Northeast
Maryland House passes bill allowing illegal immigrants access to state healthcare exchange
The Maryland House approved a measure on Friday to enable people to buy health insurance through the state’s health care exchange regardless of their immigration status, with the approval of a federal waiver.
The House voted 101-34 for the bill, which now goes to the Senate, where similar legislation is under consideration.
The measure would require the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to submit a federal waiver application by July 1, 2025, to implement the program. The waiver is needed because of federal restrictions on undocumented immigrants using the marketplace. Washington state received such a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in late 2022. The program in Maryland could start as early as 2026, if a waiver is granted.
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Maryland’s health care exchange was created during the 2011 legislative session to provide a marketplace for people and small businesses to purchase affordable health coverage. Through the Maryland Health Connection, Maryland residents can shop for health insurance plans and compare rates.
Since Maryland created its health care exchange through the federal Affordable Care Act and expanded Medicaid, the state has cut the number of uninsured residents by more than 50%, from about 756,000 to about 350,000, or about 6% of the state’s population, said Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, who chairs the House Health and Government Operations Committee.
Democratic Maryland Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk speaks at the state Capitol in Annapolis, Maryland, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)
Of the state’s remaining uninsured, about 256,000 of them are undocumented immigrants, Pena-Melnyk said. She pointed out that undocumented immigrants who sign up for health insurance through the exchange work in the state, pay taxes in the state and will pay for the plans.
“It’s preventive medicine, cheaper when it’s preventive, and it helps all of us. This is not free, not free, not free,” Pena-Melnyk said for emphasis.
But Del. Mark Fisher, a Calvert County Republican, contended that Maryland residents who are U.S. citizens often have long wait times to get doctor’s appointments, and he questioned why the state should expand health insurance coverage through the state’s exchange to people who aren’t citizens.
“The term health equity is meaningless if you can’t get access to a doctor, absolutely nonsense, and that’s the experience that we’re having throughout the state, and certainly in Calvert County,” Fisher said. “I just do not understand why folks believe that when you are a citizen of the United States that you should get into a queue behind folks who are not citizens of the United States.”
But Pena-Melnyk said the measure would help everyone because when people without health insurance need care, they end up going to emergency rooms where medical costs are higher.
“It saves us a lot of money, because guess what? Hospitals last year spent anywhere between $120 million and $150 million in uncompensated care,” Pena-Melnyk, a Prince George’s County Democrat, said during the debate Friday, while also noting that Maryland has the worst emergency room waiting times in the nation.
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Pennsylvania
A gap in Pennsylvania law has put fire companies and county treasurers at odds over online raffles
2026 Day of Portugal Festival and Parade dates, lineup and more
Rhode Island’s Day of Portugal — June 5-7 in Providence: live music, food, dance & family fun; parade
Maria João “MJ” Albuquerque Martins and John Furtado will serve as the grand marshals of the 2026 RI Day of Portugal Parade.
Martins, a longtime RI Day of Portugal volunteer, will be recognized for “her lifelong dedication to preserving and uplifting Portuguese culture in Rhode Island,” according to RI Day of Portugal officials.
Furtado will be recognized for his “lifelong dedication to volunteerism, cultural preservation, and service to the Portuguese‑American community.”
“This year we honor two of the most humble and hardworking individuals who have supported not only RI Day of Portugal, but many Portuguese organizations across Rhode Island,” said James Ferreira, president of the RI Day of Portugal Committee.
“These are the people who roll up their sleeves, the ones in the kitchen, cleaning up, setting up, and making things happen,” he added. “They represent the true spirit of service and community, and I’m deeply grateful for their dedication.”
The 49th Annual Rhode Island Day of Portugal Parade will step off Sunday, June 7 at 3 p.m. from the Rhode Island State House. It will proceed to Smith Street Terrace, Canal Street, Memorial Boulevard and South Water Street, and end at 195 District Park.
From Clube Juventude Lusitana to RI Day of Portugal, Martins’ leadership, cultural preservation and community impact
Martins, a native of Maputo, Mozambique, has dedicated her life to preserving and promoting Portuguese culture in Rhode Island through leadership, education and the arts.
“Maria João’s lifelong commitment to service, cultural preservation, and community pride embodies the spirit of Portugal — resilient, vibrant, and deeply rooted in tradition,” according to RI Day of Portugal officials.
Martins joined the Clube Juventude Lusitana at age seven, later mentoring students and strengthening its cultural programs.
After studying at the University of Coimbra, she returned to Rhode Island and served the organization in multiple roles, including secretary, public relations officer and interim director of its Portuguese school, where she led a successful transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A recognized photographer, Maria João has earned several awards, including honors from the Pawtucket Annual Mayor’s Calendar.
For more than 15 years, she has volunteered with the Rhode Island Day of Portugal, serving as art and culture coordinator and organizing exhibits across the state. Her 2025 exhibit at the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket marked the first presentation of Portuguese history and culture at the Smithsonian-affiliated site.
Martins said she was grateful and honored to serve as grand marshal.
“Thank you to the RI Day of Portugal directors, members, and the community for this meaningful recognition,” Martins said. “Let us continue to stay united through our roots and traditions, preserving our heritage for future generations.”
Furtado honored for ‘quiet dedication, cultural pride, and a heart that leads through action’
Born in Pawtucket, Furtado has spent more than 40 years dedicated to community service and preserving Portuguese traditions in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.
“Those who know him speak of a man with a big heart, a gentle spirit, and a deep sense of responsibility to the people and traditions he serves,” RI Day of Portugal officials said, noting that he has never sought recognition for his efforts.
“His service has always been rooted in sincerity and a genuine desire to give back,” they added. “His lifelong commitment to service reflects the very best of our community — quiet dedication, cultural pride, and a heart that leads through action.”
A second-generation Portuguese American, Furtado began volunteering at age 15 at churches and cultural organizations, including St. Anthony’s Church, Our Lady of Fatima Church in Rhode Island and the Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England in Fall River.
He has also supported several Portuguese clubs, including the Pawtucket Social Club and Clube Juventude Lusitana, earning a reputation for reliability and quiet dedication.
In addition to his volunteer work, the Lincoln High School graduate built a lifelong career in construction, starting at age 16.
“Thank you to RI Day of Portugal, and thank you to the community,” said Furtado after learning he would be co-grand marshal of the 2026 RI Day of Portugal Parade. “I’m grateful to be part of your families, and I hope our culture continues to grow for generations to come.”
Kids shouted, stilt-walkers strode and paper-mache puppets swayed above the crowd as a procession snaked through downtown Burlington last week.
What for? Trout.
Sustainability Academy students and their supporters marched across the city to the beat of bucket drummers May 29 for the second annual Trout Parade, a showcase of their conservation efforts for the state’s official cold-water fish.
Their chants and hoisted fish-shaped cutouts served as a send-off to brook trout raised by students as part of a schoolwide science project.
“The Trout Parade was really just our students lining up to say goodbye as we loaded them onto the bus to be released,” said Kestrel Plump, a sustainability coach at the academy.
For about five months this year, the school lobby became a hatchery as students cultivated fish from eggs supplied by regional conservation group Trout Unlimited.
Interim Principal Antony Dennis said the trout would be released in the Huntington River the next day, May 30.
“This is the second year that it’s been this big that we actually got to a point where it went off campus,” Dennis said. “It used to be a small event.”
The parade began for students outside the school as residents set out from The Flynn to join them and continue together to Battery Park.
The school has conducted the project for roughly five years, but this was only its second time partnering with The Flynn and Vermont puppeteers Janice Walrafen and Erik Gillard, or Erok.
The kids thought the jumbo puppets were magical, Walrafen said. “The same with the masks. You put on a mask, and then all of a sudden you get to be transformed as something other than your little self,” she said. “You get to be part of something bigger.”
Onlookers, bicyclists and pedestrians stopped and recorded the spectacle with their phones.
If they had any question about its object, answers came by way of lilting treble chants.
“Tell me what it’s all about!” a parade leader called out over a megaphone.
“Trout!” a chorus of kids chimed back.
They followed their leader in reciting: “We love the trout, but we must let them out!”
The parade concluded with a pageant accompanied by a harpist. The students were sent off with ice cream given out by retired University of Vermont faculty member Patrick Malone.
Asked if students get attached to the aspiring fish or just see them as blobs in a science project, Plump, the school sustainability coach, let a group of girls answer.
“The first one,” one of them said.
And were they happy to see their piscine pals released?
“Quite,” another responded.
Corey Arwood is the Burlington Free Press city reporter and can be reached by email at clarwood@gannett.com.
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