In miniature, January 21

• “Another Winner From Tax Reform: State Governments,” including Maryland’s [Eric Boehm, Reason]
• Epic Twitter thread on Maryland’s outlandish gerrymander, marvel at the maps [@EsotericCD]
• “Maryland Is Undergoing Meaningful Regulatory Reform” [Randolph May and Michael Horney, Free State Foundation]
• Neighborhood police checkpoints employed in West Baltimore for several days in November, yet in 2009 DC Circuit, via conservative Judge Sentelle, found them unconstitutional [Colin Campbell and Talia Richman, Baltimore Sun; Elizabeth Janney, Patch; cross-posted from Overlawyered]
• Because $peeding is un$afe: Baltimore to expand red light and speed camera program [Luke Broadwater, Sun]
• Dept. of perfectly terrible ideas: “Should there be rent control near the Purple Line?” [Seventh State]

In miniature, April 22

• Great coverage of my redistricting reform speech at Hagerstown Rotary by Tamela Baker in the Herald-Mail. And you can listen to me on this subject with Kojo Nnamdi of WAMU/public radio and on Frederick County’s “Eye on Our Community” with Kai Hagen;
• Even as doubts mount about shaken-baby syndrome, Jefferson, Md. dad gets 20-year sentence [Kelsi Loos, Frederick News-Post; Washington Post via, Reuters, USA Today]
• New study: “The Case for Common Sense Regulatory Reforms to the Maryland Code” [Nick Zaiac, Maryland Public Policy Institute]
• No, let’s not: some MoCo lawmakers want to bestow voting franchise in school board elections on non-citizen immigrants and 16-17 year olds [Christine Stoddard, Maryland Reporter]
• “Oyster Recycling Subsidy and Other Crazy Maryland Tax Credits” [Preston Cooper, Economics 21]
• Walkersville: no strict liability when noise from lawful fireworks display causes cows to stampede in nearby barn [Eugene Volokh]

In miniature, January 10

• A supposed civil right to wasteful spending: per ACLU of Maryland complaint, it’s race bias for Hogan administration to pull plug on grossly uneconomic Baltimore Red Line [Baltimore Sun] More: “worst and most counter-productive legal complaint that’s been filed in a long, long time” [Barry Rascovar, Maryland Reporter]
• Trial lawyers want retroactive legislation to grab billions from manufacturers in lead paint suits. Maryland needs to say no [Baltimore Sun]
• “I agree with decriminalization” — GOP Senate candidate Chris Kefalas on the Drug War [Fox Baltimore at 2:00; related City Paper (“Like a lot of Libertarian-leaning Republicans, Kefalas is opposed to the war on drugs, he says.”); note upcoming fundraising lunch]
• Gov. Hogan’s commission on regulatory reform issues report; topics include one-stop permitting, occupational licensure;
• If you’re feeling a bit hopeful about Baltimore, here’s Fred Siegel to knock you back down again [City Journal]
• Few opinion pieces manage to call forth so many scathing reactions on so many different grounds [Tricia Bishop, Baltimore Sun via S.E.Cupp; national registry of gun owners, “like those for sex offenders,” would make it easier to decide on playdates, and privacy be damned]

An Edward Glaeser idea on regulation

From a December Cato paper, one-stop permitting. An idea for the new Hogan administration?

Another step forward is to embrace one-stop permitting. There are effectively two variants on this idea. One variant, the Devens model (named after Devens, MA, which has successfully used this approach for years), involves a public official who is literally empowered to license any new business. The second involves a public interface who then connects with myriad regulators. The first option is far more powerful, since the official can be held accountable for permitting times. One approach that I have suggested is to begin with one-stop permitting within an entrepreneurship zone in a higher poverty area. This should make this more politically palatable. Then, ideally, if the system proves a success, it can be expanded city- or statewide.

In miniature, November 11

• One reason GOP gained only two Senate seats: “In Maryland’s one-party environment, traditional economic donors that would be inclined to support Republicans (think Comcast) donate to Democrats. Which explains why Jim Mathias, the most vulnerable Democrat in Maryland’s Senate, will face a Republican with less than $50,000 all in to spend. Mathias will have north of $300,000.” [John Gallagher, Seventh State]
• What Prince George’s County cops can do with impunity [Washington Post editorial via Balko]
• Dem campaigns in Frederick County included plenty of demonization of ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council). For those who wish to learn at least learn a little bit about the group firsthand, a couple of links [American Legislator, Facebook account]
• Internet companies, better think twice about doing business in Maryland since the state has a very special law that one law professor thinks severely restricts your freedom to do customer research [Mike Masnick/TechDirt]
• “Supreme Court to hear case on right of Maryland to tax out-of-state income” [Ashley Westerman, Maryland Reporter; Comptroller v. Wynne; Joseph Henchman and Chris Stephens, Tax Foundation] More: Washington Post.
• Unclear on the concept: Baltimore councilman says city should ban plastic grocery bags entirely rather than attach fee to them because Hogan election “showed voters don’t want more taxes” [@lukebroadwater]

Maryland does not approve of Bitcoin

Maybe the state can’t ban the unregulated private currency, exactly, yet, but Commissioner of Financial Regulation Mark Kaufman and Attorney General Doug Gansler can certainly signal their disapproval (via Kevin Funnell, Bank Lawyer’s Blog).