ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Lawmakers are back in Annapolis for this years legislative session.
With new leadership, legislators will look at some old problems, education funding and crime.
Governor Hogan made it very clear what he thinks he and the legislature need to work on this session.
"Our bills to hold violent criminals more accountable so that we can stop the shootings and murders in Baltimore City," said Hogan.
The house and senate both have new leadership now. Delegate Adrienne Jones replaced Mike Busch as speaker of the house after his death. She becomes Maryland's first African-American speaker and first woman speaker.
Senator Bill Ferguson replaced Senator Mike Miller as he stepped down as president to deal with cancer treatments. President Ferguson admitted Tuesday the democrats do not have a funding source for the multi billion dollar Kirwan plan for education yet, he stressed the need for the education bill.
"All of us believe that every child should have access to a world class education and be able to maximize his or her potential," Ferguson said.
Besides crime and education bills, legislators will look at shoring up the Preakness so it stays at Pimlico and the death with dignity bill that failed last year and some think has a better chance this year.
Still, many legislators on both sides come back to the issues of crime in Baltimore City.
"Totally unacceptable that Maryland has a rising violent crime rate, when most of the county is seeing records lows in terms of violent crime. It's policy problems, it's an administrative problems and it's our job to fix it."
