,鈥� said Comptroller Brooke Lierman. 鈥淎nd Laurel Park has been part of Maryland鈥檚 racing history for over a century.鈥�

Not everyone on the board was as optimistic or enthusiastic.

Treasurer Dereck Davis said he is concerned that 鈥渨e鈥檙e making a big bet on horse racing, and frankly, I just don鈥檛 see it. We can talk about the revenue, but what about the cost? We put literally hundreds of millions of dollars into this, and we have to look at the opportunity cost, and I don鈥檛 mean to sound like a broken record, but I don鈥檛 want that to get missed. The opportunity cost 鈥� what else 鈥� we could have been doing, and can be doing with that same revenue.鈥�

Almost a year ago the state ponied up nearly $5 million for Shamrock Farm. The 328-acre Carroll County farm was expected to be the site of a modern training facility. The state now intends to sell that property.

The purchase price of Laurel Park is nearly 10 times higher than the cost of a Carroll County farm.

Davis also worried that the push to prop up horse racing in Maryland is driven by nostalgia.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got to take a hard look at this, and go, can this work on its own, or is this something that we permanently have to prop up? Davis said. 鈥淚 mean, the numbers are just sort of staggering to me 鈥� this is not monopoly money. These are real dollars that can help real citizens and do real things for the state of Maryland that will help it move forward, as opposed to trying to keep, you know, a dream, an industry afloat.鈥�

Thoroughbred racing has struggled for decades in Maryland. The decaying Pimlico Race Course, home of the second leg of racing鈥檚 Triple Crown, became a symbol of the industry鈥檚 decline.

In 2024, the General Assembly renewed efforts to preserve the industry with the so-called Pimlico Plus Plan, which consolidated thoroughbred racing in the state. Tracks owned by the Stronach family and 1/ST would close, with the exception of Pimlico, effectively making the state government the operator of thoroughbred racing in Maryland.

A newly created Maryland Thoroughbred Race Track Operating Authority would take over racing and the razing and reconstruction of Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The authority was disbanded a year later with operations split between the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Maryland Economic Development Corp.

As part of the deal, the state also entered into an 鈥渆xclusive and perpetual鈥� licensing deal with the Stronach Group and 1/ST for the rights to the Preakness and Black-eyed Susan Stakes. The deal included all associated trademarks and memorabilia.

Earlier this year, Stronach and 1/ST announced it planned to sell the intellectual property to Churchill Downs Inc. for $85 million. Weeks later, Gov. Wes Moore announced the state would exercise its right to match the offer and buy the property it was leasing from 1/ST.

The move gives the state complete control over the Preakness and thoroughbred racing. Once the Pimlico facility is reconstructed, the plan is to hold 120 days of racing at the facility.

Maryland Stadium Authority officials told the board they will now move forward with plans to sell Shamrock Farm and that聽it could be offered for sale as early as the fall.

Initially, the plan had been to use the property for the new training facility. It was later determined after the purchase was finalized that the cost of building the facility on the property would be excessive and environmentally problematic.

Craig A. Thompson, chair of the Maryland Stadium Authority, said the Shamrock Farm project would cost $212 million 鈥渙ver double what had been previously stated, and considerably straining available funding to rebuild Pimlico.鈥�

The 鈥減ivot to Laurel Park will save the state roughly $50 million,鈥� Thompson said.

Davis raised concerns that the state will lose money.

鈥淭here鈥檚 always a chance that could happen,鈥� Gary McGuigan, executive vice president of capital projects development for the Maryland Stadium Authority, told Davis.

McGuigan said the real estate market 鈥渟eems to have softened a little bit in about a year鈥檚 time, so we鈥檒l have to see what the appetite is.鈥�

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Not because she doesn鈥檛 want to. Because she can鈥檛.

Ivey is one of more than 1 million registered voters in Maryland who are not affiliated with any political party, meaning they are prohibited from participating in the state鈥檚 closed primary election, which are open only to registered party members. She is also one of five plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking to change that.

鈥淚 should not have to join a private political party to fully participate in a public election,鈥� Ivey said on a conference call Thursday with other plaintiffs in the case. 鈥淎nd neither should the more than 1 million other Maryland voters who are unaffiliated. This is a voting rights issue.鈥�

The group, represented by former Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, against the state in May 2025, seeking a court order that would prevent the state from funding elections that exclude independent voters. The case was dismissed by a judge at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in November, a ruling that is now in the process of being appealed.

Rutherford said the Office of the Attorney General responded to the early last week, arguing that political parties have a First Amendment right to decide who is going to be their candidate and who can vote in their primaries.

The attorney general鈥檚 office declined to comment Thursday on the lawsuit or its response to the appeal.

Rutherford said Thursday that the suit does not challenge anyone鈥檚 ability to associate with the political party of their choice, but that it should not be a state function. He said that excluding voters from participating in elections that are paid for with their taxes is a violation of their constitutional rights.

鈥淲e are not challenging their ability or their right to associate with like-members,鈥� Rutherford said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e saying that the state can鈥檛 pay for it because by endorsing, by supporting, by funding, you are denying the rights of citizens as guaranteed by the state constitution.鈥�

Rutherford said the plaintiffs are going to issue their response to the office early next week and are waiting to get a hearing date, which both parties have requested.

鈥淸Our response] would reiterate the fact that they are off track in terms of what their arguing is,鈥� Rutherford said. 鈥淭hey keep saying that we鈥檙e trying to force the parties to accept this, we鈥檙e just saying the state can鈥檛 pay for it.鈥�

In Maryland, voters must be registered with either the Republican or Democratic Party to participate in primary elections, but can vote for non-partisan offices, like board of education seats.

More than 1 million voters throughout the state, which is about a quarter of the state鈥檚 eligible voters, are not registered with either political party, according to Maryland Board of Elections records from May. This totals an increase of more than 42,000 new unaffiliated voters in the past year.

According to Sam Novey, chief strategist at the University of Maryland鈥檚 Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, closed primaries do have some benefit, in that they can strengthen voters affiliation with political parties, which can help elect political leaders who better understand their communities鈥� needs.

鈥淭he drawback is that you鈥檝e got a lot of people who are wanting to participate in shaping the election who are not able to participate,鈥� Novey said in an interview. 鈥淭hat is obviously problematic as well.鈥�

On the Thursday press call organized by Open Primaries 鈥� an organization that advocates for nonpartisan primary systems 鈥� Jeremy Gruber, its senior vice president said that as elections throughout the state and country are becoming less competitive, denying unaffiliated voters the chance to participate in primary elections denies them a 鈥渕eaningful say鈥� in the politicians who represent them.

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Maryland Realtors that active housing inventory fell 16.4% over the past year, from 18,402 houses available in May 2025 to 15,395 available in May 2026. New listings are also down, from 9,368 new listings in May 2025 to 7,296 new listings in May 2026, a 22.1% decline over the year.

Costs are rising at the same time. In May, the average sales price for a house in Maryland went from $522,664 last year to $547,405, a 4.7% increase.

For Lisa May, director of advocacy and public policy with Maryland Realtors, the recent data shows that Maryland continues to struggle with providing the housing options that meet the demand.

鈥淪upply and demand applies to housing,鈥� May said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually more subject to the laws of supply and demand because if you have excess housing, you can鈥檛 just pick it up and move it somewhere else in the country, like you do shoes or cars. What we鈥檙e seeing in Maryland is we鈥檙e not building new homes.鈥�

She said people are not moving because they don鈥檛 see a better option in the market, another factor that keeps supply low and prices high. The states where costs are improving, she said, 鈥渁re the ones that are building.鈥�

鈥淗ousing supply has been a tough one to crack,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e know that Maryland is a highly-regulated state 鈥� and that creates a lot of risk for developers when they are looking to invest in Maryland and build the housing that our residents need.鈥�

She said part of the solution is to 鈥渞eform the rules that allow different types of housing to be constructed.鈥� But renter advocates warned that trying to bring housing costs down by removing regulations could threaten renter protections like rent stabilization in Montgomery County, which developers have said impede new housing projects.

鈥淲e have to look at the larger perspective,鈥� said Matt Losak, executive director for the Montgomery County Renters Alliance. 鈥淲e have a competing self-interested narrative put forward by landlord developers, real estate lobbies that are trying to eliminate any regulation on their industries 鈥� in order to maximize profits.

鈥淚t鈥檚 up to our governments to balance public interest with our interest in economic development,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen they鈥檙e talking about a housing shortage 鈥� they鈥檙e not talking about 35,000 people milling around downtown Silver Spring who don鈥檛 have a home. What they鈥檙e talking about is market demand. That is, if we had the houses, we could sell them or rent them, which is a very different reality.鈥�

From a national perspective, the housing market is still tough, but reports that listing prices fell for the seventh straight month, a year-over-year decrease of 2.4%, showing a 鈥減romising run鈥� in the housing market.

Maryland鈥檚 stalled housing supply comes in spite of efforts by Gov. Wes Moore (D) to push new legislation that facilitates new housing developments in the state.

In 2024, he pushed for a that included a measure to provide 鈥渄ensity bonuses鈥� that allow developers to build more units than zoning rules typically allow in exchange for a certain percentage of affordable housing options.

This year, the General Assembly approved two of his housing bills meant to encourage developers to build in Maryland.

One measure, the Housing Certainty Act, delays payment of certain fees to county officials for new housing development and creates 鈥渧esting rights鈥� for developers: The assurance that a project would be subject to the local regulations in place at time of its completed application and not subject to later changes.

Vesting rights have long been a complaint from developers, who say that changes in regulation and local ordinances can prolong the approval and development of new housing options. But that legislation doesn鈥檛 take effect until October.

The other new law encourages new housing development around transit-oriented locations by restricting parking minimums and other local decisions in specific situations.

Realtors and multifamily housing developers were not ready to pass judgment on whether Moore鈥檚 housing policies have been effective.

鈥淚t鈥檚 too soon to know exactly 鈥� if you ask me in a year or two, we might have a better sense,鈥� said Aaron Greenfield, director of government affairs for the Maryland Multi-Housing Association. 鈥淚 applaud the governor and the administration in trying to employ all of the tools in the toolbox 鈥� but these things take time.鈥�

May noted that a Moore bill that stalled this session, the Silver and Starter Homes Act, could have been another step toward increasing the housing supply.

The bill would have encouraged the development of smaller homes by prohibiting local jurisdictions from placing restrictions on how small a lot or house could be, allowing younger families to step into homeownership and giving aging Marylanders a chance to downsize their homes.

The bill faced opposition from local and county government representatives, who said it overstepped local zoning authority with blanket statewide mandates. The legislation had hearings in House and Senate committees but was never brought up for a vote in either chamber.

May argues that current regulations and market pressures mean it鈥檚 easier to build big homes, and developers are not able to easily develop smaller houses due to lot-size minimums and other factors.

鈥淭he General Assembly has been in a tough place between what 鈥� the administration has proposed and what views the local governments, county governments, municipal governments have been 鈥� in terms of holding on to their local control and their local power,鈥� May said.

鈥淎nd I think that鈥檚 why we鈥檝e seen mixed results of what has actually passed the General Assembly in terms of actionable legislation on housing,鈥� she said. 鈥淪eeing the Starter and Silver Homes bill 鈥� the sort of vitriol that came out of that hearing, and for that bill to not even get a vote, I think was very disappointing.鈥�

She hopes lawmakers take it up again next session. But any statewide housing policy could still create conflict with the local zoning authority.

鈥淟ast year鈥檚 debate around promoting smaller 鈥榮tarter and silver鈥� housing unleashed multiple concerns from numerous communities, but focusing that conversation on affordability, rather than simply spatial footprint, might unlock a more fruitful discussion,鈥� Michael Sanderson, executive director for Maryland Association of Counties, said in a written statement Wednesday.

鈥淐ounty leaders remain open to innovations in financing, infrastructure support, and agency alignment 鈥� any of which might help accelerate a catch-up in Maryland housing stock,鈥� he said.

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In to Gov. Wes Moore (D), Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the department determined there had been 鈥渟ufficient production losses to warrant a Secretarial natural disaster declaration鈥� in 12 Maryland counties.

The declaration also declared eight Maryland counties and 16 counties in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia, as 鈥渃ontiguous鈥� disaster counties. The declaration means farmers in all those counties can apply for emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.

Rollins said USDA could not determine if six counties 鈥� Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Kent, Prince George鈥檚 and St. Mary鈥檚 鈥� has incurred sufficient damage to qualify as primary disaster areas, but that they could be added at a later date. Anne Arundel, Kent and Prince George鈥檚 counties were included on the list of contiguous disaster areas in this first cut.

The news was welcomed by Moore, who asked for the declaration last month in response to 鈥渆xtensive鈥� crop damage after the April 27 cold snap.

鈥淭his disaster declaration provides a vital financial safety net to keep our hardworking family farms operational so they can continue to feed Maryland families while putting food on their own tables,鈥� Moore said in a statement released by his office.

After submitting the federal request, Moore directed state agencies to take steps to help state farmers, by waiving that winemakers in the state own or have under contract at least 20 acres of grapes, or that at least 51% of the ingredients in their wine come from Maryland; by creating task forces on irrigation and on boosting existing risk management programs; and by working to 鈥渆nhance opportunities鈥� for farmers and watermen affected by natural disasters to access Maryland Agriculture and Resource-Based Industry Development Corp. programs.

He also ordered the Maryland Agriculture Department to聽encourage the purchase of local farm products by food banks, consumers and others; the Department of the Environment to prioritize 鈥渨ater appropriation permits鈥� for agriculture; and the Governor鈥檚 Intergovernmental Commission on Agriculture is to assess how state and local agencies 鈥渃an better support affected agricultural sectors.鈥�

The April 21 freeze came after an unusually warm spring that encouraged early growth and left some crops particularly vulnerable to a cold snap.

The Maryland Farm Bureau also for a disaster declaration, saying that a survey of its members found that farmers expected production losses of just over two-thirds of the harvest for some crops, with farms in the hardest-hit counties reporting near total losses.

Officials with the Maryland Wineries Association also reported heavy losses, with one longtime vintner saying he had not seen anything like it in the business. The wineries association reported a total loss over 36% of the state鈥檚 grape acreage, leading to an estimated $24.4 million deficit in projected wine sales for the 2026 vintage.

State officials said data confirmed that crop losses far exceeded the 30% threshold required for a federal declaration. Compounding the crisis, the governor鈥檚 office said Monday, the late spring freeze came as the state suffers prolonged, severe drought conditions.

鈥淭his federal designation provides an important safety net to support what will be a multi-year recovery process,鈥� Maryland Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks said in the statement from the governor鈥檚 office.

鈥淥ur producers are facing millions of dollars in ongoing maintenance costs without the crop income they rely on,鈥� Atticks said. 鈥淢oving forward, the state will continue to work side-by-side with federal agencies and our congressional delegation to deploy every tool at our disposal to navigate this environmental volatility and preserve marketplace stability.鈥�

Affected farmers and growers are strongly encouraged to contact their county USDA Farm Service Agency office to review eligible disaster assistance programs and begin the application process.

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The Consumer Price Index rose 0.5% in May, bringing inflation for the year to 4.2%, the highest level since April 2023, driven in large part by the spike in fuel prices, according to the from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In the Washington, D.C., metro area, which includes suburban Maryland and Virginia, annual inflation rose to 4.1% in May, according to the report. The most recent numbers for the Baltimore metro area are from April, when the annual inflation rate was 3.6%.

鈥淚t means [people] are paying more for everything,鈥� said Christopher Meyer, a research analyst at the Maryland Center on Economic Policy. 鈥淚t makes it harder to afford everything. They鈥檙e especially paying more gasoline for utilities, electricity, and home heating, but other things as well.鈥�

Energy costs have seen the starkest rise in prices in the past year, with the cost of gas increasing by more than 40% nationally and fuel oil, which is used for heating in homes, up by almost 60%.

According to Meyer, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war is the most significant contributor to uptick cost because it has caused disruptions in global energy markets.

While gas prices nationally and in Maryland are trending down since their peak in mid-May, the , as of Monday, was $3.83 per gallon, which is still 77 cents more than what people paid a year ago, according to AAA data.

The uptick in gas prices can also make the price of other goods higher because it costs more money to ship those items, according to Allan Drazen, a professor of economics at the University of Maryland. This includes food, which has seen a 3.1% national cost increase in the past year, according to the BLS.

鈥淲hen we look at the price of food, the price of energy matters, supply chain disruptions matter,鈥� Drazen said. 鈥淭here are a number of things that tend to have an effect.鈥�

Meg Kimmel is the president and CEO of the Maryland Food Bank, a nonprofit organization that supplies food to about 760 local food banks and pantries throughout the state for them to distribute.

While she said her larger organization has been able to absorb the higher costs of goods, higher prices in things like gas and utilities, in addition to food, have made it harder for more local pantries to afford to distribute the same quantities to their communities.

South County Assistance Network, based in Anne Arundel County, distributes food to individual families once every 30 days to help ease the load of food costs. Pat Youngman, the president of the organization鈥檚 board of directors, said she is seeing her clients need 鈥渟ignificantly鈥� more help getting food on the table.

In 2025, the organization distributed food to 371 families, she said. This year, it has taken on 47 new families.

鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely seeing more families struggle,鈥� Youngman said, 鈥淭hey comment about the price of food and how difficult it is.鈥�

鈥淭hat is the part that is often challenging for families,鈥� Kimmel said. 鈥淭hey find themselves needing to make those trade-offs and to make those choices and decisions they have to make. Do I pay the utility bill, or do I put food on the table? Do I pay for my kids鈥� field trip and haircut, or do I put food on the table?鈥�

The true challenge with the rise in inflation is that wages are not being adjusted for the high cost, according to Meyer. To ease the burden, he said state lawmakers can advocate for increasing the state鈥檚 minimum wage to keep up with prices and support collective bargaining.

As more people are relying on public assistance, Meyer said state lawmakers should use the state budget to invest in things like public transportation and affordable housing and childcare.

Despite this, he said, federal government actions, like ending the war in Iran and repealing cuts to things like Medicaid and federal food assistance, will likely contribute to the most significant improvements in affordability.

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More than 100 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) rallied in support of workers at the University of Maryland, College Park, where 73 union members were recently laid off, and at Bowie State University, where 21 members lost jobs. And the union said at least one layoff notice was issued from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

The rally was held about a week after College Park officials announced layoffs during a 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 not sure why we鈥檙e being laid off when there鈥檚 other options that they could have explored, and we鈥檙e really angry about it,鈥� said Emily Leak. She worked as an integrated care specialist the University of Maryland, College Park, to help keep students from committing suicide.

鈥淲e鈥檙e worried about the safety of our students at the University Health Center in College Park because we need more mental health services,鈥澛犅燼t the rally. 鈥淚 had no opportunity to transition services, very unethical from a licensed perspective. I am just appalled that UMD would treat their dedicated employees like this.鈥�

The union rallied 30 minutes before Friday鈥檚 meeting of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, which oversees academic and financial operations and crafts policy for the 12 institutions and three regional higher education centers that are part of the university system. UMCP, Bowie State and UMBC fall under the regents鈥� umbrella.

Union members were joined at their rally Friday at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, by Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City).

Ferguson noted that voters will be able to vote on a referendum question during the Nov. 3 general election that he said would ensure a layoff like the latest one 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 happen in the near future.鈥�

It鈥檚 based on the聽聽of 2026, approved during this year鈥檚 legislative session. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Cory McCray (D-Baltimore City), would require, that 鈥渁 neutral arbitrator鈥� be selected in labor-management disputes with state workers, if the measure is approved by voters this fall.

Ferguson also said money was approved in the fiscal 2027 budget for the university system that would provide raises, cost-of-living and merit increases.

The system agrees that a 1.5% cost-of-living increase was provided for all 40,000 system employees, but 鈥渘o additional funds were provided for merit pay for any employees, including those covered under the AFSCME contract,鈥� USM spokesperson Michael Sandler said in a statement Friday afternoon. He added merit pay is awarded only if it is funded by the state.

Sandler said institutions in the system 鈥渁re facing budget challenges for a number of reasons.鈥�

鈥淔irst, our base funding from the state is 10% lower because of cuts from the previous two budget cycles,鈥� he said. 鈥淔urthermore, when you factor the impact of inflation and changes in federal policies that have affected research funding, we are seeing reduced funding at our institutions while also experiencing higher costs. All of that is contributing to greater budget challenges.鈥�

A representative from the University of Maryland, College Park, deferred to the system鈥檚 statement. In a聽聽dated June 4, College Park leaders announced that about 84 state-funded employees were being laid off.

A statement from Bowie State University echoed the system鈥檚 remarks. The university鈥檚 statement also added that about 23 employees were laid off to address budget challenges.

鈥淎t the same time, we recognize that these decisions have had a real and deeply personal impact on members of our campus community,鈥� the Bowie statement says. 鈥淲e are especially mindful of the employees and families directly affected by the layoffs, and we extend our sincere concern and appreciation for their service to Bowie State.鈥�

But union leaders such as AFSCME Council 3 President Patrick Moran said the university system, UMD and Bowie State have large endowments. In addition, Moran asked during the Board of Regents meeting why system and college leaders didn鈥檛 assess any 鈥渃ostly contracts you have with vendors?鈥�

鈥淲ould you cut the basketball coaches or the football coaches pay after you have a contract? So, why are you taking it out on the backs of working people? Shame on you,鈥� he said.

Before union members left the meeting, the continued fight to rescind those layoffs was declared in a聽: 鈥淯SM, do what鈥檚 right! Maryland staff are ready to fight!鈥�

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