20080408 News Clips

NewsClips 04-08-2008

STATE NEWS

Session 2008 Ends: Lawmakers Approve Constellation Deal; Reject O'Malley Global Warming Bill; Speed Camera Bill Dies

http://wbal.com/stories/templates/news.aspx?articleid=4419&zoneid=2

Lawmakers spent all day and evening Monday considering hundreds of bills. One of the last bills approved would ban the expansion of electronic bingo machines, which legislative leaders claimed amounted to illegal slot machines. A bill backed by Governor Martin O'Malley to place speed cameras in highway work zones did not pass. A conference committee did approve a compromise version of the bill, but the full Senate did not consider it before midnight, because Republicans had threatened a filibuster. 'Speed cameras are gone, and I think it's clear if there had been a majority in the Senate, it would have come up," Senate Majority Whip Allan Kittleman told WBAL News. In one of the final major votes of the session, lawmakers gave final approval to a multi-billion-dollar settlement between the state and Constellation Energy over monthly credits to BGE customers. Lawmakers decided to kill the governor's proposal to address climate change by slashing carbon emissions. The governor told WBAL News last night that he will introduce the bill again next year. This morning, Governor O'Malley will sign more than 100 bills enacted during the session, including the repeal of the computer service sales tax. The governor will also sign legislation to help homeowners facing foreclosures, as well as create a new state Department of Information Technology. The governor is expected to decide the fate of hundreds of other bills over the next two months.

Democrats see victory as session concludes

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.session08apr08,0,2454892.story

The General Assembly adjourned last night after an annual session that saw the passage of new protections for homeowners against foreclosures and new funding for consumer energy efficiency incentives but the failure of legislation authorizing statewide speed cameras and banning the use of hand-held cellular phones while driving. O'Malley and legislative leaders highlighted their achievements in spite of an economic downturn that hampered their ability to roll out new spending initiatives. Much of the legislature's agenda this year has been dominated by O'Malley's priorities, because major spending bills introduced by lawmakers were generally rejected because of budget concerns. Republicans, however, said that many new Democratic initiatives would hurt taxpayers and businesses. "A lot of things we've done will be very damaging, especially the economic ones," said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell, who represents Southern Maryland.

BGE's customers to get $170 rebate

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.rates08apr08,0,3890845.story

BGE customers will get one-time rebates of $170 and other benefits totaling $2 billion in the coming years under a settlement agreement with the utility's parent company approved by the General Assembly last night. The deal passed in the final hours of the General Assembly session after the Senate reversed course on an amendment seeking to partially reregulate Maryland's electric utilities. The agreement ended a bitter public and legal feud, with both sides agreeing to drop lawsuits against each other.
But the truce was cast in doubt Friday, when the Senate tacked an extra provision onto the settlement. The amendment, offered by Rosapepe and Sen. E.J. Pipkin, an Eastern Shore Republican, would have required any new power plant built in Maryland to offer its electricity for sale in the state and to be subject to regulation by the state Public Service Commission. Sen. Nathaniel J. McFadden, a Baltimore City Democrat who voted for the Pipkin-Rosapepe amendment, said he had been getting a lot of pressure from O'Malley's office. McFadden said his constituents are excited about the $170 credit, but he worried it wouldn't be enough because it would just be a one-time payment.

DNA collection bill wins approval

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-dna0407,0,5838470.story

The Maryland General Assembly cruised toward adjournment tonight, approving an expansion of DNA sample collections in Maryland's legal system. The DNA measure allows the collection of genetic material from people who have been charged with violent crimes and burglary. With most of the heavy lifting behind them, lawmakers were working on some final details in the waning hours. Lawmakers decided to set up a panel to review capital punishment and whether it should be repealed. Another bill that has been getting attention in recent days is a proposal to change state law to fill the seat of departing Rep. Albert Wynn. The General Assembly also approved the state's $1.5 billion capital budget, which includes $333 million for school construction, about a third of the budget for state buildings.

Lawmakers pass county police force referendum

http://www.examiner.com/a-1326669~Lawmakers_pass_county_police_force_referendum.html

Voters will decide the primary police agency in Carroll after a bill creating a referendum survived lawmakers’ infighting. On the last day of the General Assembly’s session, Del. Susan Krebs, R-District 9B, threatened to block the bill’s passage if Sen. Larry Haines, R-District 5, did not stop holding up two other bills supported by the delegation. One of those bills allowed liquor stores in Carroll to stay open on Sundays; the other expanded the board of commissioners from three to five members elected by districts, a measure that failed two years ago. Krebs said Monday her plan to use the police referendum as leverage worked, and all the bills were expected to pass. “We’ve had a number of local bills not get through the Senate and we’re getting a little frustrated about it,” Krebs said. “We’re working as a delegation and we’re trying to get all the bills through, and then we find out he’s working behind the scenes.” County commissioners voted unanimously in October to create a police department with an appointed chief while reducing the Sheriff’s Office and abolishing the state’s only Resident Trooper Program, in which the county contracts troopers to patrol it. But Sheriff Kenneth Tregoning and many residents have spoken against it, and they say the public was excluded from the decision.

DNA sampling extended to felony suspects

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/METRO/364012598/1004

The Maryland General Assembly cruised toward adjournment yesterday, signing off on a $2 billion settlement with Constellation Energy Group Inc. and approving an expansion of DNA-sample collections in Maryland's legal system before adjourning for the year at midnight. But lawmakers ended up killing a bill to address global warming by slashing carbon emissions. A House committee voted down a proposal to slash carbon emissions 25 percent by 2020. The DNA measure allows the collection of genetic material from people who have been charged with violent crimes and burglary. "The DNA bill was our top public safety priority, and that will, in essence, allow local police officers to be able to solve more violent crimes and get predators off the street — put them behind bars before they rape or murder other citizens again," Gov. Martin O'Malley told reporters. Lawmakers decided to set up a panel to review capital punishment. The proposal came after it became apparent earlier this year that lawmakers were not going to abolish the death penalty. Legislation needed final approval from both chambers by midnight, or the bills would die for the year. Many other bills needed fine-tuning to eliminate differences between the House and Senate versions. But Sen. Allan H. Kittleman, Howard Republican, said much of the session was devoted to cleaning up errors made during November's special session. Lawmakers ended up repealing a $200 million computer-services tax and replacing it partly with a tax on people who make more than $1 million a year. He also said the General Assembly should have made more budget cuts. "We said it many times — that we don't have a revenue problem in Maryland," Mr. Kittleman said. "We have a spending problem. ... We just have this desire to spend money."

Funeral home bill advances

With zoning OK, city chain could build in Balto. Co.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.co.council08apr08,0,3905991.story

A Baltimore funeral home chain likely will be able to expand to Baltimore County under legislation that unanimously won approval from County Council members last night. The zoning measure allows funeral homes to be built on cemeteries in certain rural areas with special permission. "It seems rather sensible," said Councilman T. Bryan McIntire, a north county Republican who co-sponsored the legislation with Councilman Kenneth N. Oliver, a Randallstown Democrat. Having a funeral home at the same location as a large cemetery reduces traffic, McIntire said. And because the company still must have permission of the zoning commissioner, a public hearing will be held before the new funeral home is approved, Oliver said.

EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

A notable decline in crime

Our view: Targeting violent offenders is paying off

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.murder08apr08,0,1166234.story

Frederick H. Bealefeld III has been doing police work for too many years to be giddy about the reported drop in murders in Baltimore. As the city's police commissioner, he can take a certain amount of credit for the apparent milestone: 50 murders in the first three months of this year, marking the lowest quarter in 23 years. But his guarded optimism about what the statistic means for Baltimore is a wise sentiment. Mayor Dixon has taken a more holistic approach to stopping the violence, calling for an end to wholesale arrests for quality-of-life crimes and emphasizing community-based programs that focus on prevention. But fewer murders in one 90-day period won't make residents in the most crime-ridden neighborhoods feel safe enough to sit on their porches at dusk or walk their dogs at night. As days grow longer and daylight lingers, the city's fight to take violent criminals off the street will face the test of a hot Baltimore summer. Success should be measured over time, not one day at a time.

Evil millionaires latest tax casualty

http://www.examiner.com/a-1326647~Evil_millionaires_latest_tax_casualty.html

Repealing the sales tax on computer services makes sense. But taxing millionaires to replace the lost revenue is about as logical as going to war to reap economic boom. This exchange only shifts the burden; it does not help to stimulate the economy as legislators and the governor claim. This is especially so because many entrepreneurs who would have been hit by the computer services sales tax will now see their incomes drained through another route. Anyway, even if our governor and legislators think the rich are trapped, that thinking is shortsighted. Maryland’s growth depends not just on those who live here, but those who choose to live and to start businesses in Maryland in the future. Gov. Martin O’Malley, who supported the tech tax before finding a less desperate, less vocal and smaller group to skewer, would serve all Marylanders well by outlining his vision for a fair tax system and sticking by it. That would help to prevent random acts of taxation in future legislative sessions and show members of the business community the state wants to foster the kind of stable tax climate they need to thrive.