News Clips
Posted April 1st, 2007
State News
2009 is coming fast for governor
With no progress on next years $1.5 billion budget deficit and a variety of unappealing possibilities on the table, the state has a lot of work to do
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211003_32322.shtml
If Gov. Martin OMalley has enjoyed a honeymoon since taking office in January, the months until the next General Assembly should show just how much work a marriage takes.
Before lawmakers return to
I can tell you unequivocally we will not participate in any discussion of tax increases, said House Minority Leader Anthony J. ODonnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby.
Senate considering granting tuition for illegal immigrants
http://www.wcbcradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6873&Itemid=35
The
How tobacco bill flamed out at end
Millers block ends plan to expand Medicaid for 200,000 uninsured residents
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211013_32325.shtml
Lawmakers began the 2007 General Assembly certain that the session would be marked by a significant expansion of health coverage for
With 11 days to go until the legislature adjourns, it seems all but certain that the House of Delegates effort to provide health care to 200,000 through a cigarette tax increase will die in the Senate. Observers say only timid steps at best will reach Gov. Martin OMalleys desk.
Miller pressed to back health bill
Advocates bombard his offices with calls
The phones have started ringing in the stately offices of Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, and the deluge of calls is not expected to let up until the General Assembly session ends in less than two weeks.
The retiree organization AARP has set up a phone bank and plans to call 10,000 members who can then be patched directly to Miller's office to demand action on legislation that would extend medical coverage to uninsured residents.
State's attorneys push to amend anti-gang bill
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.gangs30mar30,0,3073263.story?coll=bal-local-headlines
"With the current language, to say that the bang isn't worth the buck, is putting it mildly," said Frank M. Kratovil Jr., the state's attorney for Queen Anne's County and president of the
Blair Lee: Miller is right
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polilee204132_32326.shtml
Barry Rascovar:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/poliras204131_32325.shtml
Marylands transportation secretary calls it our own little version of a perfect storm expenditures rising faster than inflation, revenues failing to keep up with inflation and a backlog of projects worth a whopping $40 billion.
Legislature wont take up planned rate hikes in 07
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211044_32334.shtml
Note to Baltimore Gas & Electric ratepayers: Dont expect a reprieve from the General Assembly this year.
A year ago, the State House was in a frenzy over how to cushion giant electricity rate hikes for more than 1 million Marylanders. Lawmakers had no appetite for returning home with ratepayers seething and an election looming.
Passage of any bill that could increase electricity bills is like pouring gasoline on a fire, said Sen. Janet Greenip (R-Dist. 33) of Crofton. And that is evidence that last years mitigation plan was just grandstanding for the election, she said.
I think the General Assembly wants to move forward with changes, but I think we want to make sure it benefits the consumers in the short term and the long term, said Sen. E.J. Pipkin (R-Dist. 36) of Stevensville. Energy policy is front and center. ... We need to put the tools in the toolbox, and thats what this year is all about.
Child-witness crime bill may stumble in Senate
Key committee leaders question the proposal and may not bring it to a vote
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211040_32330.shtml
A measure that would increase punishment for violent crimes committed in front of children has gained ground in the House, but may fail because it lacks key support in the Senate.
Senate Judicial Proceedings Vice Chairwoman Lisa A. Gladden said the bill could get enough votes in that committee to reach the Senate floor.
However, it might not come up for a committee vote, although it passed the House on a 135-0 vote.
Minorities hit hard by subprimes
Foreclosure rates prove higher for Hispanics, African Americans
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211022_32327.shtml
State officials plan to aggressively enforce existing anti-predatory and anti-discrimination laws to prevent the widespread mortgage defaults that have struck homeowners nationally.
While foreclosures rose 42 percent nationally last year, they fell 12 percent in
Officials defend ground rent bill
Real estate lawyer says 'big loophole' allows new leases
Legislators are confident that a new law meant to ban the creation of new ground rents accomplishes that goal, despite a
The lawyer, Gregory Reed, says that the emergency bill enacted into law last week permits the creation of new ground leases as long as they aren't "renewable forever."
Miller, Senate put wind at donors back
Powerful advocates push for a looser approval process in bid to develop renewable energy sources
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211005_32323.shtml
Long-stalled efforts to develop wind-powered turbine fields in
The Senate earlier this week passed a bill that would streamline the public approval process for wind-generating stations, which proponents argue will put Maryland on par with other states that have already invested millions of dollars in renewable energy.
We should not take away the ability of constituents to state their voice on this issue, said
Across the hall, Sen. George C. Edwards (R-Dist. 1) of Grantsville said it isnt proper for the legislature to tinker with the utility review process when it has a direct impact on only one area of the state.
Rookies get an education and an earful
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211006_32324.shtml
Last years election has brought a lot of new faces to town.
The
It is a group that colleagues and outsiders say is enthusiastic, hardworking, ambitious and incredibly intelligent. And one that some say is breaking all the rules.
Former senator takes Health Department job
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211042_32332.shtml
Former state senator Paula C. Hollinger has been appointed associate director of health occupations boards and commissions of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, she said Thursday.
After a year off, Follies spare no one
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew210931_32321.shtml
The 2007 edition of the Legislative Follies Annapolis self-ridiculing variety show spared few from mockery and left all good taste at the door on Wednesday night.
Reporters Notebook:
After just nine weeks, pollsters setting OMalleys baseline
Longtime public servants Schaefer and Curran received the Senates First Citizen
Gimme more!
Early targets?
Rarely does a lawmaker get a standing O for offending others on the House floor.
Cha-, cha-, cha-, changes!
Hold that accolade!
Not just for VIPs
Paying respect
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211014_32326.shtml
Political Notes Talent to bemuse
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/reporters_notebooks_display.htm?StoryID=58433
Senators and delegates, including some of
Campaign-finance reform bid faces uphill battle in Senate
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070329-114709-5273r.htm
The Maryland Senate plans to begin work today on a bill to provide public funding for some political candidates who agree to limit private fundraising.
Coastal bays bill pits senator vs. delegate
Stoltzfus, Mathias disagree on dredging ban around OC
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070330/NEWS01/703300301
Two
Maryland Sen. J. Lowell Stoltzfus, R-38-Worcester, and Delegate Jim Mathias, D-38B-Worcester, are in a rare Eastern Shore battle that has pit a senator and a delegate from the same district against each other in an environmental issue that has inconclusive scientific evidence.
Challenge of Gansler was 'too disruptive'
Late lawsuits harm the ballot process, court says
An 11th-hour challenge to the eligibility of Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler to run for that office was dismissed because last-minute lawsuits are "too disruptive" to elections, the state's highest court said yesterday.
The unanimous Court of Appeals opinion says the judges are not considering whether Gansler met the requirements -- a lower court ruled that he did -- because the matter should not have been heard. The opinion elaborates on the court's Nov. 2 order that threw out the case for being filed too late for the Nov. 7 election.
Kweisi Mfume: Power to voters, not special interests
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/policol204129_32323.shtml
Having run last year for the U.S. Senate from
Kristen A. Sheeran: Global warming solutions a must for Maryland
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/policol204130_32324.shtml
Climate change is more than an environmental problem. It is a civilization challenge with the lives of millions of people worldwide at stake.
Senate To Give Final Passage To Intersection Bill
http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=55760
The State Senate today is expected to give final approval to legislation requiring motorists to stop at intersections where an exit ramp of an interstate crosses with another highway, even if the traffic light at the intersection is malfunctioning.
Local casino night bill declared dead
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/03_29-09/TOP
A bill to allow local organizations to hold "casino night" fundraisers will be left for another year.
As the General Assembly heads into its final week, some local legislation such as drug-free zones in
Balto. County to lease new alternative school
District's fifth such facility is to open in the fall
Feeling pressed for time to open a school to help Educate hundreds of chronically disruptive students who are struggling to pass state standardized tests,
The
Homeowners sue to stop the ICC
State awards $479 million contract to build the controversial highways first seven miles
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211041_32331.shtml
Now that the state has taken some concrete steps toward building the much-maligned
On Wednesday, the Shady Grove Woods Homeowners Association in Derwood, along with residents Max Sadtler and Connie McKenna, filed a lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court to protect land they say would be used for elevated ramps at the ICCs western entrance in Derwood. Eight residents would lose portions of their back yards to the construction.
National News
Md. House Dems Crow About 2008 Federal Budget
http://somd.com/news/headlines/2007/5665.shtml
Maryland Democratic delegates proudly "pulled back the curtain" on the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget in a news conference Thursday afternoon, showcasing how it will improve the lives of working families in the state.
Both the
"The Democrats presented a budget with too much spending, no reform, and the largest tax increases in American history,"
Gilchrest said in a statement that "the bill would raise taxes by reversing the lower tax rates implemented in 2001 on investment income, restoring the tax penalty on married couples, and increases the estate tax, known as the 'death tax,' in the next five years."
House approves budget plan
Spending would rise; surplus seen in 2012 if Bush tax cuts expire
House Democrats pushed their budget blueprint to passage yesterday, promising a big surplus in five years by allowing tax cuts passed in President Bush's first term to expire.
The plan would increase spending next year for the Pentagon and domestic programs, but defers decisions about growth in federal benefit programs such as Medicare. It would give domestic agencies, on average, budget increases of 6 percent over current levels.
The Maryland delegation voted along party lines, with Democratic Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, Steny H. Hoyer, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Chris Van Hollen and Albert R. Wynn supporting the spending plan and Republican Reps. Roscoe G. Bartlett and Wayne T. Gilchrest voting against it.
Congressman Bartlett Warns Of A Energy Crisis
http://wjz.com/local/local_story_089074239.html
Western Maryland Congressman Roscoe Bartlett is warning
A new report by the Government Accountability Office says it could happen without warning anytime between now and 2040. At some point, scientists say the world will quietly reach the point of maximum oil production, followed by irreversible declines.
Senator asks for report on
http://www.examiner.com/a-646537~Senator_asks_for_report_on_Md__military_medical_facilities.html
Sen. Benjamin Cardin has asked the Pentagon for a "full and thorough" report on
In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Cardin, D-Md., asked for a report on the "capacity to accommodate the needs of wounded and ailing soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan" at Maryland military facilities.
Senate votes for reports on Walter Reed closing
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070329-111345-9327r.htm
The Senate yesterday voted to require the Defense Department to report to Congress on how it plans to close
Cardin revives his push to close Oak Hill
Senator says
With a higher-ranking post in Congress and the support of Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin reintroduced legislation yesterday to close the
Under the legislation,
MD Senators Want DC Kid Jail Out Of
http://wbal.com/news/story.asp?articleid=55761
Maryland Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin have introduced a bill that would move the District's troubled Oak Hill juvenile detention center to the city from its location in
Challenger drafts plan for possible run next year
Activist, lawyers weekly meetings signal likely campaign to oust incumbent
http://www.gazette.net/stories/033007/polinew211024_32328.shtml
Donna F. Edwards may not be a registered candidate for Congress yet, but she is certainly talking like one.
The Fort Washington activist and lawyer who gave U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Dist. 4) of Mitchellville a run for his money in last years Democratic primary is already discussing what shell do differently this time, as she prepares for a likely rematch.
President Bush Calls On Congress To Pass An Emergency War Spending Supplemental That Funds The Troops Without "Strings On Our Commanders." "'We stand united in saying loud and clear that when we've got a troop in harm's way, we expect that troop to be fully funded,' [the President] said. 'And we've got commanders making tough decisions on the ground, we expect there to be no strings on our commanders. And that we expect the Congress to be wise about how they spend the people's money.' ... The administration has said the military needs the money by April 15, and the White House said Thursday that the Pentagon was already having to juggle accounts, shifting money from one program to another to buy more vehicles better able to withstand mines. Dana Perino, the deputy White House spokeswoman, said, 'This, again, underscores the need to get the show on the road, get the bill to the president, he will veto it, and then, we'll take it from there.'" (Carl Hulse and Jeff Zeleny, "Defying Bush,
Citizens Against Government Waste President Thomas Schatz Says Democrats "Shamelessly Used Pork" To Pass
The Wall Street Journal Says Congressional Handling Of
House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Says The "Democrats' Budget Could Bring Economic Growth To An Abrupt End." "The same folks who larded up the emergency war appropriations bill with billions of dollars in pork-barrel projects are at it again. Yesterday House Democrats voted to impose the largest tax hike in American history. ... The president's tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 are a principal reason the economy has enjoyed an uninterrupted string of monthly employment gains. Tax relief under the Republicans has fueled five straight years of overall growt h and led to enormous capital investment. By coupling tax hikes with their insatiable appetite for political pork, the Democrats' budget could bring economic growth to an abrupt end." (Rep. John Boehner, Op-Ed, "Back To The Future," The Wall Street Journal, 3/30/07)
