20080324 News Clips

News Clips 03-24-2008

STATE NEWS

Democrats lose 'political capital' for social issues

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080321/METRO/959802036/1004

Measures to alter, repeal, ban, expand or do just about anything else to Maryland's most divisive social issues during the 2008 General Assembly session appear dead. House Minority Whip Christopher B. Shank, Washington Republican, said lawmakers went through a grueling special session in the fall to help close a budget shortfall. "The special session sucked all of the oxygen out of the room," said Mr. Shank. "And there is no political capital left for the Democrats ... to even think about casting a tough vote that goes against the mainstream on such contentious issues. So the status quo prevails." One social issue that still has a chance is represented in a measure to extend medical visitation rights to domestic partners and unwed couples. The bill passed in the Senate and is being considered in the House. Opponents argue that the proposal moves the state closer to legalizing gay marriage. They won a key victory in September when the state's highest court ruled constitutional a Maryland statute defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Home loan reform is near

Lawmakers OK last bill in package to prevent future crises

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.foreclose21mar21,0,1207550.story

With the foreclosure crisis accelerating, Maryland lawmakers approved last night the final elements of one of the most aggressive reform packages in the nation to guard against future mortgage-related calamities. Maryland is poised to enact tougher sanctions for mortgage fraud; to force banks to establish a borrower's ability to pay before making a loan; and to require more notification and a longer waiting period before a home can be repossessed or sold. Lobbyists had warned lawmakers not to over-regulate and stifle lending, pointing out that other states were harder hit than Maryland, and some lawmakers echoed those concerns. Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican who is on the Finance Committee, said during a recent hearing that lenders "have a gun to their heads and worry government could ruin their business." But, in the end, industry groups, including the Maryland Bankers Association, backed the bills. Pipkin did, too. Other bills would overhaul Maryland's foreclosure process, one of the quickest in the nation, by stretching out the time before foreclosure can take place from 15 days to more than four months. They also would crack down on foreclosure-rescue scams in which troubled borrowers are duped into losing title to their homes.

Senate passes cell phone restrictions

http://www.examiner.com/a-1292393~Senate_passes_cell_phone_restrictions.html

Maryland drivers holding cell phones in their hands to talk or text-message could face fines if pulled over by police for another offense in a bill that passed the state Senate on Thursday 26 to 21. After a number of failed attempts over the past decade, this was the first time any restrictions on mobile phone use while driving passed either house. The bill faces an uncertain future in the House of Delegates, where a ban on text-messaging already failed to win committee approval. Some opponents argued that many other activities were dangerous distractions while driving, such as reading or putting on makeup. “It’s another excuse to be pulled over on the side of the road,” said Sen. E.J. Pipkin, who attempted to have his Eastern Shore constituents exempted from the bill.

Md. Senate approves MMA bill

Legislation paves way for state sanctioning, pending support of House, governor

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-mma321,0,3219342.story

The state Senate approved a bill today that would allow the Maryland State Athletic Commission to oversee mixed martial arts. If the legislation also passes in the House of Delegates and is signed by the governor, it would clear the way for MMA events to be staged in Maryland.

Senate backs study of risk of hybrid cars to blind pedestrians

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-hybrids0321,0,4815362.story

Concerns from blind people that super-quiet hybrid vehicles pose a safety danger to pedestrians who can't see has gotten the attention of Maryland lawmakers. The Senate voted today to give preliminary approval to a bill calling for study of how to deal with hybrid vehicles, which run very quietly. Blind people say hybrids pose a hazard to those who rely on their ears to determine whether it's safe to cross the street or walk through a parking lot.

Global warming bill heads to the House

Opponents say proposed changes weaken bill and MDE

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.greenhouse21mar21,0,5048890.story

The Maryland Senate approved an amendment yesterday that environmentalists and the O'Malley administration say would significantly weaken a bill designed to reduce global warming pollution. The Global Warming Solutions Act would require a 25 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions from Maryland businesses by 2020. But under the amendment approved yesterday, the state's environmental agency would have to get the General Assembly's approval each time it issued rules to cut the pollution. Republicans, who have joined business groups in fighting the global warming bill, supported Exum. "We're walking into uncharted territory where this is headed," said Sen. David R. Brinkley, the Republican leader. "And I do not trust turning it over to bureaucrats."

Domestic partner bill advances in the Senate

Tax avoidance is aim on deed changes

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.domestic22mar22,0,6442427.story

The Maryland Senate gave preliminary approval yesterday to a bill that would allow domestic partners the same right as married couples to avoid paying taxes when adding each other to home property deeds to create joint ownership. But a key Senate leader said yesterday that another tax bill to exempt domestic partners from inheritance taxes might not get a vote this year. The two tax bills and a third measure, which would grant domestic partners the right to medical decision-making and hospital visitations, passed by the Senate this week, have been sought by gay rights activists. Opponents argued that the bill, which would apply to gay and straight couples that sign affidavits and can provide proof of their relationship, would create a tax-avoidance technique and undermine traditional marriage.
"Do you really want to encourage people to shack up and not commit to each other?" Sen. Alex X. Mooney, a Frederick County Republican, asked his colleagues. "This whole bill is a loophole."

Bill on dealers withdrawn

Del. says plan to reduce drug penalties met with 'rancor'

md.assembly23mar23,0,1915852.story

Facing a narrow defeat for the second year in a row, the sponsor of a plan to reduce penalties for low-level drug dealers withdrew the bill from consideration in the House of Delegates yesterday, effectively killing its chances for passage this year. "It seemed to be a soft-on-crime bill rather than a smart-on-crime bill," said Del. Ron George, an Anne Arundel County Republican. He characterized Anderson's attempts to mollify conservative opposition through amendments as "putting more and more lipstick on the same old pig." Also yesterday, in a near-unanimous vote, lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that would allow police to collect DNA samples from criminal suspects charged with violent crimes and burglary. The House also debated a bill that would create a 19-member commission to study the death penalty in the state. Supporters of the death penalty have balked at the effort to set up another study commission, noting that at least three major studies of Maryland's death penalty have been completed in the past six years.
"Why are we studying this again?" Del. Donald B. Elliott, a Carroll and Frederick County Republican, said yesterday. Del. Patrick L. McDonough, a Republican from Baltimore and Harford counties, and Del. Anthony J. O'Donnell, the minority leader from Southern Maryland, also objected to the study bill, saying it lacked a mandate to consider the feelings of murder victims' families and would be dominated by O'Malley appointees.

Lawmakers close to mandating living shorelines

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/03_23-13/GOV

Convinced of the benefits to water quality and wildlife, state lawmakers are poised to approve legislation that would require many waterfront property owners to install "living" shorelines. Living shorelines use plants, sand and limited amounts of rock to create a softer shoreline, rather than the wooden bulkheads and stone revetments that usually are seen along rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Officials at the Maryland Department of the Environment turned to the legislature for help in forcing more property owners to come on board with the concept. The House of Delegates gave final approval to MDE's bill yesterday.

Divided Senate changes its mind on dishwashing detergent

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/03_22-4/GOV

A soapy debate in the Maryland Senate over whether to fine a detergent maker over phosphorus in its products has proved too slippery for resolution. Senators divided evenly yesterday over a proposal to fine Ohio-based Procter & Gamble up to $1 million as part of a bill to delay Maryland's looming requirement to require low-phosphorus dishwashing detergents. Senators who opposed the fine - and an unsuccessful tongue-in-cheek amendment that would've retitled the bill "The Procter & Gamble Protection Act of 2008" - said Maryland is already taking strong measures to reduce water pollution. "To go after the principal producer of all these household products, I think you're just setting yourself up for a day in court," said Senate Republican Leader David Brinkley.

In visa dispute, businesses face summer worker gap

Congressional dispute on visas puts Shore businesses in a bind

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.visas24mar24,0,6651374.story

With Congress at an impasse over visas for seasonal laborers, the owners of Eastern Shore businesses that have counted on foreign workers to pick crabs, wash dishes and can corn are bracing for a difficult summer ahead - with consequences that they warn will spread throughout the state economy. Lawmakers remain deadlocked over the H2B visa program, which brings foreigners to the United States to work in temporary, low-paying and often grueling jobs that business owners say Americans won't take. The workers are required to leave the country when their visas expire. During the previous three years, employers were allowed to work around that limit by bringing back workers from past seasons. Under an exemption introduced by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat, to help Eastern Shore businesses, those employees - more than 69,000 nationwide last year - were not counted against the cap. But the so-called returning worker exemption expired in September. And while Mikulski was able to shepherd an extension through the Senate, it has been blocked in the House by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Crab-picking houses in Virginia and North Carolina have closed for want of the H2B workers. Brooks, who says he employed about 45 American workers last year in addition to 90 foreigners, warns of the impact that such closures in Maryland would have on "the whole economic network of the fishery," from the watermen to the truck drivers to the markets.

Curfew plans being altered

Annapolis council would apply law to entire city

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-te.md.curfew21mar21,0,491239.story

Rejecting the possibility of a curfew limited to public housing communities in Annapolis, city lawmakers are instead looking into enacting a citywide curfew for youngsters to help reduce violent crime. Joining in a chorus of criticism since Mayor Ellen O. Moyer floated the idea this week, the eight aldermen on the city council all said yesterday that targeting selected neighborhoods could be unconstitutional and would discriminate against people based on their socioeconomic status. Alderman Fred Paone, an Anne Arundel County prosecutor for 30 years, will lead the council's feasibility study on a youth curfew, but he said he doubts that such a measure would be effective. "Baltimore City, they have a curfew. And the last time I checked, [the curfew hasn't] put a dent in their crime rate. We don't want to do something just for the sake of doing something. We want to have a positive impact." Alderman David Cordle, who led an effort in 2002 to approve a curfew that failed, 5-3, said he plans to meet with the housing authority, clergy, the local Boys and Girls Club and police before taking a position this time.
"We're doing the same things over and over again, and perhaps now, people are seeing the light that we have to try something different," he said.

Councilman may revise bill to ease homebuilding

Dillon says he does not want provisions to threaten his effort to revamp law

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.schools23mar23,0,5516830.story

An Anne Arundel County councilman who is sponsoring a bill designed to overhaul the county's adequate facilities law for public schools said he may kill provisions that would allow home building within feeder systems overcrowded by as much as 10 percent. Councilman Ronald C. Dillon Jr., a Republican, said he does not want those controversial sections to jeopardize his efforts to revamp what he describes as a convoluted, outdated formula that determines where most homebuilding can occur, based on enrollment projections. The two councilmen and developers argue that the way county and state officials count students to determine which areas are open - or closed - to homebuilding is inaccurate because some schools that exceed the enrollment threshold on paper do have room for new students. School system officials said they are reviewing the adequate facilities bill, and Dillon said he would go before the school board next month to answer questions.

Racetracks Might Not Push Slots

Owners Question Need To Support Md. Vote

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/23/AR2008032301894.html

As both sides gird for a November referendum on slot machines in Maryland, some of the biggest potential beneficiaries of expanded gambling -- racetrack owners -- are hedging their bets on whether they will take part in the campaign. But representatives of both tracks -- which collectively have spent millions of dollars on lobbying and campaign contributions in recent years -- said in interviews that they have not decided whether, or to what extent, to get involved in what some say could be a $15 million campaign. Potomac developer William Rickman, who owns the Ocean Downs track on the Eastern Shore, questioned the need to be active in the effort, citing polls that have shown that majorities of Marylanders favor the legalization of slots. "It's going to take a lot of bad press to turn public opinion around," Rickman said, adding that his participation in the campaign could be awkward because his track would later have to bid for a slots license from the state. A spokesman for Magna Entertainment, a Canadian company that owns Laurel Park in Anne Arundel County, also cited the bidding process as a potential impediment to its involvement. The equivocation of the track owners has alarmed some in the racing industry, who argue that passage of the referendum is essential for Maryland to compete with surrounding states, where slots proceeds already supplement racing purses. "Given the millions of dollars involved, I do not believe for a minute that [the track owners] won't get involved before this is over," said Scott Arceneaux, a senior adviser to Marylanders United to Stop Slots, a new ballot-issue committee. Aaron Meisner, chairman of Stop Slots Maryland, said slots opponents expect to be greatly outspent. But he said his side is optimistic that support for slots will erode in the closing months of the campaign, as has happened in several other statewide referendums on gambling in recent years, including those in Colorado, Nebraska and Ohio. Frederick W. Puddester, a former state budget secretary whom O'Malley tapped to lead the pro-slots campaign, said he was not overly concerned about the early hesitance of the track owners.

O’Malley’s agenda faces rocky road ahead

http://www.gazette.net/stories/032108/polinew200952_32372.shtml

With just more than two weeks until Sine Die, several of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s top legislative priorities are in limbo or, worse, meeting heavy resistance in the General Assembly. The administration’s proposal to collect and store DNA samples upon arrest for serious crimes has rankled black legislators and civil liberties advocates, leaving its passage in jeopardy even after it has been amended to assuage some concerns. The Senate on Thursday diluted an O’Malley-backed proposal to reduce carbon emissions amid fears that the aggressive regulations could cause further energy price spikes and the loss of jobs. And several of O’Malley’s budget priorities, including funding for stem cell research, remain up in the air. Critics said it reflects poorly on O’Malley (D) that the fate of some of his top priorities are iffy this late in the session. ‘‘Members of the House and Senate, I think in their minds, feel that they have given at the office during the special session, put themselves out on a limb and are hearing from their constituents,” said House Minority Whip Christopher B. Shank (R-Dist. 2B) of Hagerstown. ‘‘They’re looking at Governor O’Malley’s dismal poll numbers and concluding that taking additional risks for this governor could be hazardous to their political health.” Even Republicans expect most of the governor’s initiatives to motor forward in the coming days. ‘‘I think most of these programs are going to get through and whether they pass at 11:59 on Sine Die or sometimes before then doesn’t matter,” said Sen. E.J. Pipkin (R-Dist. 36) of Elkton.

Computer services tax stays, for now

Republican questions sincerity of effort to repeal bill

http://www.gazette.net/stories/032108/polinew200953_32373.shtml

Four months after the curtain closed on the fall’s special legislative session, many state lawmakers say they are looking at the computer services tax they passed and thinking that they made a big mistake. Now, with just over two weeks before Sine Die, some say the pressure is on to figure out what to do about the tax while others feel that the debate has been a lot of talk that will result in little action. Del. Richard B. Weldon Jr. said he does not relish voting against the budget bill in the House of Delegates, as he and 33 others — all Republican — did on Thursday. But the debate over the computer services tax, which included votes on Wednesday to reject Republican-sponsored efforts to repeal it, was short on substance, he said. ‘‘I think it has mostly been rhetoric, and it’s a big part of why I voted against the budget today,” said Weldon (R-Dist. 3B) of Brunswick. Republicans offered compromises and cuts, he said. ‘‘The rest is just being put out there to keep the people who are affected by this from writing more e-mail and calling and protesting,” he said.

Bartlett campaign steady; economy hot-button issue

http://www.times-news.com/local/local_story_082002754.html

By looking at U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett’s daily schedule, one might not be able to tell the eight-term incumbent is in the home stretch of yet another campaign for re-election.
Bartlett, a Republican, said he’s treating the race for the 6th Congressional District with Democratic challenger Jennifer Dougherty of Frederick similar to any other year. Bartlett addressed his campaign tactics, along with the price of oil and food and other issues Wednesday during a visit to the Times-News. “We will do maybe three or four things that are uniquely campaign (related),” Bartlett said, such as debates and candidate forums. “The other things will be the things we did last year. We accept every invitation that we can to be as many places as we can.” “The No. 1 thing right now is going to be the economy,” Bartlett said. “That’s only true for the last five to six months. Before that, it would either have been illegal immigration or the war, depending on their individual circumstances.” He called Maryland’s brief foray into the illegal immigration debate “most interesting.”
“There’s no silver bullet,” Bartlett said, suggesting the need for a combination of nuclear, wind, solar, hydro and geothermal power sources. “Exploiting all of these things probably will produce as much electricity” the world uses now.

EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

The power plug

Our view: $1.5 billion in BGE rate relief is available - if state acts

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.bge23mar23,0,6791870.story

The Maryland General Assembly has an opportunity to shave a possible $1.5 billion off the future bills of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers. Lawmakers need to take it. Not only would that be a welcome reversal of recent trends, but it also might finally put to rest one of the most nagging concerns from the state's 1999 deregulation. At issue is how much BGE customers should be on the hook for the eventual decommissioning of reactors at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant owned by Constellation Energy Group, the utility's parent. Under the negotiated agreement, ratepayers are responsible for as much as $5.2 billion in cleanup costs by 2034. That's a lot of money - and it's not entirely clear whether so much is really needed. Constellation officials have informed the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the shutdown is likely to cost $3.7 billion. None of this changes the fact that energy prices are going up and will likely continue to do so. Maryland must look for ways to augment supply and to encourage conservation and alternative sources. But that doesn't mean an opportunity to right some regulatory wrongs of the past should be ignored.

Beyond curfews

Our view: Annapolis needs more targeted responses to crime

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.curfew24mar24,0,3923337.story

A disturbing increase in homicides has Annapolis officials considering possible curfews. But more research needs to be done before any restrictive proposals are put in place. Mayor Ellen O. Moyer has asked a City Council committee to look into some possible options, including a gun buy-back program and a citywide curfew on youths or on all public housing residents. Anyone entering a public housing complex might also be required to show identification or proof of residency. But a curfew limited to public housing residents smacks of discrimination, and one imposed on all youths would make sense only if it could be shown that they are more likely to be perpetrators or victims of crime - and if other reforms were included. Better monitoring and surveillance of public housing developments by housing authority officials or city police could help identify residents and outsiders engaging in crime.

Make transparency Maryland’s policy

http://www.examiner.com/a-1297728~Make_transparency_Maryland_s_policy.html

It’s not Israel and Palestine reconciling, but it’s a Maryland version. Democrats and Republicans are holding hands in Annapolis. So are Common Cause and the National Taxpayers Union. What’s fueling their rapprochement? Government transparency. Specifically, a bill to make state expenditures above $25,000 available online in an easily searchable database like the one offered by the federal government, USAspending.gov. They know there is no more fiscally responsible bill in Annapolis in 2008. Similar legislation passed in other states has helped to save millions by making it easy to detect duplicate orders or overspending. In our opinion, the $25,000 threshold is too high. We’d like to see it start at $10,000 so more information would be available. But it’s a start. With money scarce in Annapolis, there is no better time to make government spending available in a comprehensive and easily accessible format.

Bill would allow more rational decisions on school capacity

By Councilman JAMIE BENOIT and Councilman RON DILLON

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/03_23-26/OPN

On March 17 we introduced a bill to the County Council to revise the calculation of the adequacy of public facilities, or APF, for schools. It was billed by this newspaper as an effort to "intentionally overcrowd schools" (The Sunday Capital, March 16). The headline reflects neither our intentions nor the bill's potential outcomes. Current school capacity decisions are made using bad data. During the last several years, this has led to chronic overcrowding at some schools, while neighboring schools lie fallow and far undercapacity. Our unbalanced school population, coupled with our approach to building schools, is the direct cause of Anne Arundel County's repeated failure, when compared to similarly sized counties, to secure more state school money. A school's "projected enrollment" is the critical piece of information on which decisions about whether it may take on additional students are based. If the data used to determine projected enrollment are inaccurate, the decision to open a school to new students will be unsound. Our highest duty as elected officials is to make sure our school system is funded and efficiently managed so that your children get the same education we are so proud to have received. This legislation is one attempt to fulfill that duty.

Illegal-immigration blues

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080323/EDITORIAL/700603054/1013/EDITORIAL

As neighboring states like Virginia make it increasingly difficult for illegal aliens to get driver's licenses, Maryland is increasingly becoming an island — a state that stands alone as a weak point when it comes to maintaining the integrity of driver's licenses. Maryland is one of just five states that do not require that driver's license applicants be able to show they are in the United States legally, according to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). Bills introduced by Sen. David Brinkley, Frederick Republican (S.B. 621) and Delegate Ron George, Anne Arundel Republican, requiring that applicants for driver's licenses provide a birth certificate or other evidence showing that they are legally present in the United States, have stalled. In the 141-member House, Mr. George has 58 sponsors — all 37 Republicans plus 21 Democrats — for his bill (H.B. 288) to require that effective Oct. 1, license applicants must be able to demonstrate by that they are legally present in Maryland. For now, the O'Malley administration's legislative priority is killing off the Brinkley and George Bills. So, the MVA has quietly released position papers which take no official position on either bill, raising questions about the costs and "confusion" resulting from the new regulations (welcome to government 101). Bureaucratic niceties aside, the bottom line is this: if H.B. 288 and S.B. 621 die this year, the governor believes that in 2009, with a Democrat in the White House, tougher standards for obtaining driver's licenses will whither on the vine.

Dodging the Test

Maryland legislators try to gut assessments for high school students.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/23/AR2008032301424.html

MARYLAND'S deadline tying high school assessments to graduation is approaching, and that's causing some to worry. There's nothing unusual about test anxiety. What's unbelievable is that there are some supposed grown-ups in the legislature who think it's okay to tell students having a hard time to, well, just forget it. Lawmakers should not gut a program that aims to make a high school diploma more than a piece of paper. Bills are pending in the General Assembly that would either eliminate the tests or severely weaken them as requirements for graduation. Maryland education officials already -- and we think unwisely -- compromised the policy by allowing a substitute for the tests. Students who fail will be given the option of completing a project. The worry that vast numbers of students are going to fail appears to be unfounded: Education officials estimate that 87 percent of Maryland students who have taken all four high school assessments have passed the requirement. Maryland lawmakers historically have left education policy to the state board. Should they break that tradition, we trust that Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), who does not support the measures, will use his authority to affirm the meaning of a high school diploma.