Baltimore “Baby Bonus” Advocates Face Another Legal Setback

The organizers behind Baltimore’s proposed “baby bonus” ballot initiative are back where they started, despite efforts to avoid a repeat of past setbacks.

On Monday, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Paul J. Cucuzzella dismissed a petition from the Maryland Child Alliance, which had asked the court to rule on the constitutionality of their revised 2026 ballot proposal. The Baltimore Banner reports that the updated measure aims to create a dedicated fund for families with newborns.

The group, largely led by educators, originally proposed in 2023 that new parents in Baltimore receive a one-time payment of at least $1,000 upon the birth or adoption of a child. However, Maryland’s Supreme Court blocked that version from reaching voters, ruling it unconstitutional.

Though the local effort focuses on helping infants born into poverty, the concept of a “baby bonus” has gained national traction. The Trump administration is reportedly considering a plan to offer $5,000 to new mothers to boost birth rates.

In court last week, the Maryland Child Alliance argued that the city’s silence on their revised measure and its previous legal challenge made it necessary for a judge to weigh in ahead of time. But Judge Cucuzzella sided with Mayor Brandon Scott and the City Council, who asked the court to dismiss the case.

“There is no controversy,” the judge wrote, noting that the city hasn’t taken a stance on the new version or opposed its inclusion on the 2026 ballot.

A spokesperson for Mayor Scott said the decision confirmed what the city maintained last year: that the proposed amendment wasn’t the right approach.

“We continue to support the spirit of the proposal and recognize the need to help young families,” the mayor’s office said. “We invite the Baby Bonus campaign to join us in advocating for federal-level universal basic income.”

To move forward, the Maryland Child Alliance must now collect 10,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot an effort they had hoped to avoid if another lawsuit was coming.

Despite the setback, the group is pushing ahead. Alliance president Nate Golden said volunteers gathered 2,000 signatures just over the past weekend.

“If we have to do this again, we’re looking at four years of our lives dedicated to this,” Golden said. “We asked the mayor to weigh in before we went down this road again.”