Legislation

This morning the House of Delegates begins debating Governor O'Malley's gun control bill.  As it stands, the measure would ban assault-style weapons and strengthen the requirements to buy a handgun in Maryland.  We talk with two of the delegates involved in the debate:  Luiz Simmons, Democrat of central Montgomery County, and Mike Smigiel, Republican of the Upper Shore.

UPDATE: April Fool's! Deerbeard--some of you who contacted us will be extremely happy to know--does not exist. It is the folly of Maryland Morning producers Lawrence Lanahan, Matt Purdy, and Jamyla Kay.

Today marks the golden anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Gideon v Wainwright, that affirmed the Sixth Amendment right of all criminal defendants, including the indigent, to counsel. A look back at Gideon and the defense of the poor, plus the effort to provide “civil Gideon” for those who cannot afford a lawyer.

March 13, 2013

In 1950, Baltimore city banned the use of lead paint in homes. But, city residents, of whom children and pregnant women are the most affected, are still being poisoned by the lead paint that was applied more than sixty years ago.

In the midst of partisan stalemate, the budget sequester and a renewed debate over guns, here comes legal scholar Louis Michael Seidman with a provocative idea: Ending our disobedience to the 225-year-old Constitution. Seidman says the time has come to acknowledge the failings of our treasured legal document and its archaic, idiosyncratic and harmful provisions. Seidman has taught constitutional law at Georgetown University for nearly 40 years. He is the author of "On Constitutional Disobedience."

House Speaker John Boehner says there is no easy way to stop the budget cuts -- known as the “sequester” -- that began taking effect Friday, and he voiced uncertainty about how Washington can solve the fiscal problems that have consumed the nation’s politics for more than two years. Sequester threatens nearly 50,000 jobs and many programs in Maryland. Andrea Seabrook, former NPR congressional correspondent and now the host of her podcast, DecodeDC, explains how this whole thing began and how it might end.

The General Assembly is considering legislation that would raise Maryland’s minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10 by 2015. President Obama wants to see the national rate at $9. But would raising the minimum have adverse effects on the nation's economy? Our guests: Sen.

In two days, 85 billion dollars is scheduled to be cut from federal spending, cuts known as ‘the sequester.’  In Maryland, that means lots of changes, from air traffic control towers shutting down,to thousands of defense employees being furloughed.  We talk about what to expect.

Some Maryland lawmakers want to expand the hours and number of sites for early voting in Maryland. Critics say Democratic-leaning areas get the most help. We’ll hear from both sides.

The series of federal budget cuts known as sequester are set to  begin on Friday effecting millions of Americans and threatening the jobs of nearly 50-thousand Maryland residents. We discuss the scope of sequester with our guests: Melissa Deckman, chair and professor of Political Science and the Louis L. Goldstein Professor of Public Affairs at Washington College and Barry Rascovar political columnist for the Gazette and a communications consultant.