Governor Moore to sign controversial bill amending the Child Victims Act

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A bill proposing changes to the Child Victims Act is on the way to Governor Wes Moore’s desk.

The Child Victims Act of 2023 removed the statute of limitations for filing child abuse lawsuits.

The governor’s office confirmed he plans to sign House Bill 1378 into law, taking effect on June 1.

Emily Malarkey, from Bekman, Marder, Hopper, Malarkey & Perlin, LLC, said, “The bill makes significant changes to the Child Victims Act of 2023.”

Under the original law passed in 2023, child sex abuse survivors may receive up to $1.5 million dollars per incident for claims against private institutions, while governmental agencies are limited to payouts of $890,000 per incident.

However, this new bill would slash child sex abuse survivors’ compensation to a maximum of $700,000 if abused by a private institution and $400,000 if abused by governmental agencies.

The bill would also modify the “per incident” payout.

“That means no matter how many times a child endured sexual abuse or by how many people, the survivor may only recover one cap on pain and suffering damages,” Malarkey said...

https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/governor-moore-to-sign-controversial-bill-amending-the-child-victims-act

Open Letter to Maryland Legislators: "It is truly immoral that the governor is proposing to cut the DDA funding..."

To my District 12 representatives,

Many of the people I have helped in the past with public school issues for their kids with disabilities now have adult children with disabilities. It is truly immoral that the governor is proposing to cut the DDA (Developmental Disabilities Administration) funding the way that he has. His slogan of leaving no one behind is a slap in the face to the people who need the most help. I believe that there are places where the DDA funding is not being used appropriately. But, instead of investigating fraud, he is using a bulldozer to dismantle services for people and their families who have struggled their whole lives. It reminds me of what Trump is doing on a larger scale. Surely there are places where the budget can be reduced in other places that are not going to have the devastating effects of this proposal. In fact, I know there are after working for 3 different state agencies.

The governor seems almost proud of his cuts to people with disabilities with his press release of also cutting funding for K-12 special education nonpublic schools. This is where a small percentage of the most disabled students must go because the public schools can't meet their needs. By cutting this funding, it will force local school systems to keep more kids in the public school - when they know they can't meet their needs. That is a reality because they can't afford anything else with the unfunded mandates of the Blueprint. So, more children will regress as a result. This impacts the rest of their lives and it will end up costing more when they are adults.

It is truly shameful that the governor, and maybe the legislature, is leaving behind our most vulnerable people. What do you think is more important - giving raises to state employees or meeting the daily needs of people with disabilities?

I hope you will fight for the rights of this group of people when you make decisions on the budget.

Respectfully,

Barb Krupiarz

Maryland governor's education funding bill meets scrutiny in Senate committee

 

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —

Gubernatorial staffers faced tough questions Wednesday from state lawmakers over Gov. Wes Moore's education bill.

Senate Bill 429 would rewrite portions of the state's landmark education law, the Blueprint for Maryland's Future school-funding mandates that each district must follow.

Moore's staffers told members of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on Wednesday that the law needs adjustments in order to sustain current academic gains.

"We see the Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act as a critical step in moving towards that goal," said Fagan Harris, the governor's chief of staff...

Moore's school funding bill meets scrutiny in committee

Moore’s changes to education spending could hurt students in poverty the most

 In the Baltimore Banner, by reporter Liz Bowie, Jan. 28, 2025. Full story here.

Gov. Wes Moore is proposing to rewrite major portions of Maryland’s landmark education law, cutting nearly one-fifth of the new funding the state promised schools by 2029.

While Moore has portrayed his bill as “pausing” pieces of the 10-year plan, the effect will be felt most by students living in poverty and immigrant students learning English. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future was designed to boost achievement for all students, but it particularly concentrated money at schools with the largest numbers of poor children and the lowest achievement.

Neither the governor’s office nor the Maryland State Department of Education have released figures on how much less each school district would receive than was promised under the Blueprint. But according to rough calculations by the state’s largest teachers union, Baltimore City and Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties — all districts with significant numbers of poor students — stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars each over four years in both state and local money.

At the same time, Moore would redirect $110 million a year toward new education initiatives to grow and train the teacher workforce, ensure children read proficiently by third grade and improve math instruction, all of which are priorities for Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Carey Wright. Those initiatives aren’t specifically targeted toward poor children.

Marylanders with developmental disabilities ‘scared, angry, concerned’ about looming $200 million in cuts to services

Maryland disability advocates are worried about the more than $200 million in proposed fiscal 2026 budget cuts to the state’s Developmental Disabilities Administration, fearing that access to needed services could be decreased.

Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, called for the $200 million reduction to the agency’s funding in his fiscal 2026 budget proposal following increased costs for the state. The cuts are just some pieces of a larger effort to resolve the state’s $3 billion budget deficit.

Spending for the DDA, which pays for services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has increased by more than $500 million over the last two years. The governor’s proposed reduction, described by Maryland Budget Secretary Helene Grady as “one of the most difficult” proposals in the budget, aims to bring next year’s funding back to fiscal 2024 levels.

Advocates and those who rely on DDA services are concerned about what could lie ahead in the next fiscal year. They’re also grappling with the impact of proposed cost-cutting measures on the agency’s funding in the current fiscal year...

Marylanders with developmental disabilities ‘scared, angry, concerned’ about looming $200 million in cuts to services

2025: Spending Authorization without posting contracts and in some cases, without competitive bids.

The Agenda for the January 9, 2025, Board of Education has been posted.  

No details yet, but we do see this one very interesting Agenda Item:

6.2 Expenditure Authorization to Enter into Contracts of $25,000 or More

As it stands now, the Board of Education never even reads or sees the contracts they vote to authorize.

Anything over $25,000 is supposed to come before the Board of Education for "approval" under Board of Education Policy DJA.   

But as we have documented repeatedly, MCPS staff are adept at buying millions of dollars under the table by breaking up the purchases into smaller units.  

Remember Promethean Boards purchased 3-5 at a time and never voted on by the Board of Education for a total in the tens of millions.  And more recently the surprise purchase of tens of millions of BOXLIGHT screens.  And these are just two of such purchases, there's more. 

Governor Wes Moore changed Maryland law to permit public school staff to spend more without Board of Education oversight, but that doesn't mean the Montgomery County Board of Education has to follow his lead.  

Will the newly elected Board of Education members vote to increase waste, fraud and abuse of public-school funds?  Find out on January 9th. 

Governor Appoints a Superintendent to Maryland State Board of Education

 Governor Moore Announces Appointments to Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland Public Service Commission

Published: 6/14/2023

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced appointments to the Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland Public Service Commission.

"The work of the Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland Public Service Commission have an enormous impact on Marylanders’ lives every day," said Gov. Moore. “I am grateful that Dr. Goldson, Mr. Paul, Ms. Ayoola, and Ms. Suchman have answered the call to serve and am confident that their expertise and experience will serve Marylanders well.”

The Maryland State Board of Education’s mission is to ensure a rigorous and world-class educational experience for every Maryland student, in every neighborhood, that prepares each to be college and career ready, through strategic direction and leadership; policy making and resource allocation; and engagement and advocacy.

Under its authority, the board sets the educational policy and standards for pre-kindergarten through high school and vocational rehabilitation services, and passes regulations. The board also reviews and approves three annual budgets (the Department of Education headquarters budget, the state aid to local education budget, and state-aided institutions budget) before they are passed on to the governor's office for approval or revision, then on to the General Assembly for final action. 

Governor Moore made the following appointments to the Maryland State Board of Education:

Dr. Monica Goldson
Dr. Monica Goldson is a student-led and community-focused leader, most recently known as the  transformative leader and Prince George’s County Public Schools Chief Executive Officer. Under her leadership, Prince George’s County Public Schools gained national recognition from The College Board for higher passing rates on Advanced Placement exams, enhanced access to the county’s premier Science and Technology specialty program, and forged partnerships within the Prince George’s County Government’s Transforming Neighborhood Initiative @ Schools team.

Dr. Goldson is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including an appointment from President Joseph R. Biden to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She holds a bachelor’s in mathematics from Florida A&M University, master’s in elementary and secondary school administration from Bowie State University, and doctorate in educational administration and policy from Howard University. 

Samir Paul
Samir Paul is an attorney, educator, and organizer committed to sustaining and improving public schools as engines of economic opportunity where skilled and respected educators work with families and community members to train curious, compassionate, civic-minded problem-solvers. A strong advocate of early science and math exposure for kids, Paul helped start the STEM Talent Pipeline pilot program, which identified 40 girls, low-income students, and underrepresented minority students in the third grade to provide three years of accelerated and enriched math coursework. 

Paul earned his bachelor's in computer science at Harvard University, where he was awarded the Derek Bok Certificate of Distinction in Teaching and the F. Skiddy von Stade Award for personal excellence. He also holds a master's in teaching from American University and a juris doctor from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a Dean's Scholar, a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow, and head teaching assistant to Columbia University President Lee Bollinger.

Abisola Ayoola
Abisola Ayoola is the Maryland State Board of Education’s newest student member. Ayoola is a rising senior at Wilde Lake High School in Howard County, where she is a participant in the school’s Gifted & Talented Independent Research program; a member of her class council, the National Honor Society, and the Spanish Honor Society; and a leader with programs dedicated to advancing social justice and promoting mental health resources for students. 

During the 2022-23 school year, she served as the student member of the Howard County Board of Education as an elected voting member and a member of the policy committee that advocated for student issues. In her role, Ayoola will be an advocate and powerful voice for Maryland’s K-12 students. 

For more information about the Maryland State Board of Education, visit marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard.

Governor Moore Announces Appointments to Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland Public Service Commission - Press Releases - News - Office of Governor Wes Moore