Democrats splintered ideologically Tuesday as the Senate began its debate on a bill seeking to make police officer misconduct records publicly accessible.

At first, the bill addressing the role of racism in health disparities in Maryland laid out the context plainly. But after Republicans and some conservative Democrats quietly complained, lawmakers struck all 11 references to racism, past and present.

The Maryland Senate took a step Tuesday toward passing legislation aimed at increasing public access to completed internal police investigations, as it narrowly defeated a proposal to ensure allegations of police misconducted deemed “unsubstantiated” would remain confidential.

Since COVID-19 has forced the House and Senate office buildings to be closed to the public, Sen. Jill P. Carter says expansion of live streaming could not have come at a better time.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has asked the Maryland Transit Administration to explore whether the Purple Line could be single-tracked inside the Bethesda station to allow enough room for the county to rebuild the Capital Crescent Trail there.

A top former federal public health official, Dr. Robert Redfield, will serve as a senior adviser for Maryland’s COVID-19 response, including the state’s vaccination campaign, which soon will feature mass vaccination clinics in five geographic regions, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday.

An emergency measure, already approved in the Senate, to allow each of Maryland’s 86 school-based health centers to offer telehealth was voted out of a House education subcommittee Tuesday.

Legislation in Maryland could allow senior athletes at public high schools to play sports the year after they graduate, to make up for the challenges and unusual circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ted Carter, who is the chief economic development and business officer for Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which includes Cleveland, has been tapped by Mayor Brandon Scott to lead Baltimore’s community and economic development arm.

As Elizabeth Shwe reported last week in Maryland Matters, an emergency bill introduced by Senate President Bill Ferguson requires a consultant study of the capacity of the Maryland State Department of Education, Maryland Higher Education Commission, the Maryland Department of Labor and other state agencies to carry out the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.