STATE SCHOOL BOARD NOMINEE WITHDRAWS: One of Gov. Larry Hogan’s nominees to the State Board of Education withdrew from consideration Tuesday after a rocky Senate committee hearing, Michael Dresser is reporting in the Sun. Brandon F. Cooper, the 28-year-old chairman of the Prince George’s County Republican Central Committee, dropped his bid to join the school board after majority Democrats on the Senate Executive Nominations Committee grilled him Monday night over his previous traffic offenses, personal finances, qualifications and affiliation with a conservative group that promotes alternatives to traditional public schools.

Some lawmakers also asked Cooper tough questions about his position on education policy, including testing, vouchers and underperforming schools, Ovetta Wiggins of the Post reports.

RALLY FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD: As Congress and the Trump administration move toward a possible cutoff of federal money for Planned Parenthood, Democratic leaders in the Maryland General Assembly are rallying around a plan under which the state would fill the funding gap.Leading Democratic lawmakers have scheduled a news conference this morning to announce their support for legislation that would require the governor to budget money to pay for non-abortion services offered by the group if the federal action takes effect, reports Michael Dresser of the Sun.