Saving people and the world through state policy
Maryland’s Lt. Governor Aruna Miller and Governor Wes Moore look on as Senator Brian Feldman, Chair of Maryland’s Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee, discusses how to create a sustainable future. Photo by and courtesy of Janice Feldman. While many leaders are making promises around climate action, the gap between political promises and action is […]
Opinion: Checking in on health care progress under the Moore-Miller administration
By Vincent DeMarco The writer is president of the Maryland Health Care For All Coalition. In his inaugural address, Gov. Wes Moore (D) pledged that his administration would do all that it could to expand health care coverage to the many thousands of uninsured Marylanders and make health care more affordable for everyone. In his […]
Maryland bill aims to expand commitment to offshore wind
A coalition of environmentalists, labor unions, civil rights and consumer groups gathered Tuesday to support a measure to expand Maryland’s commitment to offshore wind as part of the state’s efforts to address climate change. The bill aims to modernize the electricity grid to transmit offshore wind energy from the ocean to land. Lawmakers hope the legislation […]
Advocates, Maryland lawmakers pitch Health Care for All 2023 legislative agenda
With the 2023 Maryland legislative session about three weeks old, health care advocates and lawmakers announced a five-piece legislative agenda Tuesday that they hope will close remaining gaps in the state’s health insurance marketplace. The state has made a lot of progress over the past few years in reducing the number of people who don’t […]
Beefing up the grid necessary for future Md. electric consumption
The time when electric vehicle owners and vehicle fleets can recharge anywhere on demand is what some Marylander officials envision. However, the leader of a state legislative panel on energy said that’s still a future goal — and one with challenges. Maryland State Sen. Brian Feldman, who is chair of the newly configured Education, Energy […]
Ferguson picks Griffith and Feldman to head two newly-reconstituted Senate panels; reshuffles committee rosters
Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) unveiled his long-awaited restructuring plan for the upper chamber late Wednesday afternoon, shifting the missions of two standing committees and selecting respected leaders to head them. Ferguson said the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, with one of the broadest portfolios in the General Assembly, is being restructured […]
Opinion – Maryland’s offshore wind will help the climate and create jobs
By Brian J. Feldman and Lorig Charkoudian Brian J. Feldman, a Democrat, represents Montgomery County in the Maryland state Senate. Lorig Charkoudian, a Democrat, represents Montgomery County in the Maryland House of Delegates. Climate change is happening, bringing real damage every day. We are facing an urgent need to slow climate change by moving away from polluting […]
Maryland General Assembly considers recreational marijuana legalization
ANNAPOLIS — With less than a month left in the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers in both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly are deliberating how to reconcile three different legislative efforts that look to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. The House of Delegates passed HB 1 on Feb. 25 that establishes a referendum to […]
Senate and House Give Preliminary Approval to Different Versions of Paid Family and Medical Leave
Maryland’s Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday evening to a measure that would enable Marylanders to receive up to 24 weeks of paid leave per year for the birth, adoption or guardianship of a child and to care for themselves after a serious health issue. Depending on their pay, Marylanders — who worked either part-time or […]
Maryland Passes Historic and Equitable Energy Efficiency Legislation
ANNAPOLIS – The Maryland General Assembly passed legislation today that will deliver healthier housing and significant annual energy savings to the state’s most cost-burdened households. HB 108 and SB 524, sponsored by Delegate Lorig Charkoudian and Senator Brian Feldman, will require the state to specifically provide energy-efficient upgrades for the hundreds of thousands of low-income […]