Judge in Maryland rules Baltimore ‘baby bonus’ proposal is unconstitutional

A proposed ballot question in Baltimore that would pay new parents $1,000 when they have a child is unconstitutional, a judge has ruled.

Media outlets report that Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge John Nugent made the ruling on Friday.

Supporters of the proposal secured the necessary 10,000 signatures to bring the question to voters as a ballot initiative. But Nugent found in his ruling that the bonus removes “all meaningful discretion” from the city.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott had asked to have the ballot question known as the Baby Bonus removed from the November ballot. The mayor contended that the ballot measure exceeds the authority of citizens.

The Maryland Child Alliance, which successfully petitioned to get the question on the ballot, plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Maryland.

The proposal is loosely modeled on a program implemented this year in Flint, Michigan, where women receive $1,500 during mid-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.