Maryland

Governor-Elect Wes Moore has named Maryland House Majority Leader Eric Luedtke of Montgomery County as his chief legislative officer. Eric Luedtke was first elected in 2010 to the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 14 in Montgomery County, which includes parts of Burtonsville, Silver Spring, Olney, Sandy Spring, Brookeville, and Damascus. Luedtke currently serves as the House Majority Leader, as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, and as Chair of the Revenues Subcommittee.

Luedtke was born in DC and raised in Montgomery County, graduating from Wootton High School in Rockville. He worked as a middle school social studies teacher for MCPS from 2004-15. After becoming a teacher, he became involved with the Montgomery County Education Association, where he served on the Board of Directors.

If you haven’t gotten your REAL ID yet, you have less than six months as enforcement of the REAL ID Act at the card level begins on May 3, 2023​ (Maryland has been Real ID compliant since 2011). On May 3, 2023, U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities. The REAL ID Act is a federal law passed by Congress after Sept. 11, 2001, that establishes specific minimum federal standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and ID cards to be accepted for certain federal purposes, like entering a federal building or boarding a domestic commercial flight.

In Maryland, anyone with a driver’s license or identification card that expires before May 3, 2023 is eligible to renew and become REAL ID compliant up to six months prior to the expiration date on the card. MDOT MVA will contact you to remind you it’s time to renew one year in advance of your expiration date.​ Anyone with a driver’s license or identification card that expires after May 3, 2023 has the option to wait until the expiration date on the card OR upgrade to a REAL ID. Please keep in mind that after May 3, 2023​, a REAL ID will be necessary to fly domestically or visit a federal facility. There is a $20 fee to upgrade.  ​

Representative David Trone (D) has been re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, as called by the Associated Press. His opponent, Delegate Neil Parrott, called to concede the race earlier this afternoon. The race was tightly contested with Parrott leading until this afternoon.

“I want to thank Del. Parrott for his phone call this afternoon conceding the race. My promise to him, and to all of the people of the 6th District, is this: I’ll continue to work across the aisle to deliver results and get things done. Thank you, Maryland! Let’s get back to work.” Trone posted to social media.

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced on Thursday that the Health Education and Advocacy Unit (HEAU) within the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General closed 1,695 cases in Fiscal Year 2022, assisting patients in saving or recovering over $2.4 million, including more than $1.7 million in appeals and grievances cases. The information was included as part of the comprehensive Annual Report on the Health Insurance Carrier Appeals and Grievances Process that must be submitted to the General Assembly each year.

Per the press release: The HEAU offers mediation services to consumers with health insurance and medical billing issues, hospital financial assistance applications, medical debt collection, and access to medical records. The Unit also helps consumers who have been denied enrollment in a Qualified Health Plan or denied Advanced Premium Tax Credits or Cost-Sharing Reductions by Maryland Health Connection, Maryland’s health insurance marketplace. “Our HEAU can provide help to Marylanders when they are denied healthcare services or coverage,” said Attorney General Frosh. “These denials are incredibly hard on patients and their families and can even, at times, deprive patients of lifesaving treatment.”

Per the State of Maryland: ANNAPOLIS, MD—Following Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, Governor Larry Hogan today met with Governor-Elect Wes Moore to discuss the smooth and orderly transition to the incoming administration. Following a private meeting in the governor’s office at the State House in Annapolis, the governor and governor-elect took questions from the media.

“I was very pleased to have the honor of welcoming Governor-Elect Wes Moore to the State House and we had a really productive one-on-one conversation—and we also had our teams meeting simultaneously to review and hand off transition documents,” said Governor Hogan. “Our entire administration is going to do everything we possibly can to not only ensure a peaceful transition of power, but to help them get up to speed with anything they will need.”

Current Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who has been rumored to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2024, has told CBS News reporter Robert Costa that last night’s election results move him closer to a 2024 bid. Costa tweeted that Hogan told him “I felt like I was on a lifeboat all by myself” in the GOP “with everybody on the Trump Titanic. Now, we need a bigger boat” and is looking to lead the return of “normal Republicans.”

Costa went to to tweet, “Hogan said he was “getting calls all night” from donors and GOP officials. “They were saying it’s a good night for Larry Hogan,” he recalled with a laugh.” “I think there is a battle for which direction the Republican Party will go. My side of the party had a really good night. Trump’s side did not,”