Political notes: Torres steps down at CASA, bay analysts put their heads together, more news

CASA’s longtime executive director Gustavo Torres plans to retire in November.

Torres began his work as an advocate with the immigrant rights group when it started out in a church basement in Takoma Park. Now, 34 years later, CASA is an organization with more than 170,000 members in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania — and in Atlanta, where it opened a welcome center in Atlanta in 2022.

In a statement Friday, Torres said he wants to take a break and spend his time with family, to “give the same love, attention, and presence to the people who’ve stood by me through it all.”

“I look around me and see a new generation of leaders that are ready to take the helm, and I am confident that CASA is strong, rooted, and ready for what’s next,” his statement said. “These powerful, young, diverse Black and brown leaders in our organization are going to move forward with the same boldness these next 30 years.”

The organization has become an authoritative voice on migrant issues and immigration legislation at the local, state and natioanl levels over the years. It did face controversy in November 2023, after some members issued statements and social media posts expressing  solidarity with Palestinians during the war in Gaza that began Oct. 7 of that year.

It led somelawmakers, including Montgomery Count’s Senate delegation to publicly scrutinize CASA and threatened to pull public funding. Private donors also announced they would withdraw funding. CASA released a public apology from Torres in response.

The organization has been busy this year. Even before President Donald Trump’s (R) January swearing in, CASA held “Know Your Rights” events to prepare for  possible enforcement actions from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

CASA leaders were in Annapolis lobbing for legislation, including one to prohibit local police from entering into 287(g) agreements with ICE. On the last day of the legislative session in April, lawmakers passed a watered-down version of a bill that does not include the 287(g) ban, the biggest loss for immigration. advocates this year.

CASA plans a nationwide search for someone to build on Torres’ “unshakeable legacy, carrying forward CASA’s mission to build people power, advance equity, and drive lasting systemic change,” said Melissa Guzman, the organization’s chief operating officer. “We invite visionary leaders from inside CASA and across the country to apply and help shape the next chapter of this movement.”

Torres will be honored at CASAs 40th anniversary celebration on Sept. 18.

Making the grade for the Chesapeake Bay

Unlike the typical student, the Chesapeake Bay has long received two report cards from two different schools: One from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and another from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

But that could be changing.

At an event in Eastport on Tuesday to release the latest UMCES report card (which gave the bay a grade of “C”), officials from the center and the nonprofit said they’re looking to combine their efforts.

“We’re really excited about this, because it will reduce the confusion of having two separate report cards and slightly different messaging,” said Heath Kelsey, director of the Integration and Application Network at UMCES.

Bill Dennison, UMCES vice president of science application, said he approached the Bay Foundation decades ago about working together on a single report card, to no avail. “With the new leadership at the Bay Foundation, I think that dream could be realized,” Dennison said.

Hilary Harp Falk has been president and CEO of the foundation since 2022. She said Tuesday there’s lots left to iron out, but the potential partnership between the two organizations is exciting.

“We’ve been talking a lot about our shared goals and the strengths of the different products, and how we can both show how the bay is doing and answer that question, but also show a path to success, which I think has been elusive,” Harp Falk said. “We think the strength of our report card and our work and the UMCES science could really be a force multiplier.”

Dennison said looming cuts at federal environmental agencies have made the collaboration more urgent. On April 1, the center held a workshop with the Bay Foundation, as well as some riverkeeper groups that also have their own regional report cards, to discuss the future of bay report cards.

“This is a tough time for us environmentalists. The federal budgets are being slashed, and so we have to — more than ever — we have to work together,” Dennison said.

Life insurers seek rate hikes on long-term care

About 8,200 Maryland residents who use long-term care programs could soon pay more for services, as four life insurance companies are asking state officials to increase premium rates for those services.

During a virtual meeting with Maryland Insurance Administration officials Tuesday, representatives from life insurance companies argued that because people are living longer and more people are using long-term care services for longer periods of time, those rate increases are justified.

“Mutual of Omaha understands premium adjustments are never welcome news and we do not take such actions lightly,” said Rylan Deemer, product director and actuary at Mutual of Omaha. “Due to increasing use of long-term care services and longer open claims, we found it necessary to file this rate adjustment. In other words, more policyholders are recognizing the benefits of their long-term care insurance policies, using benefits more often and for longer than anticipated.”

Those justifications were shared by representatives from the other insurance companies Tuesday: – Metropolitan Life Insurance, Prudential Insurance Co. and Transamerica Life Insurance Co.

Requested rate increases range from 24% to 52%, depending on company and plan. The requests are not unusual for long-term care plans, but they come at a time when insurers are also looking to increase premiums on certain health care plans due to the possible loss of a federal subsidy under the Trump administration.

State regulations prohibit insurers from raising premiums more than 15% in a 12-month period, meaning that larger increase proposals would be spread out over the course of a couple years, if approved.

Each of the insurers Tuesday said they were sympathetic to policyholders who would not be able to afford long-term care plans at the higher rates, and said they would offer lower-priced, lower-coverage plans to those who could not afford to keep their current plans.

The rate increases are not finalized. MIA officials raised concerns that some of the rate requests could be too steep. The proposed rate increases are open to public comments until next week.

Help for Western Maryland flood victims

In the first use of a new state emergency fund, state officials announced Tuesday that they will award  $459,375 in financial assistanceto Allegany County to help victims of May 13 floods that swamped homes, schools and businesses and forced evacuations in Allegany and Garrett counties.

The funding is coming from the Maryland State Disaster Recovery Fund, a form of state-assisted financing for county and local governments “for the purpose of providing essential assistance to individuals, households, businesses, and local governments affected by disasters,” according to a news release from the governor’s office. Local governments can request aid from the fund, which is administered by the Maryland Department of Emergency Management.

“These funds will help Marylanders get back on their feet in the wake of historic flooding,” said Gov. Wes Moore in the release. “I encourage all affected Marylanders to learn if they’re eligible for additional resources and supports.”

Allegany County officials requested the funds after damage assessments showed recovery needs were beyond the county’s means, the governor’s office said. Heavy rains from May 12-14 led rivers and creeks in the region to flood, with Georges Creek reaching a near-record level of 12.41 feet. Rising waters forced evacuations in Garrett and Allegany counties, with the town of Westernport hit particularly hard. Floodwaters caused significant damage to more than 200 homes and businesses in the region.

“The comprehensive assistance — from multiple state departments — has been extraordinary, and this monetary award through the new Disaster Recovery Program is both timely and impactful,” Allegany County Commission President David J. Caporale said in the news release. “As the first recipients of this program, we recognize the significance of this moment, and we are committed to putting these resources to immediate use to help our neighbors and communities rebuild stronger than before.”

The Maryland Department of Emergency Management is also working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state agencies in recovery efforts to mitigate the risk of flooding due to the impacts on the local rivers and streams in the area.

State officials estimate that volunteer organizations have provided more than $400,000 in support services, including muck-out and cleanup of residences and businesses across Allegany County. Area residents may also be eligible for disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration Physical Loan program.

A Disaster Loan Outreach Center, serving both counties, at 103 1st St. in Westernport will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a .m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Multiagency resource and support centers remain open at the Bruce Outreach Center in Westernport on Saturdays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m and Wednedays from 1-7 p.m.; and at the Good Will Fire Co. Armory in Lonaconing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays and from 1-7 p.m. Thursdays.