E.J. Pipkin

The Maryland General Assembly's regular 90-day session ended in disarray Monday at midnight as legislators failed to approve an income tax measure to which their leaders had agreed. The lack of action meant that a so-called "doomsday" budget —...

Former state Sen. Walter M. Baker, who had served in the legislature representing the upper Eastern Shore for more than two decades and also had been a Cecil County attorney, died Tuesday of complications from diabetes at Christiana Hospital in Delaware....

Republican senators sent strong signals Tuesday that they intend to put up a fight over a bill that would ban smoking in a vehicle occupied by a child under 8 -- a proposal some GOP lawmakers see as an intrusion into people's private space. The...

Gov. Martin O'Malley's bill to legalize same-sex marriage quickly won approval in the Maryland Senate Thursday night. The measure now needs the governor's signature. Cheers erupted in the Senate chambers after the 25-22 vote was read out loud and the...

Gov. Martin O'Malley fielded skeptical questions from lawmakers about three of his top environmental initiatives Tuesday as he appealed to them to approve bills aimed at promoting offshore wind energy, limiting development and improving water and sewer...

CAMBRIDGE — The legislature's Democratic leaders scolded county officials Friday for failing to keep up their end of the bargain to fund K-12 education, raising the possibility that the General Assembly will revisit the state's landmark school-...

Sen. Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., in an expansive mood after being elected president of that chamber for the 26th straight year by a unanimous vote, vowed Wednesday  to deliver money for a replacement bridge in a Republican senator's district whether or not...

Word of a possible state sales-tax increase added a dose of reality Wednesday to the fanfare of the opening day of the Maryland General Assembly’s 2012 session. Gov. Martin O’Malley said that he’s considering proposing another penny...

Gov. Martin O'Malley on Wednesday floated the idea of adding one cent to the sales tax to address Maryland's budget problems, saying the money would give the state "flexibility" to pay for programs and to borrow more for road projects. "If I had my...

Gov. Martin O'Malley is to unveil today a new approach to promoting offshore wind power that he hopes the General Assembly will find easier on consumers than last year's plan. The new approach borrows ideas from a New Jersey bill signed by Republican Gov....

Discontented lawmakers gathered Thursday for a briefing on the perceived “war on rural Maryland” — and to redouble their commitment to combat it. Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-Caroline/Cecil/Kent/Queen Anne’s, the Senate minority leader,...

At the heart of a battle over a new state planning initiative is whether anything in it is new. On Thursday, another round played out, as legislators from rural areas insisted PlanMaryland will mean a significant shift toward centralized control, while...