Baltimore ‘baby bonus’ won’t appear on ballots after court rules it unconstitutional

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A proposal in Baltimore that would allow city voters to decide whether to pay new parents $1,000 will not appear on the ballot in November after Maryland’s highest court ruled it unconstitutional.

The court issued a ruling Thursday after hearing oral arguments Wednesday. It affirmed a lower court decision that deemed the proposal unconstitutional because it would essentially remove “all meaningful discretion” from the city and its elected leaders.

Baltimore’s mayor and city council filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the proposal after organizers secured the necessary 10,000 signatures to bring the question to voters as a ballot initiative in November. The lawsuit argued that the charter amendment process is meant to address changes to the form and structure of government, not specific legislative or budgetary questions.

A group of public school teachers launched the so-called “baby bonus” campaign in hopes of pushing city and state leaders to do more to alleviate childhood poverty. Supporters said more systemic change is needed on a national level to help lift families out of poverty, but giving new parents a modest financial boost could prove an important first step.

The proposal was loosely modeled on a program implemented this year in Flint, Michigan, where women receive $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 per month for the first year after giving birth. Officials said the Flint program was the first of its kind in the U.S.

The Maryland Supreme Court also issued a similar ruling Thursday on another proposed ballot initiative that would have drastically cut property taxes in Baltimore. City leaders said the cuts threatened to slash the municipal budget to crisis levels.