20071031 News Clips

News Clips

Oct. 31, 2007

STATE NEWS

Ehrlich keeps profile high, options open
Some infer preparation for a political comeback
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.ehrlich31oct31,0,793656.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout

Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. seems to be everywhere. He and his wife, Kendel, take calls on a weekly radio show. He's exhorting Marylanders to oppose his successor's tax and slots plan - an "insulting, phony piece of junk," he says. He has written a newspaper op-ed piece chastising the new administration. He's talking to college students at Towson University and fills in later this week behind the counter of an Annapolis-area coffee shop. What, exactly, is Bob Ehrlich up to?

"It looks very much to me that he really wants to make a political comeback," said Matthew Crenson, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University. "He has done everything he can to keep himself in the public eye."

"Any former governor, especially one at Bob Ehrlich's young age, can be a public policy player, and I think any good politician would proceed at a manner that leaves their options open," said Kevin Igoe, a Republican strategist.

Still, some Democratic lawmakers believe that Ehrlich is playing a behind-the-scenes role in Annapolis, pushing legislators to defeat a plan that O'Malley says is needed to close a projected $1.7 billion gap.

But Del. Christopher B. Shank, the House minority whip from Western Maryland, who has appeared on Ehrlich's radio program, rejected that view.
Shank and other Republican leaders said they welcome the forum that Ehrlich has provided on his radio program to foster debate on state issues.

"He certainly is reminding his listeners and the public of these issues," said Sen. David R. Brinkley, the minority leader from Frederick County. "Anytime you have an individual who can get the public interested and activated, how is society harmed by that?"

Brown ties BRAC economic promise to tax plan

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-md.brac31oct31,0,2674086.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout
The economic promise for Maryland of military base realignment could falter if lawmakers fail to approve tax increases the O'Malley administration is seeking to upgrade highways and transit systems, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown warned yesterday.

Brown, who is overseeing the administration's base-growth planning, said the state's ability to absorb up to 60,000 new jobs around its military installations may depend on finding the money needed to widen highway s and expand transit serving Aberdeen Proving Ground, Fort Meade and other facilities over the next few years.

Minority business owners have complained of being ignored or shut out of lucrative federal contracts, particularly a $477 million job recently awarded to build offices at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin said in a telephone interview from Washington yesterday that he is pressing the Department of Defense, the Small Business Administration and other federal agencies to report to him on what steps they are taking to ensure that minority businesses get a shot at base-related contracts in Maryland.

City's eye on slots site
Favored location is warehouse area south of stadiums
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-te.md.ci.gateway31o c t31,0,3597868.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout
An 11-acre warehouse district south of Baltimore's sports stadiums would become the home of a new slots facility under a proposal by Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration that officials said could cut city property taxes, The Sun has learned.
If the statewide proposal to legalize slot machines is approved, Dixon would push the site - which is owned almost entirely by the city - as the best option to keep gambling out of residential neighborhoods and give Baltimore greater control over the facility's operation.
As part of the proposal, the city would rent the land to a private company and use the proceeds to reduce Baltimore's property tax rate and help build 10 schools.
"Even if this measure passes, there will be a year of advocacy groups on both sides of the issue lobbying for voter support," Polakoff said. "Come November 2008, voters will vote on this, and not until then will we know that any of this is even a reality." Some noted that, during Orioles and Ravens games, surrounding neighborhoods become swamped with traffic and parking headaches. They questioned the impact that a year-round slots facility might have. Others object to the proposal for broader, anti-gambling reasons.

O'Malley ties plan to fund tax break, voters' OK of slots
Expansion of Medicaid benefits, more for school construction, also linked
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-te.md.taxes31oct31,0,3300896.story?coll=bal_tab01_layout
Gov. Martin O'Malley has tied voter approval of legalizing slot machine gambling to funding of his plans for a property tax cut for homeowners, expansion of the Medicaid program for childless adults, and a boost in spending for school construction.
If the General Assembly places a slots referendum on the November ballot next year and voters approve it, the state would get enough revenue to offset a proposed 3-cent property tax cut for homeowners from fiscal year 2010 through 2012 - and also hundreds of millions more for health care and higher education, Joseph C. Bryce, O'Malley's legislative director, told lawmakers yesterday. But if voters reject the slots constitutional amendment, then the state won't be able to reduce its property tax rate, Bryce said at a joint session of three legislative committees reviewing O'Malley's budget plan.

Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley, a Republican who represents Carroll and Frederick counties, asked Bryce about Comptroller Peter Franchot's recent statement that the state does not face an "immediate fiscal crisis" because the current budget is balanced.

Brinkley said O'Malley's projections of state revenue from legalizing slot-machine gambling - $59 million in fiscal year 2010, $459 million in 2011, and $724 million in 2012 - show that the legislature does not have to take action during the special session.

Majority favor slots
County residents favor some tax rises, not others, poll finds
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.survey31oct31,0,7948652.story
Anne Arundel County residents' opinions are decidedly mixed on Gov. Martin O'Malley's tax proposals to balance the state budget, with strong majorities favoring raising taxes on businesses and high-income earners but opposing increases in the sales and car-titling taxes, according to a new survey. The Anne Arundel Community College poll, released yesterday as state lawmakers returned to Annapolis for a special session to weigh O'Malley's tax package, found that 6 1 percent of respondents support bringing slots to Maryland.

Nearly half (47 percent) said a greater focus should be placed on cutting state programs than raising taxes. Nearly three in 10 (27 percent) said the emphasis should be on raising taxes.

Republicans have opposed the suggested tax increases. Some lawmakers in both major parties have expressed unease about O'Malley's proposed referendum on slots that would allow up to 15,000 machines in five Maryland locations, including 4,250 in Anne Arundel County, presumably at Laurel Park.

State legislature begins debate on O'Malley plan
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/10_30-30/GOV
Against a divisive background of protest and partisan dissent, Gov. Martin O'Malley opened the General Assembly's special session yesterday preaching the need to find consensus. From increasing the sa l es tax from five to six cents on the dollar to reforming the income tax and hiking the corporate tax from 7 to 8 percent, Mr. O'Malley's sweeping plan will affect the pocketbooks of every Marylander. Before the legislature went into session, nearly 200 people gathered at Lawyers Mall to protest Mr. O'Malley's tax proposals. Holding signs that read "Stop O'Malley's Massive Tax Hikes" and "Welcome to O'Malley-fornia," people chanted, "No more taxes."
"The people are already out of money," Sen. Janet Greenip, R-Crofton, said at the rally. "All we need (to solve the deficit) is for government to live within its means."
At the moment, Republican senators and many Republican delegates have withdrawn their support for legalizing slot machines. This endangers Mr. O'Malley's slots plan, which would establish 15,000 machines at five locations, with 4,250 of them in Laurel.

The license fees would be much more expensive, raising $850 million next year versus t he $50 million in the governor's plan, said Mr. Schuh, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. "It accomplishes everything (the governor) is trying to accomplish, plus it helps solve the deficit," he said. "It will enable him to rely less on taxes."

O'Malley links tax cuts, health coverage to slots
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071031/METRO/110310078/1004
Gov. Martin O'Malley yesterday warned that if his plan to legalize slot machines is rejected, he will not cut property taxes, freeze college tuition, increase spending on school construction or expand health care coverage. "Because of the necessity of sending slots to referendum to forge that consensus, we needed to adjust some of the startups and some of the enhancements within this plan to accommodate for its success or its failure." However, Democrats and Republicans who returned to Annapolis on Monday for a special assembly session to resolve the budget issue were apprehensive of his new strategy.
"I think holding things hostage is not necessarily a good plan," said Sen. John C. Astle, Anne Arundel Democrat.
House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell, Southern Maryland Republican, said, "I wish he would stop threatening people. It's very unbecoming of him." The O'Malley administration also would scrap devoting 50 percent of corporate income tax revenue as a steady source of money for higher education, if slots are not approved.
And Mr. O'Malley would limit his plans to expand health care coverage to 100,000 of 800,000 uninsured Maryland residents.
Lawmakers began hearings on the governor's plan to cut education funding yesterday and heard from budget analysts who said they estimated that the shortfall is now $1.5 billion.

County targets income tax plan
Delegation says Montgomery will bear too heavy a burden
http://www.gazette.net/stories/103107/montnew90613_32356.shtml
Montgomery lawmakers are crafting an alternative to Gov. Martin O'Malley's income tax plan that would shift collections away from the county, which they say is unjustly burdened by the plan.

''The majority of the delegation is opposing the governor's plan," said Sen. Rona E. Kramer (D-Dist. 14) of Olney. ''They feel Montgomery County contributes a very, very large portion of the tax rate and it gets very little back." O'Malley's plan is designed to make the tax brackets more progressive - that is, have lower-income families pay a smaller portion of their wages in taxes and have we a lthier filers pay more. Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville has introduced legislation to repeal a 1997 tax cut that reduced the top rate from 5 percent to 4.75 percent and doubled the personal exemption to $2,400.
Lawmakers say this benefits Montgomery. O'Malley's plan draws 83 percent of its income from the county; eliminating the tax cut means 25 percent of the income comes from Montgomery.

Today: Gas, Corporate Tax Hearing; Calls For Cuts In County Aid
http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=65048

Hearings resume today in Annapolis as the special session of the Maryland General Assembly enters its third day.

Members of four legislative committees hold a joint hearing this morning on Governor Martin O'Malley's transportation funding plan which the governor says is needed to pay for overdue road and bridge construction projects.

That package includes a plan to boost the gasoline tax from 23.5 to 24-cents per gallon in January. Future annual increases would be tied to construction costs.The governor also repeated his warning today of dramatic cuts in state services, including the closings of State Police barracks, and state parks, if lawmakers do not approve his tax and slots plan that he says is needed to eliminate a structural budget deficit of up to $1.7-billion.

O'Malley told WBAL News that the cuts could take effect before July 1, when the new fiscal year for the state begins.

Aides to Governor O'Malley have told lawmakers voters must approve a slots referendum next year, if they want to see cuts in the state's property tax, or expand health insurance for the uninsured.

Governor O'Malley says that's because the state won't realize the $500-million slots will generate annually, unless the referendum is approved. O'Malley says he's advocating the referendum to try to end the heated debate over a slots law that he says may not pass.

EDITORIALS-OP-EDS

Halloween goes all tasteful
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.vozzella31oct31,0,4963624.column
Martin O'Malley's critics say he's a spender. Can't prove it by the Halloween decorations at the governor's mansion. The hundreds of tax protesters who rallied on Lawyers Mall this week might have taken heart if they'd glanced at Government House next door: Two ghosts and a scarecrow. Hay bales. Cornstalks. A pair of leaf wreaths. Some mums. Call it classic Annapolis. Understated. Dignified. I say, skimpy. Under the top. A little, well, Montgomery County.

In raising Maryland's vehicle titling tax, take trade-ins into account
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.titletax31oct31,0,884498.story
A proposal to raise the vehicle titling tax by 20 percent is scheduled for a hearing in the Maryland General Assembly today. Legislators have an opportunity to align Maryland's vehicle taxation process with the 44 states that deduct the value of a trade-in when calculating sales tax on a vehicle purchase.

Maryland automobile dealers recognize the need for increased transportation funding. But when a customer trades in a used vehicle with value and is still taxed as if the old vehicle is worthless, that represents double taxation. Therefore, state automobile dealers have made a proposal to Gov. Martin O'Malley and the General Assembly: Increase the titling tax from 5 percent to 6 percent, but tax consumers only on the difference between the new vehicle price and the value of a use d car trade-in.

These are not happy days for Maryland dealers. The climate for automobile sales is the worst we've seen in a decade, and economists predict the worst is yet to come. If Maryland consumers are not purchasing vehicles now, why will they purchase when the titling tax is increased 20 percent? Maryland is not making any money unless a car dealer sells a vehicle.

Increasing the titling tax by 20 percent and assessing tax on the used car trade difference is a reasonable solution that would benefit the state and Maryland consumers alike.

High stakes in the special session
http://www.gazette.net/stories/103107/montedi45529_32355.shtml
When running for the highest office in the state, Gov. Martin O'Malley deftly sidestepped the difficult question of how he would manage the growing deficit in Maryland's budget. In his first ye a r, the governor sidestepped the difficult question again. He told state agencies to tighten their belts - not exactly the kind of efficiency miracle he promised. And then he tapped the state's reserve account, pulling some $900 million from the so-called rainy day fund.
So, here we are headed into year two and the governor is out of time and soon, out of money.
His answer: Create perhaps the most widespread, far-ranging tax increases in the history of Maryland dribbled out bit-by-bit to the public and then pushed in a special session of the legislature in an atmosphere of panic and dire warning that we are in for ''a very, very bad time" if we don't adopt his program.
In short, the special session that kicked off this week is a fabricated, unnecessary crisis.
The fear is that Governor O'Malley will push through a package of ill-conceived policies that will encumber Marylanders long after he has moved on in pursuit of grander political ambitions.
So, governor, let's slow this train down. Let's examine our options thoughtfully and reach a consensus that can stand the test of time for Marylanders.

20071029 Marylanders Rally To Stop The Tax Increase

Marylanders Rally To Stop The Tax Increase

Posted October 30^th, 2007

I have received several reports that yesterday’s rally was well attended. I received the following e-mail from the Maryland GOP yesterday evening.

I have been busy with some other assignments today and have not heard much about how the hearings are going in Annapolis today.

Anyone have a report as to what is the latest news?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2007

Marylanders Rally To Stop The Tax Hike

"No Tax Hike” Is The Clear Message

Thanks to everyone who showed up at today's Rally

and made it such a huge success.

We even got to deliver our message to Mike Miller

when he accidentally walked by our Rally.

Keep calling legislators each day.

Toll-free (800) 492-7122

ANNAPOLIS – Just hours before the start of the Special “Tax Hike” Session, hundreds of Marylanders rallied at the steps of the Maryland General Assembly to state loud and clear that they oppose the O’Malley tax hike.

Organized by the Maryland Republican Party, the “No Tax Hike” Rally made very clear that there is a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Working families need to work within their means, and so should the state government.

Those speaking before the crowd included Maryland Republican Party Chairman James Pelura, Senate Republican Leader David Brinkley, and House Republican Leader Tony O’Donnell. While the rally was organized by the Maryland Republican Party, it was open to all Marylanders frustrated with the proposed tax hike.

Dr. James Pelura, Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, stated: “We have heard from thousands of Marylanders of all political stripes, and nobody wants their taxes going up. Nobody believes Martin O’Malley has made a genuine effort to reign in spending, and that’s where the problem is. The Maryland state government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. O’Malley is trying to rush through a tax-and-spend plan without public debate or scrutiny, and this is politics at its worst.”

Delegate Tony O’Donnell, House Republican Leader, stated: “The governor has called the General Assembly into session for the express purpose of raising taxes and raiding the bank accounts of Maryland’s working families. We are being forced to look at these tax bills without the context of a budget, as we would in the regular legislative session. Maryland citizens will have to cut their own household budgets to pay higher taxes, while the Governor and General Assembly refuse to look at the state budget.”

###

www.mdgop.org

This email was sent by: Maryland Republican Party
15 West Street Annapolis, MD 21401 USA

20071029 Text of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s Prepared Opening Remarks for Special Session

Text of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s Prepared Opening Remarks for Special Session

October 29, 2007

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, thank you for inviting me to join you here tonight. And thank you also for the extraordinary amount of work, dialogue, and collaboration of these last several months. This joint session and the joint hearings that will follow are further evidence of the goodwill and statesmanship that you have both shown in meeting this challenge. Thank you for your counsel and for your trust.

The leadership of your respective bodies – Senator Currie along with Delegate Conway and Delegate Hixson; Senator Middleton along with Delegate Hammen; Senator DeGrange along with Delegate Branch; Senator Kasemeyer along with Delegate Barve and President Pro Tem Nathaniel McFadden, Speaker Pro Tem Jones and others – have contributed greatly to the creation of a consensus plan for Maryland’s future. And I thank you both for surrounding yourselves with such able and principled leaders.

To the members of the Maryland General Assembly, of both parties, you have my sincere thanks – and more importantly that of your neighbors – for setting aside the many responsibilities of your family and business lives to return here for the urgent work of this special session.

My fellow Marylanders, as you are no doubt aware, 5 years ago – and in bipartisan fashion – we made a historic and necessary investment in improving public education. Sadly, at the same time we voted in similar bi-partisan fashion to reduce the very revenues needed to sustain such an important investment and to defend our quality of life. We now face one of the toughest fiscal challenges in our State’s 373 year history.

As prior generations might have warned us – there is no progress without sacrifice, no shared return without shared investment, and no future better than this present, unless we are willing to work for it.

This inherited structural deficit – a deficit which has now cast its shadow over the progress of our people for the last five years – can no longer be deferred. The storm is upon us; and this looming shortfall threatens to do grave damage to the very quality of life that our neighbors have elected us to defend…

The stakes are high; the potential damage too harmful to accept. Further delay will only compound the difficulty of correcting the half-actions and inactions of our recent past.

“The occasion is piled high with difficulty,” but the goals of this special session are straightforward:

• To restore fiscal responsibility to the government of our people.
• To protect our investments in education, health and public safety so very critical to future of the state we leave our children.
• And to do so in a way that not only protects our competitive advantage with surrounding states, but is also fairer to the working people of Maryland.

In one sense, our challenge is as timeless as the human condition itself: will the circumstances we’ve inherited change us, or will we change our circumstances? It’s time for us to correct our course. It is time for us to pass a long-term budget solution that’s fairer to middle class families – and ensures Maryland’s progress for the future.

By now you have had the opportunity to receive our proposals for restoring fiscal responsibility and returning to the path of progress. Many of the components of this plan have been considered by members of this Assembly many times before. Many have been proposed and passed before by one house or the other. And in the important days ahead, you will, no doubt, have the opportunity to study, debate and improve upon the fairness of the framework proposed.

Although we are blessed with the distinction of being the wealthiest State in the nation according to the US Census, our tax burden is below average. We rank 31st among the 50 states in spending on a per capita basis; and 50th out of 50 states in terms of what we spend through our local and state governments to defend our quality of life, as a percentage of our wealth.

Our challenge is not capacity; our challenge is consensus.

And I have faith in the abilities of the men and women of this Assembly to forge that consensus. In your hearts and regardless of party, each of you knows there is more that unites us than divides us…

We, here, are united in our belief in the dignity of every individual. We, here, are united in our belief in our own responsibility to advance the common good.

For this is not merely about correcting the flawed math of the past. Everything we do to restore fiscal responsibility to our State is really about making progress for the future… progress for the education of our children… progress for affordable college… progress for the healthcare of our workforce… progress on transportation… progress for the health and sustainability of the Chesapeake Bay.

Yes, everything we do to restore fiscal responsibility to our State is really about making progress for the future. Perhaps that is why Maryland’s teachers have declared: “A vote for the plan is a vote for public schools...”

And so, men and women of Maryland, let us fulfill this responsibility together. On the common ground that exists between us, cooled by the clear waters of civil discourse, and breathing the honest air of mutual understanding, let us forge a consensus for the One Maryland we carry in our hearts and that all of our children deserve.

As we begin our work, remember, if you will, the words of a great American uttered to another representative assembly of his own time:

“… Fellow citizens,” he said, “We cannot escape history. We... will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation... We – even we here – hold the power and bear the responsibility…”

Thank you for your service, your resolve, and your dedication to the best interests of our people in the face of this challenge.

May God lead the deliberations of this important session.

Let’s get to work.

20071026 Governor O'Malley Introduces Legislation to Address Maryland's Deficit

Governor O'Malley Introduces Legislation to Address Maryland's Deficit

Governor introduces comprehensive, long-term solution to deficit;
Six Bills to reform the State’s income tax, lower property tax, and legalize slot machines

ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 26, 2007) – Governor Martin O’Malley today submitted six pieces of legislation to the Maryland General Assembly as part of his comprehensive, long-term solution to the State’s $1.7 billion structural deficit. Governor O’Malley introduced the legislation in advance of next week’s special session of the General Assembly.

“We have put together a comprehensive, long-term solution to the State’s structural deficit,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Under the leadership of Senate President Miller and Speaker Busch, I am confident that members of the General Assembly will come together to move our State forward. The cost of delay is simply too great for us not to take action.”

Governor O’Malley introduced six bills today that will continue to make historic investments in public education, reform the State’s income tax, lower the state property tax, establish a Higher Education Investment Fund to stabilize college tuition costs in Maryland, and legalize up to 15,000 slot machines at five locations around the State.

The Governor’s bills include:

Transportation Investment Act

Tax Reform Act of 2007

Budget Reconciliation Act

Maryland Education Trust Fund – Video Lottery Terminal

Video Lottery Terminals – Authorization and Limitations

Working Families and Small Business Health Coverage Act

Governor O’Malley has spent the last two months rolling out individual components of his solution, which include:

Reforming the income tax to make it more progressive and fair.

Reducing state property taxes.

Closing corporate loopholes.

Investing in Maryland by raising the corporate income tax by1%, and splitting it between higher education and transportation.

Protecting public education by making the Thornton law sustainable.

Making healthcare more affordable and reduce smoking by increasing the tobacco tax by $1 to invest in reform.

Helping seniors by doubling the senior income tax exemption – and creating a new sales tax rebate.

Modernizing the sales tax – so it’s still in line with surrounding states.

Recapturing slots revenue, once and for all, by letting the people decide in a referendum.

Under the Governor’s proposed reforms to the State’s income tax, reductions in the state property tax and sales tax proposals, the Maryland Department of Budget and Management estimates that 83 percent of Marylanders will pay less overall.

Earlier this week, Governor Martin O’Malley released a Cost of Delay budget to reflect more than $1.7 billion in cuts that will have to be made to balance the Fiscal Year 2009 budget if the General Assembly is unable to reach a consensus during the upcoming special session.

[ More information on the bills can be found at www.gov.state.md.us/special2007.asp and http://mlis.state.md.us/ ]

---

October 26, 2007

20071029 Len Lazarick watch

Len Lazarick Baltimore Examiner

October 29, 2007

Voters say 'No new taxes'

6 hrs ago - Their cry was loud and unified: “No new taxes.” A series of demonstrations by taxpayer, conservative and Republican groups around the State House on Monday lead the way for Gov. Martin O'Malley's call for a special session of the General Assembly where he was to give a short pep talk before legislators are to act on a series of taxes hikes.

Spotlight’s on governor tonight

22 hrs ago - It’s showtime for Martin O’Malley. When the governor comes to the podium tonight to address the 188 members of the General Assembly, his soliloquy raises the curtain on the second act of the make-or-break performance of his first term.

O’Malley proposes more to be spent on uninsured

3 days ago - Gov. Martin O’Malley is proposing the state spend as much as $250 million more each year to offer health insurance to 100,000 uninsured people by adding them to the Medicaid rolls and subsidizing very small businesses that begin offering health insurance to workers.

County officials back tax package

3 days ago - Elected county officials from across Maryland came to the State House on Thursday to support the governor’s entire revenue-raising package, including slots machines, but none of them would say whether they would accept slots in their own jurisdictions.

Poll: Support up for slots, but down for O’Malley

4 days ago - Gov. Martin O’Malley’s approval rating has declined among Maryland voters, but those voters overwhelmingly support the governor’s plan to bring slot machines to the state, according to a new statewide poll released Wednesday.

O’Malley starts outreach program

4 days ago - “No Americano extra” is what Gov. Martin O’Malley told a group of Hispanic business people when they taught him the Spanish version of one of his signature lines — “There is no such thing as a spare American.”

O’Malley unveils big budget cuts

5 days ago - Big cuts in aid to counties, libraries, schools, universities, health care, state police and dozens of other programs will be needed if the legislature doesn’t pass tax increases next month, Gov. Martin O’Malley said Tuesday as he unveiled his own version of a “doomsday” budget.

Poll: Support for slots is up, down for O’Malley

6 days ago - Support for slots among Maryland voters is up, but it's down for Gov. Martin O’Malley, according to a new statewide poll. The poll also found overwhelming backing for a referendum on slot machine gambling.

The 3-minute interview: Warren Deschenaux

6 days ago - Warren Deschenaux is the director of the Office of Policy Analysis for the Department of Legislative Service in Annapolis. He and his staff will play a key role in analyzing the governor’s deficit-cutting tax changes.

Plucky O’Malley needs luck of the Irish

7 days ago - In Martin O’Malley’s visit to Dublin this weekend, he was perhaps able to pick up an extra portion of the luck of the Irish. That’s what many legislators think he needs to get what he wants out of the special session he’s ordered next week, a call seen as a risky roll of the dice.

Ehrlich dishes it out to Gilchrest

10 days ago - Karen and Art Oertel used to organize crab feasts for Republican U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest from their family's Harris Crab House and seafood plant on the waterfront at Kent Narrows six miles east of the Bay Bridge. But no more.

State officials say children’s health improving

10 days ago - Maryland children are getting better immunized, suffering fewer suicides, deaths and injuries, and using drugs, alcohol and cigarettes less in the last five to 10 years, Cabinet secretaries told lawmakers this week.

Speaker: Senate must take initiative

10 days ago - When lawmakers return to Annapolis for a special session in 10 days, House Speaker Michael Busch said the onus would be on the Senate to take the initiative in passing Gov. Martin O’Malley’s deficit-busting tax plan.

Orioles Park hits big screen with high-definition replays

11 days ago - High-definition replays will be coming to Orioles Park at Camden Yards next season under a settlement between the baseball team and the Maryland Stadium Authority approved Wednesday by the state Board of Public Works in Annapolis.

Governor turns professor to explain his tax plan

11 days ago - “A C student can get this,” professor Martin O’Malley, freshman governor, assured a class of several dozen political science majors, faculty and university bigwigs as he rolled through a 50-minute lecture on his deficit-cutting tax package.

New version of Green Fund under attack as a hidden tax

12 days ago - It’s not easy trying to improve the Green Fund to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, especially when the governor is already pushing for eight or nine different tax hikes to plug a deficit hole.

Republicans fire back at O’Malley

12 days ago - Republican legislators came out swinging at Gov. Martin O’Malley’s tax plan and the “liberal leadership” of the Maryland Senate and House on Tuesday, throwing digs at O’Malley’s three-day trip to Ireland that begins tonight.

Banks joins race against Gilchrest

12 days ago - Robert Banks, a former Ehrlich administration aide and Baltimore County Orphans Court judge, on Monday became the fourth Republican to challenge U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in the 1st Congressional District.

O’Malley off to Ireland, again

13 days ago - Gov. Martin O’Malley heads to Ireland again on Wednesday night, on a trip paid for by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

O'Malley calls for Oct. 29 special session

14 days ago - The Maryland General Assembly will be back at the State House for Halloween, and it’s not certain if it will be a trick or treat for constituents.

Gilchrest, Harris are close in battle for fundraising

14 days ago - In the heated Republican primary for the 1st Congressional District seat, U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest holds a narrow edge in his campaign chest over his challenger, State Sen. Andy Harris, R-Harford-Baltimore counties. But since entering the race in May, Harris has raised nearly twice as much as the nine-term incumbent, according to figures released by the campaigns.

Tax cuts or hike coming? It depends

14 days ago - Gov. Martin O’Malley continues to insist that the vast majority of Marylanders will see their taxes cut in the revenue “reforms” he will ask the legislature to embrace in the special session being announced today.

O’Malley promises word on special session soon

17 days ago - Gov. Martin O’Malley said Thursday that “early next week” he’ll have an announcement about calling a special session of the General Assembly to deal with his deficit-reducing package, and that “early next week you’ll see the legislation rolling out” with details on his slot machines proposal.

Disability activists demand officials shut down Rosewood

17 days ago - A dozen disability activists in motorized wheelchairs demanding to meet with Gov. Martin O’Malley and tell him to close the Rosewood Center were turned away from the front gate of the governor’s residence Wednesday night because they didn’t have a march permit from the city of Annapolis.

Harris raises $526,000 against Gilchrest

18 days ago - State Sen. Andy Harris, R-Baltimore-Harford, on Thursday said his campaign to defeat 1st District U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in the Republican primary has raised $526,000 since it began in May, $352,000 in the past three months.

The 3-minute interview: David Blumberg

‘Simpler’ Greenfund presented in order to stave runoff into Bay

O’Malley invokes ‘Star Trek’ to describe hurdles of tax plan

Official: Parole hearings denied; some blame bad communication

Judge orders O’Malley administration to reinstate fired services official

GOP senators fight ‘nonfactor’ label by standing firm against slots

Judge orders testimony from Ehrlich administration aides

Liberal group attacks chamber study linking tax increases to job losses

Republicans say no to slots

Catonsville hospital overhaul to slash energy costs, saving millions

Democrats raise big bucks to fund state party

GOP: O’Malley plan ‘deceitful’

Md. suing to halt SCHIP veto

20071026 News Clips

News Clips

Oct. 26, 2007

STATE NEWS

What's at stake? (We're just asking)
Political futures of lawmakers, O'Malley could depend on success or failure of the special session
http://gazette.net/stories/102607/polinew65912_32356.shtml
The hype has been like the lead-up to a Super Bowl.
Now, with kickoff to the third special legislative session in four years only days away, the eyes of the state will be on how Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and lawmakers resolve the $1.7 billion budget deficit. The stakes, personal and political, are has high as they have ever been. O'Malley has said that building the consensus needed to call the special session is the most difficult thing he has done in his political life.
Still, Republicans are lining up to decry the tax proposals, with a GOP-sp onsored anti-tax rally on Lawyers Mall before the General Assembly convenes Monday. Democrats are set to follow with their own rally in support of education and health care on the State House steps two hours later.
Republicans said they will not use the hole the state finds itself in for political gain, but are determined to influence the process of finding a solution. ''We're not in this to play a cynical game of 'gotcha' politics," said Christopher B. Shank (R-Dist. 2B) of Hagerstown, the House minority whip. ''We're in this to try to solve a problem."
Despite being heavily outnumbered, Republicans say they can influence the proceedings if enough people express their distaste for O'Malley's plan. ''It's not predestined at this point," said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby.
Republicans are not focused on any electoral gains in 2010 that might result from passage of O'Malley's tax package , O'Donnell said. ''This should not be about partisan advantage. This should be about what's good for Maryland's economy, Maryland's competitiveness with other states, Maryland's working families and Maryland's small businesses," he said. ''Elections come and go, but let's put that stuff aside."

Counties association favors slots
Qualified support based on program of compensation
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.maco26oct26,0,1336255.story
The Maryland Association of Counties offered qualified backing yesterday for Gov. Martin O'Malley's call to legalize slot machine gambling, saying it "could be an acceptable long-term state revenue source, were such a program responsibly crafted."
"A responsible slots program must provide continuing fair and full compensation to the host subdivisions for impact expenses and respect local land use authority," according to a statement distributed at a news conference at the State House.
When asked whether local elected officials there would support slots within their boundaries, Baltimore County Executive James T . Smith, a Democrat, replied: "It's too early to get into where they may be located. We don't know enough about the governor's proposal or the discussions with the speaker and the president of the Senate." Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and the executives of Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Wicomico counties warned of the consequences if the General Assembly were to cut spending instead of raising taxes.
Yesterday, the Maryland Republican Party noted one of those polls, conducted by Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies, that showed O'Malley's disapproval rating rose to 31 percent from 21 percent in March. The change was attributed to a shift among Republican voters. The poll also found that nearly two-thirds of voters opposed the proposed increase in the state sales tax to help reduce the budget deficit. Jim Pelura, chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, said in a statement: "Martin O'Malley owns this tax increase plan. As Ma r ylanders learn more about his tax-and-spend scheme, it comes as no surprise that O'Malley's disapproval ratings will soar. Nobody likes tax increases, and O'Malley has compounded the problem by telling folks that they will be better off after the largest tax hike in Maryland history. He has lost all credibility with Marylanders."

Governor announces details of his health care proposal
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.health26oct26,0,7780414.story
Gov. Martin O'Malley rolled out a health care plan yesterday that would expand medical coverage for uninsured residents and commit funding for data exchanges that connect the state's hospitals and allow them to share records.Addressing critics who question the wisdom of expanding programs in the face of the looming deficit, O'Malley stressed the plan's "pay-as-you-go" f e ature and said that residents who have private insurance would save money because the cost of treating the uninsured in Maryland is added to their premiums.
A similar proposal passed the House in the last session but died in the Senate, where President Thomas V. Mike Miller argued that implementing it without a solution to the state's fiscal woes would be irresponsible. Miller says he would support health care legislation during the special session if it doesn't add to the deficit.
But Republican lawmakers said they are still worried about the cost of the proposal and would prefer private-sector solutions. "Our primary concern right now needs to be reducing the structural deficit and chronic overspending, and several hundred million dollars for a new social program is only going to exacerbate the problem," said Del. Christopher B. Shank, House minority whip from Western Maryland. "These are worthwhile goals, but we have to set priorities."

Md. officials violated provision of election law
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.campaign26oct26,0,664903.story
Several state elected officials - including two statewide officeholders - violated an obscure provision of election law that required them to file campaign finance reports more frequently this year because they gave money to Baltimore City candidates.
The review of state records by The Sun found that Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler and Comptroller Peter Franchot, along with a half-dozen members of the General Assembly, did not fulfil the filing requirement. But several of the officials vowed to do so after being contacted yesterday by the newspaper.Campaign finance reporting regulations are in place to ensure the public can keep track of who is funding which candi d ates. The donations were reported as receipts by the candidates who received them, but not as expenditures by those who made them.

EPA orders Arundel cleanup
Pharmaceutical plant told to comply or face fines of $32,500 a day
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-te.md.ar.hazardous26oct26,0,6388390.story
The owner of a dormant Brooklyn Park pharmaceutical plant, which was found to have open chemicals and 50,000 gallons of hazardous waste on its property, has been ordered to clean up the site by year's end or face federal fines of up to $32,500 a day. Environmental regulators and Anne Arundel County officials say those pollutants pose a fire hazard and an imminent threat to public health. The warehouse and tank-storage area are within a mile of three schools and a short walk from homes and a neighborhood playground. The fear of a "potentially catastrophic fire" spurred Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold to call this month for swift action by federal regulators, citing numerous violations of the county fire code.
"I am pleased with their recognition of the seriousness of this matter and their willingness to act promptly," Leopold said of the federal order.

Howard County offers free flu shots
Clinic at Gateway Business Park will double as emergency-preparedness exercise
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-md.ho.flu26oct26,0,3474762.story
Howard County health officials are offering up to 4,000 free flu inoculations next month at a drive-through clinic designed to reach twice as many people as a similar exercise last year. "We want to bring attention to the fact that flu is a serious issue," Beilenson said, noting that twice as many people die of influenza each year as die from antibiotic-resistant staph infections, which have received extensive publicity lately.
Police Chief William McMahon and Fire Chief Joseph Herr said the vaccination event will help first responders practice for a possible avian flu outbreak or an act of biological terrorism.

'Doomsday' budget would slash state aid to convention centers http://www.examiner.com/a-1011225~_Doomsday__budget_would_slash_state_aid_to_convention_centers.html
Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed budget cuts would drop all state aid to Maryland's two major convention centers, funding that comprises two-t h irds of the Baltimore center's annual payments and half of those for the Ocean City center. Local convention officials and national analysts said the cuts could end up costing the state and city far more than they'd ever save. O'Malley on Tuesday unveiled the budget cuts he'd have to make unless the General Assembly passes his proposed tax increases and revenues measures in a special session beginning Monday. The governor's plan would end $4.2 million in state funding toward the Baltimore Convention Center's deficit, and $1.5 million for the Ocean City Convention Center, according to a breakdown of cuts released earlier this week.

O'Malley proposes more to be spent on uninsured
http://www.examiner.com/a-1011260~O_Malley_proposes_more_to_be_spent_on_uninsured.html
Gov. Martin O'Malley is proposing the s tate spend as much as $250 million more each year to offer health insurance to 100,000 uninsured people by adding them to the Medicaid rolls and subsidizing very small businesses that begin offering health insurance to workers. The proposal hinges on passing new taxes and slot machine gambling in a special session of the General Assembly that begins Monday, O'Malley said Thursday. The plan comes two days after he disclosed $1.7 billion in budget cuts he would have to make if the legislature does not raise taxes, including doubling the cigarette tax.
"They are really part of the same mission to make our state a better place," O'Malley said. "There is broad consensus in the General Assembly" for health care improvement. "If we're unable to make progress, we will continue to backslide" on this issue.

Gilchrest accused of 'dirty tricks'
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071026/METRO/110260075/1004 Supporters of state Sen. Andrew P. Harris' campaign to unseat Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest say the incumbent's top aide pushed another candidate into the Republican primary to dilute support for Mr. Harris. "This is [Mr. Gilchrest's] insurance card that he doesn't lose the race," said state Sen. Nancy Jacobs, Harford County Republican. "It's dirty tricks. It's what goes on behind the scenes. But to get caught with your hand in the cookie jar."
Mrs. Jacobs said one of her former staffers now working for the Gilchrest campaign told her about the plan to enlist Mr. Banks, a technology executive. Mr. Banks yesterday denied the accusations. "Absolutely not," he said. "It sounds like a vast right-wing conspiracy."
"This is the worst form of dirty tricks camp a igning," said Chris Meekins, Mr. Harris' campaign manager. "Sadly, that is what we have come to expect from Wayne Gilchrest. This is exactly why Republican voters are looking for new leadership."
Whether Mr. Banks was asked to enter the race remains in dispute, but he clearly opposed Mr. Harris' bid this summer.
He said Mr. Gilchrest was the Republicans' best chance to hold the seat.

Counties Protest Possible Cuts
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/
A dozen county leaders from across Maryland convened in Annapolis yesterday to warn against the consequences of cutting education funding and other local aid as a solution to the state's projected $1.7 billion budget shortfall.
Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said this week that counties could take a big hit if lawmakers do not pass his revenue package in a special session that starts Monday. So m e legislators have argued that counties should be part of the solution, given state aid to local government has swelled in recent years to about 40 percent of Maryland's general fund.
Raises for most county employees have outpaced those of state workers in recent years, and most counties have healthier reserves than the state, making them an attractive target for legislators.

Maryland tax hikes could push business to Delaware
Special session to decide on proposals to increase corporate burden
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071026/NEWS01/710260303
As legislators prepare to negotiate more than a dozen tax changes during a General Assembly Special Session on Monday, Lower Shore business owners anxiously wait to learn if they're going to be impacted and how much. Increasing ta x rates are never a popular topic, but parts of O'Malley's plan could make doing business in Maryland much harder, said Brad Bellacicco, executive director of the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce.
"Because we're located this close to Delaware with no sales tax, a sales tax increase is especially scary to our members," Bellacicco said. "Several of the proposals do end up shifting a lot of the tax load onto the businesses and a study indicated that businesses statewide could lose jobs." What could alter the local economy the most in Ed Rommel's eyes is not only a bump in the sales tax rate, but the expansion of sales taxes into the service industry such as accounting firms like Twilley, Rommel & Stephens P.A., where he serves as a managing partner. The proximity to Delaware makes him curious about moving operations six miles north on Route 13 to just over the state line in Delmar.
"It appears as if the services which h a ve the least amount of representation in the legislature have been targeted for this tax, as opposed to a more broad based tax that would include all professional services, medical, legal or what have you," Rommel said, adding that Maryland is developing a bad corporate reputation. "I was at a national seminar last week and I heard that Maryland has a reputation for being anti-business. The state of Maryland doesn't perceive it that way, but that's what the business community perceives."These taxes could also make a large dent into the bottom lines of small businesses, and since that's the heart of the Wicomico County economy, the long-term effects could be suffocating.

Md. Jockey Club plans rally for slots
Live racing canceled on Nov. 2 to allow supporters of industry to rally in Annapolis
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-racing1026,0,136.storyThe Maryland Jockey Club has canceled live racing on Nov. 2 to allow employees, horsemen and racing fans to rally in Annapolis in support of bringing slot machines to Maryland, the club announced today.
The General Assembly is scheduled to hold hearings at 11 a.m. that day on various proposals to bring slot machines to the state as part of a special session that begins Monday. The rally is scheduled for 9 a.m. in front of the State House.

EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

Rally for no new taxes
http://www.examiner.com/a-1011220~Rally_for_no_new_taxes.html
Go. Just do it. Head to the anti-tax rally in Annapolis on Monday and let our legislators know raising taxes is not the answer to fixing the state's projected $1.7 billion budget deficit. Gov. Martin O'Malley's doom-and-gloom projections for how cutting the state budget will affect government services are a scare tactic, not reality.
Go to SmartGov.net to download the schedule of events, which start at noon at Lawyers Mall and end at the State House Gallery following the opening ceremony of the special session.
As Mark Twain said, "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." Tell legislators to spend the special session cutting waste. It's premature to even contemplate taxes without first eliminating fat from current operations - and having a budget to analyze.

Governor should stop scare tactics
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2007/10/26/news/opinion/editorial/editorial843.txt
Gov. Martin O'Malley should listen to his own Comptroller instead of trying to scare people into going along with his budget proposals. The Governor on Tuesday ran through a laundry list of ways that residents would suffer if they didn't get behind his proposals. The list included everything from closing two police barracks to cuts in health care for the poor. The doomsday ploy isn't a new tactic.
Even here in Carroll under past administrations we have seen similar tactics. O'Malley needs to listen to his own Comptroller, Peter Franchot, who criticized O'Malley's proposals and the way the Governor was rolling them out. The picture isn't as bleak as the Governor is painting, and Franchot says a more deliberative process of moving addressing issues and resolving the budget problems would be better.We need to take a long hard look at state spending, which is usually done during the legislative session, and we need to look at revenues and expenses together in order to find the best ways to move forward.
O'Malley shouldn't try to bypass the process to push through tax increases, and he shouldn't use scare tactics to try and gain support for his plan.

Odd man out
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.heritage26oct26,0,1415668.story
At first, Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett loved the idea of a collective marketing campaign to promote the scores of sites along a four-state corridor from Gettysburg, Pa., to Charlottesville, Va., that bear witness to some of American history's most momentous events.
But when the $15 million proposal got wrapped into a larger measure creating such heritage areas around the nation - and Mr. Bartlett learned that "Virginia-based" environmentalists and wealthy landowners were a driving f orce behind the one for this region - the Western Maryland Republican cried foul. He railed to his House colleagues Wednesday about a "big-government, big-spending philosophy" that threatened local property rights.
Mr. Bartlett should have trusted his initial instincts instead of playing to the inside-the-beltway anti-government crowd.

Tackling the mortgage crisis
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.subprime26oct26,0,2122791.story
A state task force reviewing the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis in Maryland has come up with reasonable proposals that would tighten lending practices and help deter the loss of homes to foreclosure here. But relief won't be swift.
Their recommendations require action by the General Assembly, which won't take up the proposals until it next meets in regular session in January. Foreclosures related to subprime mortgages have an impact on more than lenders and homeowners. They result in lost revenue for governments and diminished property values for communities. It's in Maryland's interest to try to soften the blow.

Gilchrest menhaden proposal worth consideration
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/10_25-21/OPN
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest is second to none in the state congressional delegation when it comes to putting thought into environmental issues - particularly the health of the Chesapeake Bay. And his proposal for a five-year ban on the harvesting of menhaden deserves serious attention. The ban could easily do much more for the bay's rockfish population than President Bush's suggestion, on a visit to St. Michael's last week, that rockfish - or st r iped bass - be designated a gamefish, and that commercial harvesting cease. Mr. Gilchrest was there, and we hope he got a chance to talk to the president about menhaden. They are not a glamorous fish, being small, bony, oily and inedible to humans. But they are phytoplankton eaters, nourishing themselves by cleaning up the excess algae and plant material clouding the bay. And they are themselves a favorite food of rockfish and bluefish.
Of course, the jobs that would be lost if Omega's Chesapeake Bay operation shuts down are mostly in Virginia, not Mr. Gilchrest's district in Maryland. But saving the menhaden population is not a high-profile issue - just an important one. Mr. Gilchrest deserves credit for paying attention to it, and his legislation deserves consideration.

20071024 Angry O'Malley takes on doubters by Liam Farrell Maryland Gazette

Angry O'Malley takes on doubters

By LIAM FARRELL Staff Writer
Published 10/24/07

---

Visibly angry and frustrated, Gov. Martin O'Malley yesterday unveiled what his fiscal 2009 budget would look like if no new revenue is raised in a special session.

Higher education, health care, and public safety programs would all take tremendous hits, and local governments would face cuts of more than $866 million.

[…]

"There is a price for doing nothing," Mr. O'Malley said. "I do not believe that this is what the people of Maryland … will choose."

Mr. O'Malley's frustration at the news conference in Annapolis came as state Comptroller Peter Franchot publicly disputes the need for a special session.

[…]

Mr. O'Malley has proposed an ambitious plan to address the state's deficit, including raising the sales tax, corporate tax, reforming the income tax and legalizing slot machines.

The total package would raise $6.5 billion of new tax revenue over the next five years. That number doesn't include other parts of the plan, such as increasing the gas tax and titling tax, that would not go toward the deficit and would instead augment transportation funding.

Read Mr. Farrell’s entire article here: Angry O'Malley takes on doubters