Death Penalty Repeal, Offshore Wind, Gun Legislation, and MD's Thomas Perez To Become US Labor Secretary?

The former head of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation is expected to be named to join President Obama's cabinet. The President will reportedly tap Thomas Perez to become the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, with the appointment coming as early as this week (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

In Annapolis this week: the House of Delegates will likely to vote on a bill that would repeal Maryland's death penalty. The measure was approved by that chamber's Judiciary Committee last week on a vote of 14 to 8; repeal backers say there are enough votes in the House for the measure to get approval. The State Senate has already approved teh measure, Governor Martin O'Malley says he'll sign it if it reaches his desk (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

Another bill backed by the Governor -- the one involving gun laws -- is scheduled for debate in two House of Delegates committees this this week. The measure includes bans on assault-style weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, stricter prohibitions on gun ownership for the mentally ill, and a licensing requirement for handgun purchases that includes fingerprinting (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

And it's unclear when the House will vote again on another of Governor O'Malley's legislative priorities -- the bill that would help finance the development of an offshore wind power industry. The State Senate passed the measure last week, and the House has already approved a version of it... but since the Senate added some amendments to the legislation, the House will have to vote again (via the Gazette and the Washington Post).

On today's edition of Inside Maryland Politics, WYPR's Fraser Smith and Andy Green of the Baltimore Sun talk about how Governor O'Malley, Senate President Miller and House Speaker Busch will get the votes to pass their transportation funding plan.

Governor O'Malley says he'll support a bill that would create a research-based medical marijuana program in Maryland. The measure also has the conditional support of state Health Secretary Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, who had opposed similar legislation in past years (via the Baltimore Sun).

Another bill before the General Assembly is designed to help the state collect unpaid tolls. Officials say Maryland has lost more than six-million-dollars in unpaid toll revenue since 2008 (via our wire service and the Capital Gazette). 

Lawmakers this week also set to consider a bill that could eventually make the state's public schools begin classes later in the morning (via our wire service, the Baltimore Sun, and the Gazette).  

And in sports: the Orioles fell 5 to 2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates in spring training yesterday; there's a rematch set for this afternoon.