INTERVIEW – MD Delegate NIC KIPKE – House Republican Leader, Maryland General Assembly and Minority Leader in the MD House of Delegates — joined WMAL to preview the Maryland legislative session.

• Maryland’s legislative session will begin Wednesday with Gov. Larry Hogan and the Democrats who control the General Assembly aiming to address federal policies that affect the state and lay the groundwork for what they hope will be big victories in November.
• Key themes include tempering Baltimore City’s crime wave, battling over paid time off for sick workers, responding to changes in the U.S. tax code, making health care more affordable, diversifying the state’s medical-marijuana industry and creating a dedicated revenue source for Metro.
• Gov. Larry Hogan calls for term limits for state lawmakers (WTOP) – WASHINGTON — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan wants term limits for state lawmakers. In a news conference the day before the start of the Maryland General Assembly Session in Annapolis, Hogan announced what he called The Government Accountability Act. Under his proposal, Maryland lawmakers would be limited to serving a maximum of eight years in each chamber in the Maryland General Assembly. Hogan, a Republican who is running for re-election, said 15 other states have legislative term limits.
• MD GOVERNOR RACE PREVIEW: Maryland Governor’s Race Among Top 10 In US: Washington Post.  “It won’t necessarily be easy for Democrats to wrestle it back,” the Washington Post says of the Maryland governor’s seat. Republican control of governor’s mansions nationwide could also be at stake — and Maryland’s gubernatorial race is one of the top 10 seats in play, according to The Washington Post. The newspaper named Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s bid for a second term as the No. 10 gubernatorial race nationwide among governor posts most likely to flip parties. The businessman turned governor remains widely popular in Maryland, with the most recent Goucher Poll done in September 2017 keeping his 60 percent approval rating.