Ep. 05 ― U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and a General Assembly Preview

Maryland Chatters

The world is a much different place than it was last week, when we first started preparing for this episode. On Wednesday, a violent mob breached the U.S. Capitol in a deadly attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election as America’s 46th president. The attack occurred one day after two Democrats won runoff elections in Georgia, giving their party a majority in the U.S. Senate. We talked this week with Maryland’s junior senator, Chris Van Hollen, about the violence at the capitol, the new congress, the new administration, and the impact of COVID-19 on Maryland. Later this week, the Maryland General Assembly will convene for an extraordinary session ― with desks surrounded by plexiglass, a House chamber annex, empty hallways and virtual bill hearings. Maryland Matters editor Josh Kurtz discusses what can be expected this session – from the logistics to the legislation.