The General Assembly agreed Monday to sweeping changes in Maryland’s criminal justice policies, but failed to reach a deal that would have given residents their first major income tax break in nearly two decades.

“We wish we had come to an agreement, but we didn’t,” House Speaker Michael E. Buschsaid.

The tax negotiations unraveled in the hours before the Assembly’s midnight deadline to adjourn, prompting Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller to suggest the “remote possibility” the legislature hold a special session to approve what was once a widely supported plan to reduce taxes by roughly $250 million.

Democrats negotiating the cuts got stuck over how far up the income scale the breaks should go.

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