Keith Holt, center, president of the Maryland LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, gives remarks March 3 at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)
They were gathered in the cold outside the State House, but the message Monday from lawmakers and supporters of the Maryland Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus was directed more at the White House: “Our rights are not up for debate.”
On the first day of his second term in office, President Donald Trump (R) revoked dozens of former President Joe Biden’s (D) executive actions, including orders calling for an end to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, and limiting federal policy to two sexes, male and female, as a step toward doing away with “gender ideology extremism.”
Trump officials “are going to do everything they can to try to stop us from living our truly authentic selves, and they are going to do everything that they can to make sure that our lives can be a living hell from day to day,” said Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick), chair of the caucus. “But in Maryland, we can make that different.”
With just five weeks left in the legislative session, the caucus summarized some of its legislative priorities. Those include bills – Senate Bill 491 and House Bill 699 – that would provide benefits to veterans discharged based on an incident relating to post-traumatic stress disorder, a traumatic brain injury, or experienced sexual trauma. The bills are sponsored by Sen. Dawn Gile (D-Anne Arundel) and Del. Nick Allen (D-Baltimore County).
Another measure, HB 1059, sponsored by Fair, seeks to establish a state medical assistance program to help people who need help with health care costs “associated with services and benefits provided under State law that are subject to federal restrictions.”
Fair is also sponsor of a joint resolution to ensure the state’s public schools acknowledge the importance of a culturally diverse curriculum. The resolution was heard Monday by the House Rules and Nominations Committee. A Senate version sponsored by Sen. Karen Lewis Young (D-Frederick) will be heard Friday by the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee.
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Speakers Monday included Keith Holt, president of the Maryland LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, became the first person of color to hold that position when he took over in January.
Del. Gabriel Acevero (D-Montgomery), a member of the caucus, had some direct words for the administration and Elon Musk, an adviser to Trump.
“The occupants of the White House, President Musk and Vice President Trump, are doing everything in their power to erase the history, the contributions and the presence of queer folks,” Acevero said. “But like every person who’s tried that before … those bigots will quickly realize that we ain’t going no damn where, we are right here. We’ll continue to be here.
U.S. Attorney’s office gets a new leader — for now
Kelly O. Hayes was sworn in Monday as the interim U.S. Attorney for Maryland, taking the place of former U.S. Attorney Erek Barron, a Biden-administration appointee who stepped down Feb. 12.
It’s not clear how long Hayes will serve in the interim role. Ultimately, a permanent replacement will be nominated by President Donald Trump.
Hayes has been with the federal prosecutor’s office in Maryland since 2013, when she joined as an assistant U.S. attorney. She has served as deputy appellate chief for the district, deputy chief for the district’s southern division, principal deputy chief and, since, 2021, chief of the southern division in Greenbelt.
In that role, she oversaw all criminal investigations and prosecutions in the southern division. In a statement from the office Monday, Hayes said she was “beyond honored to lead this office.”
Raised in Montgomery County, Hayes attended the University of Maryland, College Park, and earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. After school, she clerked for Judge Janis L. Sammartino in the Southern District of California before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office here.
Barron, a former legislator from Prince George’s County, served as U.S. attorney from Oct. 7, 2021, until his Feb. 12 resignation. As an appointee of former President Joe Biden (D), his resignation was widely expected after Trump’s election.
Developmental Disabilities advocates are not done yet
They have had one win this session, but advocates for the developmental disability community are not about to rest on their laurels.
So they were back in Annapolis on Monday evening, trying to explain to House members why lawmakers should oppose millions in funding cuts to a state agency that oversees funding for their care.
“We need to make sure that the rest of the legislature is aware of what the proposed $457 million cut for FY ’26 [fiscal year 2026] will do to the Developmental Disabilities Administration’s services,” said Mat Rice, executive director with People on the Go Maryland. “We’re really talking about something that could potentially turn back the clock for civil rights.”
Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) budget initially included a series of “cost containment” for the Developmental Disabilities Administration, as the agency has experienced unsustainable growth in recent years. Initially, he proposed cutting $200 million from the DDA at the end of fiscal 2025 with more to come in the next fiscal year. It was one of the largets single cuts at the state tries to close a $3 billion gap in the fiscal 2026 budget.
But after hundreds of advocates gathered on Lawyers Mall in Annapolis, amid other advocacy efforts, the administration said announced plans to postpone the immediate cuts that would have occurred at the end of this fiscal year.
“I think through the conversations we’ve had with the governor’s office, they have really stepped up and said that they’re committed to restoring as much of the funding as they can,” Rice said. He said that while the state is in “really dire fiscal straits” lawmakers have to “hold the line” on funding the DDA amid federal funding uncertainty.
Advocates are hopeful to push back against the cuts that are still slated for the fiscal 2026 budget.
“There’s always strength in numbers,” said Ken Capone, an advocate with developmental disabilities.
Never too early to start thinking reelection
Sen. Sara Love and Del. Marc Korman, both Anne Arundel County Democrats, announced plans to run for reelection as a team Monday — almost 20 months before the 2026 general election.
The District 16 lawmakers sad they have worked well together as a team for the district and hope to convince voters to let them continue doing so. “I look forward to four more years of collaboration on behalf of our District 16 constituents,” Korman said in the press release announcing their plan to run together.
That release was packed with prepared quotes from other Democrats on the local, state and federal level praising the two lawmakers. What the release did not include were the names of the two other lawmakers representing District 16, Democratic Dels. Sarah Wolek and Teresa Woorman. The statement said only that, “At this time, no decisions have been made regarding other campaign team members.”
Wolek was appointed to the House in 2023, to fill a seat vacated by Ariana Kelly. Woorman was appointed in 2022 to fill the seat vacated by Love when she was elevated to the Senate, after Kelly left.
Love was first elected in 2018. In the House, she served on the Environment and Transportation Committee, where she chaired the Motor Vehicle and Transportation Subcommittee. She is a member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee in the Senate. Her bio says that she was a leader in the House on privacy issues, sponsoring “the country’s strongest online data privacy protection law,” among other issues.
Korman, now in his third term in the House, serves as chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee. He has also served as House Majority Leader and in a leadership role on the House Appropriations Committee. He wrote Maryland’s dedicated funding for the Metro system, among other proposals.