Dear Carroll County Voter,
The session has been moving slowly so far because we have not had bills to vote on as yet. However, our committees have been meeting and have had briefings on the budgets of many state agencies.
The highlight of today was the State of the State speech by Governor O'Malley. All of the Senators came into the House Chamber to hear the speech, and many elected officials from around the state were in attendance, including Congressman Roscoe Bartlett.
The governor's budget proposal reduces the expected budget deficit by 400 million dollars, from 1.6 billion to 1.2 billion. The Governor's budget is also 2 billion dollars higher than last year's, increasing from 32 billion to 34 billion.
The governor's budget proposal includes a $750 bonus for state employees and provides them an additional 5 days of paid leave, which will cost the tax payers millions of dollars. Although it is good that the Govenor does not plan to furlough the state employees as he had done many times before, it is possible that furloughs or layoffs would result from the strain on the budget in the coming years.
Although the governor has said that he will not increase taxes, his plan includes increases in hospital and nursing home costs. For example, the Carroll Hospital Center has told me that their assessment for this year is 11.1 million dollars and next year the assessment will be 18 million dollars. This will make our hospital costs increase, which will cost insurance companies more and we will then have to pay higher health insurance rates. This is just one example of where the governor will increase costs to the citizens without "raising taxes".
His plan will increase other fees that will affect small businesses, including an increase in worker's compensation insurance premiums when they are already very high. The governor emphasized job creation as a priority, but I feel that the only way to encourage business growth is through easing excessive regulations and reducing Maryland's oppressive tax burden.
In his State of the State address, the governor stated that we need to support an expansion of wind energy. This is a good goal, but wind energy should not be mutually exclusive to other sources of energy. He did not mention the creaion of a new nuclear power plant at Calvert Cliffs, which would also bring in jobs and clean power in a real and proven way.
Thanks, Nancy Stocksdale
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Important Upcoming Events
February 10 - Public hearing for bill to permit deer hunting on 2 Sundays a year. The meeting will be held 7Pm Carroll County Office Building, Room 3.
February 17 - Committee hearing for House Bill 284. The bill would reduce interests rates on a renter's security deposits from 3% to 1%.
News from Carroll County Delegate Nancy Stocksdale and the Maryland General Assembly
February 3, 2011
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