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Maryland’s Hogan pushes back against effort to expand covid-19 relief
By Ovetta Wiggins and Erin Cox
An effort by Maryland House Democrats to expand eligibility for Gov. Larry Hogan’s covid-19 stimulus plan, including to noncitizens, is receiving pushback from the Republican chief executive, who said it could jeopardize passage of the legislation and the help it would provide to others.
“Anything they attempt to do to change the bill that’s already been passed unanimously by the Senate … it threatens the bill,” Hogan said Thursday.
The House Ways and Means Committee nevertheless voted to amend the legislation to include noncitizens who pay income taxes. The Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus had pushed for that change and enlisted the support of the Legislative Black Caucus.
Hours before the committee voted, a top aide to Hogan told the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus that expanding eligibility for the aid could jeopardize the legislation.
