20080401 New Clips

News Clips 04-01-2008

STATE NEWS

Amid budget struggle, O'Malley ups 'core' spending request

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.spend01apr01001517,0,7568870.story

As lawmakers worked yesterday to trim state spending to balance Maryland's budget for next year, Gov. Martin O'Malley proposed $18.2 million in new expenditures, much of it earmarked for health care, programs for children with disabilities and a fund to help the poor pay their electricity bills. O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese defended the governor's submission of a supplemental budget request - an annual tradition - at a time when lawmakers are struggling to balance the state budget and repeal an unpopular computer services tax. "This is a very lean supplemental budget that goes directly to making government more effective and more efficient," Abbruzzese said. He said the governor focused his spending requests on "core services" such as juvenile services, state police and aid for infants and toddlers with learning disabilities. O'Malley's additional spending requests reduce by about $8 million the $181 million in unspent funds that lawmakers had reserved to cover unanticipated drops in revenue or increases in costs, Abbruzzese said. But still unresolved is the question of how to keep the budget in balance while repealing Maryland's new tax on computer services - a growing priority for O'Malley and a majority of the General Assembly.

Legislature to withhold Morgan planning funds

University must overhaul procurement procedures

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/college/bal-md.morgan01apr01,0,1792815.story

Top lawmakers have agreed to withhold more than $3.1 million in planning money for Morgan State University's new $80 million business school until the university overhauls its procurement processes, which are under criminal investigation by the state attorney general's office. The proposal, which the House of Delegates approved last night, is the legislature's response to an audit report that uncovered millions in questionable contracts at the Northeast Baltimore school. Under the terms of the restrictions, Morgan State would be required to hire an independent management consultant to review the university's capital project management and recommend comprehensive reforms in order to receive the $3.1 million, as well as about $750,000 earmarked for an ongoing campus utility project.

Power auctions cleared

PSC regulators find no wrongdoing by Constellation Energy

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-md.rates01apr01,0,6398410.story

Maryland's top utility watchdog said yesterday that regulators found no wrongdoing on the part of Constellation Energy Group during wholesale power auctions several years ago that caused household electricity bills in the state to skyrocket.

Steven B. Larsen, chairman of the Public Service Commission, told state lawmakers yesterday that the regulatory body found no evidence of collusion in the 2005-2006 wholesale power auctions that caused a 72 percent price increase for households buying power from Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., which is a subsidiary of Constellation.

There was no reason to believe that the rates weren't "just and reasonable," Larsen said. Larsen appeared at a hearing yesterday before the Senate Finance Committee to testify on legislation that would implement the state's settlement with Constellation.

Sen. Rob Garagiola, a Montgomery County Democrat on the committee, said the settlement gives much-needed "closure" to a number of outstanding issues, including the auction inquiry. "A lot of energy has been expended looking backward, and that needed to be done, but we need to start looking forward with respect to where Maryland goes from here," he said.

Lobbyists target Zirkin to repeal computer tax

http://www.examiner.com/a-1313146~Lobbyists_target_Zirkin_to_repeal_computer_tax.html

Baltimore County Sen. Bobby Zirkin was a loud opponent of the computer services sales tax enacted in November’s special session. Now he’s one of the few senators on the Budget and Taxation Committee who are the focus of intense lobbying to repeal it, replacing half of it with a surcharge on millionaires. “At the end of the day, I will make up my mind to see what the package is,” Zirkin said, refusing to say whether he would support a tax increase. “Nothing could be more important now as getting rid of the technology tax,” because it would be so damaging to Maryland’s economy.

Bill prompted by drag racing deaths gets preliminary approval

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/04_01-01/OUD

A bill to expand the use of speed cameras in Prince George's County has received preliminary approval from the Maryland Senate after a close vote. The bill was prompted by eight deaths last month at an illegal drag race near Accokeek. It would allow county authorities to put speed cameras on highways with speed limits up to 55 mph. The bill enables more extensive use of speed monitoring cameras in Prince George's than a statewide proposal to allow them in highway work zones and in local jurisdictions that approve their use in neighborhoods and near schools.

'Tech Tax' Repeal Likely to Clear Md. Senate Panel

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/31/AR2008033102710.html

The governor and legislative leaders have corralled enough votes to send a bill to the full Maryland Senate that would repeal the state's new tax on computer services and offset part of the lost revenue with a surcharge on the income of millionaires, a key lawmaker said yesterday. The apparent breakthrough, with a week remaining in the legislative session, came amid intense lobbying by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and a flood of phone calls yesterday from representatives of the information technology industry to wavering members of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. Momentum to repeal the computer services tax has grown considerably in recent weeks, but some Democrats have warned of the political consequences of embracing another tax increase, particularly given the sluggish economy. Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Frederick) said he does not anticipate any Republican support for a repeal of the computer services tax that includes the imposition of another tax. Republicans hold 14 of the Senate's 47

seats. "We don't believe that's necessary," Brinkley said. "There's an alternative, which is to cut back on the spending increases."

Seasonal-worker shortage looms

http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/OPI05/804010309/-1/OPI

Throughout the United States, employers in 2008 were limited to hiring a total of 66,000 seasonal workers in nonagricultural jobs through the federal visa program called H2B. But an extension to the program that in past years granted additional workers employers say were needed was not passed by Congress for 2008. Seafood packing companies on Maryland's Eastern Shore were able to place H2B workers from the 66,000 federal pool for this summer's seasonal operations, said Melissa Schwartz, spokeswoman for Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), a major supporter for an extension of the H2B cap. Aggressiveness by employers to get applications forwarded in time helped the process, she said. "Maryland companies that fought all received visas in time," she said last week. "We walked Maryland businesses through the process to make sure they got the workers they needed." The quota this year limits the number of H2B workers coming to the Eastern Shore to between 4,000 and 5,000, of which an estimated 1,000 will be in the seafood industry, said Bill Sieling, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association. "We are simply trying to extend the guest worker provision that has expired. Small and seasonal businesses are counting on us, and we are letting them down," Mikulski said last week. "We cannot let the businesses who rely on us be forced to limit services, lay off permanent U.S. workers, or worse yet, close their doors."

State to get $5.7 million for BRAC costs

http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?id=4892&type=UTTM

Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger says the federal government will give Maryland $5.7 million to help prepare the state for the new jobs coming to the state under military base realignment. The money will for road improvements, transit facilities and workforce training.
According to Ruppersberger's office, the money will pay for road improvements near Aberdeen Proving Ground, traffic light synchronization along Route 175 near Fort Meade, lane widening on the Baltimore Beltway and to build and improve bus facilities.

EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

Boosterism

Our view: Maryland's child seat law needs an update

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.boosters01apr01,0,5404185.story

For children between the ages of 4 and 8 - too old for a child safety seat and too young or small for just a seat belt - a booster seat can be a lifesaver. Studies show that when combined with a shoulder belt, the booster seat can reduce serious injury in a crash by 60 percent. All of Maryland's neighboring states require boosters for children through the age of 7. It's time Maryland caught up. Under current state law, boosters are only required for children through age 5, regardless of weight, and for those who weigh 40 pounds or less regardless of age. That's just not adequate. The state Senate recently approved legislation to change the requirement - but may actually have made things worse by amending Maryland law to require booster seats for children up to 50 pounds and deleting the age standard entirely.

If Maryland brings the booster seat law in line with neighboring states (and the national model), the state will also be eligible for $1 million in federal grants for traffic safety education and booster seat loan programs. But the more pressing reason to pass the law is to protect the estimated 154,009 Maryland children ages 6 and 7 who aren't required to use a booster now.

Tots, Teens and Safety

Maryland lawmakers have a chance to save some young lives

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/31/AR2008033102406.html

TUCKED INTO the end-of-session bundle of bills before the Maryland General Assembly are several auto safety and teen drinking measures that address major problems for minor travelers. One proposal would suspend driver's licenses for teens who commit serious infractions; another would bring Maryland's child booster-seat laws into line with those of every nearby state and the District. Both are sound lifesaving proposals, worthy of passage. In addition, a bill scheduled to be taken up in a House committee today would classify "alcopops" -- fruity beverages laced with alcohol -- as beer, which they are not; they are distilled spirits. Beers are taxed at a lower rate and can be sold at convenience stores and other spots more likely to be frequented by young people. The makers of these seemingly innocent but decidedly loaded drinks are pushing hard for the bill, but thoughtful lawmakers should resist. If lawmakers need added incentive, passage would make the state eligible for extra federal highway safety funds -- $1 million over two years -- for traffic safety services such as loaner and free booster seats and safety education programs. Countless studies show that booster seats significantly reduce injuries and save young lives. That should be incentive enough to enact a sensible bill before adjournment.

Editorial: Md.’s diversity police trample basic freedoms

http://www.examiner.com/a-1313133~Md__s_diversity_police_trample_basic_freedoms.html

L egislation to force institutions of higher learning in Maryland to create “cultural diversity” programs is making its way through the General Assembly with little opposition from lawmakers — who should be defending academic freedom, not crushing it. HB 905, which passed the House of Delegates 122-to-9, requires all colleges and universities that receive state aid to submit a yearly report on what they’ve done “to promote and enhance cultural diversity.” A companion bill sailed through the state Senate on an equally lopsided 41-6 vote. Campus multiculturalism has been sold to the taxpaying public as a sort of benign foreign-exchange program that teaches students to respect different cultures and religions. The reality is that these programs have devolved into ugly caricatures of toleration used by leftist professors and administrators as battering rams against free speech, merit-based advancement, religious liberty and national unity. Things will only get worse if this unnecessary and dangerous legislation is signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley. Then all of Maryland’s institutions of higher learning, public and private, will be forced to bow before the same multicultural idol. That’s oppression, not diversity.