The House of Delegates and Senate Monday night passed a new 3% sales tax on alcohol sold in stores, bars and restaurants, with most of the proceeds in the first year going to schools and school construction.
Gov. Martin O’Malley said Monday he will sign the two bills, which will go into effect July 1.
After a midday Senate filibuster temporarily delayed its passage, the bill granting in-state tuition for illegal immigrants was sent to Gov. Martin O’Malley for his promised signature Monday night.
As the House of Delegates approved the final negotiated version of the bill on Monday night with a vote of 74-65, the student lobbyists sitting in the galleries on either side of the chamber burst into cheers. The finalized bill had passed the Senate with a vote of 27-19 less than an hour earlier.
On the last day of the session, lawmakers have a bunch of bills to tackle including the alcohol tax, tuition breaks for illegal immigrants and a state venture capital fund; bills heading for O’Malley’s signature include ignition interlock devices, shipping wines, wine sales at farmers markets and decriminalizing medical marijuana; and among those that didn’t make it include gun control legislation, gay marriage and O’Malley’s wind legislation.
As the General Assembly convenes for its 90th and final day Monday, the Senate will be meeting at 10 a.m. legislative day April 6. Across the hall, the House comes in at 11 a.m., April 7. Even for those of us not traveling in the legislative time machine, 13 or 14 hours later, both chambers will finish at midnight, April 11.
Del. Melony Griffith, House chair of the Joint Committee on Pensions, discusses why the roll-back in pensions for state employees and teachers was necessary.
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