Government Liability and Courts Archives

Government Liability and Courts / Public Safety and Corrections

Montgomery Firearms Ban in Public Places Clears First Legal Hurdle

Montgomery effort to uphold local law banning firearms in public spaces clears another legal hurdle, but an appeal is already filed in the 4th Circuit Court. In a press release, Montgomery County shared a recent victory in U.S. District Court concerning a recent firearms bill. Montgomery County Bill 21-22 was sponsored by County Councilmember Gabe Albornoz, passed by the County Council, and signed into law by County Executive Marc Elrich. The law restricted firearms in…

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July 13, 2023

Government Liability and Courts

Attorney General Brown Talks 2023 Legislative Outcomes

Prosecutorial powers in police accountability cases, civil rights enforcement, and environmental justice topped the Attorney General's legislative agenda for 2023. In a radio interview with Tom Hall, Attorney General (AG) Anthony Brown discussed legislative outcomes on WYPR's Midday Newsmaker show. While some initiatives, such as legislation involving pattern or practice investigations did not pass, a number of bills supported by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) made it through to the Governor's desk. As a…

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May 25, 2023

Government Liability and Courts / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development

States Consider Forced Treatment at Intersection of Homelessness and Mental Health Tragedies

California and Oregon look to reform forced treatment in the face of mental health issues leading to homelessness and higher mortality rates. According to an article from the Kaiser Family Foundation, several public tragedies have given state lawmakers pause to consider a shift in strategy when dealing with individuals with severe mental illness. As covered previously on the blog Maryland lags behind 47 states and the District of Columbia on providing some form of court-ordered…

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May 18, 2023

Government Liability and Courts / Health and Human Services

Maryland Lags Behind on Court-Ordered Mental Health Care

Counties stand to benefit from court-ordered, assisted outpatient treatment models adopted by 47 other states as Moore-Miller Administration vows to work on it. As covered on the MACo blog and Conduit Street podcast, Maryland lags behind 47 states and the District of Columbia in establishing some form of court-ordered outpatient mental health care for adults with severe and persistent mental illness. According to an article from the Associated Press, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are the…

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April 25, 2023

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2023 Session: Recap and Wrap-Ups

Catch up on all of the latest outcomes of the 2023 Maryland General Assembly session with wrap-ups on important county-related bills in each policy area. In addition to the swearing-in of a new governor, comptroller, attorney general, and legislators alike, the 445th legislative session kicked off with more relaxed health and safety measures compared to the turbulence of the last few years. With the 2023 session in the books, it's time to take stock. As…

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April 14, 2023

General Assembly News / Government Liability and Courts

2023 End of Session Wrap-Up: Government Liability and the Courts

The segments below provide a brief overview of MACo’s work in the area of liability and courts in the 2023 General Assembly. County governments enforce laws, employ county residents, and maintain facilities throughout Maryland. Therefore county governments may be subject to acting as defendants in court, litigating cases involving employment benefits, injuries sustained on county properties, and various other subjects. MACo advocates on behalf of county governments to clarify the unique role that they serve…

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April 13, 2023

Government Liability and Courts / MACo Testimony

Counties Urge Caution on Alterations to Sexual Abuse Civil Actions

On February 23, 2023, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample submitted a Letter of Information to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee for SB 686 - Civil Actions - Child Sexual Abuse - Definition, Damages, and Statute of Limitations (The Child Victims Act of 2023). A Letter of Information allows a stakeholder to submit comments or perspective on a proposed bill without taking a formal position on its passage. The House Judiciary Committee will consider the bill's…

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February 24, 2023

County News / Government Liability and Courts / News You Can Use / Public Safety and Corrections

Podcast Archives: The State of Policing, With Everett Sesker

This week, the Conduit Street Podcast presents an episode from the archive with special guest, recently-elected Anne Arundel County Sheriff, Everett Sesker. Sesker joined the podcast in 2020 as a law enforcement consultant at the Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT), where he trained police officers to understand and overcome implicit bias and assessed potential risks to law enforcement agencies across Maryland. In this episode, we discuss the state of policing, including overcoming implicit bias, community…

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December 30, 2022

Read more about the article State Supreme Court Upholds State Preemption on Solar Siting

courtesy of Maryland Court of Appeals

Energy / Environment / Government Liability and Courts / Intergovernmental Relations

State Supreme Court Upholds State Preemption on Solar Siting

Earlier this month the Supreme Court of Maryland upheld state preemption on solar siting over local zoning policy. The Maryland Supreme Court announced the decision in Frederick County v. Maryland Public Service Commission that uphold's the state's ability to preempt local zoning decisions when it comes to solar siting. This case upheld the ruling from Board of County Commissioners of Washington County, Maryland v. Perennial Solar, LLC, which established that the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC)…

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December 28, 2022

Energy / Environment / Government Liability and Courts

Court Challenge Rescinds Conowingo Dam Re-licensing – Back to Negotiations

A federal court decision, in a case brought by multiple environmentally-focused stakeholder groups, has invalidated the 50 year federal license extension granted to Constellation Energy to operate the Conowingo Dam. A major announcement last year on terms underpinning a generational extension of the federal operating license for Constellation's hydroelectric dam facility across the Susquehanna River (and feeding into the Chesapeake Bay as a centerpiece tributary) has come unraveled in federal court. Several environmental organizations sued…

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December 21, 2022