Policy Deep Dive Archives

Deep Dive: A Four-Year Review of Major Housing Bills

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top policy issues of the day. Every four years, the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) publishes its Major Issues Review, highlighting major policy debates and legislation enacted during the preceding legislative term. Few issues received greater attention during the 2023–2026 term than housing. Governor Wes Moore made housing affordability a central component of his first major legislative agenda…

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August 6, 2026

Courts / Elections / Feature / NACo and Federal Issues / Policy Deep Dive

Deep Dive: When Is a Bet Not a Bet?

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top policy issues of the day. Prediction markets have quickly moved from a niche forecasting tool into the mainstream, with users trading on elections, sports, government decisions, and world events. Their growth has opened a difficult legal fight over whether states may regulate them as gambling or whether federal commodities law leaves that authority almost entirely with…

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July 28, 2026

County News / Health and Human Services / Policy Deep Dive

Does Maryland’s Public Health Funding Still Fit?

Maryland's public health funding formula was built for a different era, raising questions about whether it still meets the needs of today's local health departments. The funding pattern in recent years argues for more clarity and predictability. Introduction: Local health department funding is a shared responsibility between the state and county governments. A critical component of local health department funding support is core funding, established through a statutory formula, provided by the State and matched…

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July 22, 2026

Courts / Government Liability and Courts / Policy Deep Dive

Where Do Things Stand With Maryland’s Pending Child Victims Act Cases?

As tens of thousands of Child Victims Act cases work their way through the courts, competing judicial decisions prompt additional considerations from higher courts and the Maryland General Assembly. Passing the Child Victims Act The General Assembly enacted the Child Victims Act (CVA) of 2023 to significantly expand the ability of survivors of childhood sexual abuse to pursue civil claims. The law eliminated Maryland's civil statute of limitations for claims arising from child sexual abuse…

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July 15, 2026

Housing and Community Development / Planning and Zoning / Policy Deep Dive

Deep Dive: Breaking Down the Housing Certainty Act

2026 will likely be remembered as the first session of affordability, with cost-of-living issues at the very top of the General Assembly’s legislative agenda. The two main focus areas were energy and housing policy, as costs in both areas have been growing faster than inflation and taking up an increasingly larger share of household budgets. On the housing front, the central bill passed by legislators was the Housing Certainty Act or HCA (HB548/SB325), which made…

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July 8, 2026

County Budgets / Feature / Policy Deep Dive / State Budget and Fiscal Issues

Deep Dive: What’s Crowding Out Maryland’s Budget?

Maryland’s budget continues to grow, but lawmakers have less flexibility than they once did. A growing share of State spending now goes toward a relatively small number of long-term commitments, leaving fewer dollars available for transportation, housing, public safety, environmental programs, and other priorities. If it feels like every legislative session begins with another difficult budget debate, that’s because more of Maryland's budget now goes toward costs lawmakers have little ability to change. At the…

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July 2, 2026

Information Technology / Policy Deep Dive / Public Information and Ethics

Deep Dive: Beyond the ADA Digital Accessibility Deadline

In April 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a clarifying decision finalizing updated regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The 2024 final rule formally adopts the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as the minimum accessibility standard for public-facing digital content maintained by state and local governments. Background Since its enactment in 1990, the ADA has served as a fundamental civil rights law protecting individuals with disabilities from…

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June 10, 2026

County News / Feature / Policy Deep Dive / Taxes and Revenues / Transportation and Public Works

Deep Dive: Why Maryland’s Gas Tax Changes Every Year

Maryland drivers will pay slightly more in State gas taxes beginning July 1, but the annual adjustment reflects a much more considerable challenge facing Maryland’s transportation system. The Office of the Maryland Comptroller announced this week that the State gasoline tax will increase from 46.0 cents per gallon to 46.6 cents per gallon. The change amounts to six-tenths of one cent per gallon, or about six cents on a 10-gallon fill-up. While the increase itself…

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June 3, 2026

Employee Benefits and Relations / Human Resources / Policy Deep Dive

Beyond the Original Grand Bargain: Maryland’s Evolving Workers’ Comp System

Workers’ compensation systems were designed around the idea that employees injured on the job would receive guaranteed benefits without having to prove employer fault, while employers would receive protection from unpredictable lawsuits and liability. This framework is often referred to as the “grand bargain” concept and has shaped workers’ compensation law across the country for more than a century. Workers’ compensation emerged as a compromise between labor and industry during the late nineteenth and early…

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May 27, 2026

Feature / Government Liability and Courts / Policy Deep Dive

Deep Dive: High Court Reins in County Claims in Public Harm Cases

The Maryland courts have ruled that there is no broad "public nuisance" avenue available in Maryland law to target potential causes of public harm. While Maryland Supreme Court justices differed over local government's right to recover damages from opioid distributors under a common-law claim of public nuisance, the majority opinion effectively barred a county's claim of this type, with other justices expressing concern that the majority went too far and applied inconsistent logic in the…

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May 20, 2026