Senators and delegates return to their chambers in Annapolis on Jan. 8 to start the 90-day sprint.
The biggest issue and only piece of legislation the lawmakers have to pass by the end of the session is the state’s budget.
Projections show the state has to find $3 billion in savings or new money.
“Now a negative balance of nearly 400 million in fiscal 2025, nearly 3 billion in fiscal 26 growing to nearly 6 billion in fiscal year 2030,” said David Romans with the Maryland Department of the Environment.
Maryland Democrats hold a supermajority.
Democrats control the purse strings to decide how to balance this budget.
“This year it’s going to be tough decisions. We’ve said everything is on the table. Number one, we have to make sure we are living within our means so we can invest in things in a way that is predictable and keeps us competitive,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat from Baltimore City.
This is the largest budget shortfall since the Great Recession.
In the short term, lawmakers truly have two avenues to balance it.