Policy Deep Dive Archives

Blocks of Progress: How Community Development Block Grants Build Maryland

Community Development Block Grants shape the places where Maryland residents live, work, and gather. These flexible funds power local priorities that strengthen communities and fuel economic growth. Without them, critical projects in economic development, housing, and infrastructure might stall. Introduction In the federal government’s FY 2026 budget proposal, several cuts are on the table, including the elimination of key housing programs, such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The Program is a vital…

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September 17, 2025

Courts / Health and Human Services / Policy Deep Dive / Public Safety and Corrections

MD Supreme Court Contemplates Broadening Opioid Crisis Liability

During a hearing on Tuesday, the Maryland Supreme Court signaled an openness to public nuisance claims extending beyond actions involving property, potentially to include liability of nefarious actors in the opioid crisis. To that end though, the court appeared reticent to establish definitions and guardrails for cases, instead potentially looking to rely on the General Assembly for guidance. For a little over an hour Tuesday morning, the Maryland Supreme Court heard oral arguments from legal…

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September 11, 2025

Environment / Policy Deep Dive / Transportation and Public Works

PFAS Treatment Technologies: Practical Tools and Considerations for Counties

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert analysts translate complex environmental challenges into county-level clarity. Counties across Maryland find themselves passive receivers in the PFAS crisis. Though not the polluters, they bear the weight of escalating treatment obligations, uncertain funding, and evolving rules. As a result, every dollar, disposal option, and treatment decision must be weighed against long-term implications. This deep dive breaks down the EPA’s March 2024 technical support document, which…

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September 3, 2025

Elections / Feature / NACo and Federal Issues / News You Can Use / Policy Deep Dive

Policy Deep Dive: Mail-In Voting — Headlines vs. Reality

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts unpack complex policy questions with precise, county-focused analysis. Read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives. The Short Version A president cannot ban mail-in voting by executive order. States run elections. Congress could attempt to regulate federal races, but significant changes would face constitutional limits and political challenges. Maryland law still guarantees no-excuse mail-in voting, drop boxes, early voting, and in-person voting…

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August 26, 2025

County Budgets / Feature / General Assembly News / Government Liability and Courts / News You Can Use / Policy Deep Dive / State Budget and Fiscal Issues

Deep Dive: Counties Now Forced to Pay for a Process They Don’t Control — and Never Did

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top county policy issues of the day. Read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives. In Maryland, county governments do not prosecute, convict, or exonerate anyone. They play no role in determining wrongful incarceration settlements. Yet a new law forces them to pay the bill anyway. The 2025 Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA) requires counties to cover…

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August 5, 2025

County News / Employee Benefits and Relations / Finance and Procurement / Human Resources / Policy Deep Dive

Trust, Invest, Repeat. Tackling Retiree Health Care Costs

The MACo OPEB Investment Trust - designed to help counties put current assets to work toward long-term health care liabilities - is performing well, delivering healthy returns, and serving member needs. It recently topped $100m in total assets -- all "put to work" through active investment for a stronger long term return than would be allowable without the Trust infrastructure. The Board of Trustees of the MACo OPEB Investment Trust recently convened a quarterly meeting…

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July 30, 2025

Housing and Community Development / Policy Deep Dive

Zoning Isn’t the Silver Bullet, Complex Problems Need Worthy Solutions

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top county policy issues of the day. Read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives. Earlier this year, Ganesh Sitaraman & Christopher Serkin of Vanderbilt University published a paper titled Post-Neoliberal Housing Policy, in which they argued that the recent focus on zoning in housing policy may be misguided and outlined a wider lens within which housing challenges and…

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July 17, 2025

County News / Health and Human Services / Policy Deep Dive

Deep Dive: Unpacking Assisted Outpatient Treatment in Maryland

As Maryland looks to stand up court-ordered treatment for individuals with serious mental illness, counties, and the State are navigating implementation questions, legal gray areas, and funding shortfalls. What is AOT? Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) is a court-ordered process for compelling outpatient mental health treatment for individuals with serious and persistent mental illness who are unable to voluntarily comply with their treatment plans. These individuals often cycle through hospitalizations, incarceration, or homelessness due to untreated…

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July 10, 2025

County Budgets / Feature / NACo and Federal Issues / Policy Deep Dive / State Budget and Fiscal Issues / Summer Conference

Deep Dive: US Senate Passes Sweeping Reconciliation Bill — State, Local Fallout Ahead

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top county policy issues of the day. Read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives. Update: The OBBBA was signed into law on Friday, July 4, 2025, marking the first significant tax package of the president's second term. The US Senate passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) this week, a massive budget reconciliation package with significant…

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July 2, 2025

NACo and Federal Issues / Policy Deep Dive / State Budget and Fiscal Issues

Clock Ticking on “Big Beautiful Bill”

Congressional leaders and the White House continue to negotiate around a multi-faceted "reconciliation" bill with policy implications for tax structures, energy policy, border security, federal program funding, Medicaid, and "food stamps" eligibility, and state/local autonomy. The oft-stated goal is a bill signed by July 4, but negotiations have been fragile. Here's a roundup of the latest. Tracking federal legislation is often more complex than state-level legislation - where Maryland's General Assembly has a relatively easy…

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June 25, 2025