Lawmakers are back in Annapolis for the annual 90-day legislative session, where they’ll take on a budget shortfall, a hostile administration in the White House and more.

Here’s what we’re watching on day 2 of 90:

• ⚖️ Restricting the authority of District Court commissioners to issue arrest warrants in cases initiated by regular citizens is a top session priority for Attorney General Anthony Brown. His announcement follows reporting from The Banner that showed the practice is easily abused and can ruin lives. The unusual system lets members of the public file criminal charges and allows commissioners to issue arrest warrants based on that testimony without consulting with police or prosecutors. As a result, innocent people can spend time in jail based on spurious charges, the Banner found. Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates is also supporting legislation to revamp the system for a second year in a row.
• ✍️ The Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission meets at 4 p.m. on Zoom to continue to look at the dozens of maps that Marylanders have drawn suggesting new boundaries for congressional districts. Will the commission pick a favorite or put forward their own? Time will tell. But even if they put forward a map, it faces uncertain prospects in the General Assembly. Senate President Bill Ferguson — whose chamber would have to approve a new map, along with the House of Delegates — continues to oppose midcycle boundary redrawing, telling reporters on Wednesday: “I don’t think the circumstances have changed all that much.”
• 🦈 Hello sharks, today I’m asking for a new state symbol: In addition to hundreds of serious bills on weighty topics, lawmakers also introduce a few fun bills each year. Last year Maryland named the Orange Crush the state cocktail after a brief skirmish with Delaware, which also tried to lay claim to the summer beverage. This year, lawmakers are considering something more unusual: a state shark. Delegate Todd B. Morgan and Senator Jack Bailey, who both represent parts of St. Mary’s and Calvert counties, have introduced a bill that would name the megalodon as Maryland’s state shark. Otodus megalodon is an extinct species of giant shark that lived millions of years ago. At an estimated 50 feet long, it’s the largest shark to have ever lived. Will megalodon join the Baltimore Oriole (our state bird), walking (our state exercise) and milk (our state drink) as one of Maryland’s state symbols? We’ll see. That’s a wrap on Thursday at the State House. Check back on Friday for more updates about the General Assembly from The Banner’s team of journalists covering Maryland politics.

Here’s what happened on Day 2 of the Maryland General Assembly session:

• A new legislative committee — House Government, Labor and Elections — met for the first time.
• We got some insight into one of the big power struggles this session: utility costs.

— Madeleine O’Neill

12:30 p.m.: ‘GLEE’ or ‘LEGO’? Meet the new House committee

The beginning of the Maryland General Assembly session always has a bit of a back-to-school vibe — but nowhere was that vibe stronger than the new Government, Labor and Elections Committee.

House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk created the committee after being elected to her post in December. While some of the House’s standing committees have been renamed and tweaked over time, it’s been years since an entire new committee was created.

“We all get to be a part of history in steering the direction of this new committee,” said Del. Melissa Wells, a Baltimore Democrat who is the committee’s first chair.

During the first committee meeting, delegates did a round of get-to-know-you introductions. Wells introduced the committee staff and went over the committee’s key issue areas: election law, ethics, alcohol regulation, labor, local government issues and more. The committee has 63 bills already, with a projection of 300 bills over the course of the session, Wells said.

Delegates are still getting used to how to refer to the new committee. Some are taking the acronym “GLE” and pronouncing it as “glee,” while others prefer rearranging the letters to “LEG” and calling it “Lego.”

Keeping with the theme, Del. Ken Kerr, a Frederick County Democrat who is the vice chair, gave each member a gift: A tiny Lego figurine to put next to their name placard.

— Pamela Wood

11:40 a.m.: Power companies rule Annapolis

Top lawmakers in the state House and Senate have tossed words like “energy” and “affordability” around like free candy this week when discussing their priorities. Marylanders are struggling to pay for the basics, like their power bills, and are looking to their elected officials to ease the pain.

But will the legislature make major moves to rein in the energy companies that have banked massive profits these last few years? It’s hard to say. Any measure will face stiff pushback from Annapolis’ energy lobby, which is well-funded and the size of an army platoon.

Energy giants Exelon and Constellation employ more lobbyists than any other corporation. They give generously to political campaigns and are sure to wine and dine key lawmakers all session long. While legislators have long prided themselves on being able to eat someone’s steak dinner and vote against them anyway, the CEOs of companies like Baltimore Gas and Electric Company know they pay their lobbyists for a reason.

You can read more about how these companies, which control almost all of Maryland’s energy grid, are influencing the 2026 legislative session, here.

— Lee O. Sanderlin

10:50 a.m.: Photo-a-day

Back by popular demand — and by “popular demand,” I mean a handful of folks have asked — I’m planning to post a photo from each day that I’m at the State House during the 90-day session.

It’s a fun challenge to keep my eyes peeled for visually interesting features around the State House campus.

If you want to follow along, I post the photos on my Instagram and X accounts. And I welcome suggestions for photos: pamela.wood@thebanner.com.

— Pamela Wood

10:45 a.m.: Keeping time in the House

Del. Adrienne A. jones is no longer House of Delegates speaker, but her penchant for punctuality — she always called the House to order exactly on time — continues to have influence.

Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk gaveled the chamber into session one minute late, at 10:01 a.m.

“Madame Speaker, I almost did it on time for you,” Peña-Melnyk said to Jones.

Later, Appropriations Committee Chair Del. Ben Barnes promised his committee would start on time, acknowledging a new member of the committee: Jones.

— Pamela Wood