State Roundup, May 20, 2011
May 20, 2011
O’MALLEY SIGNS BILLS: Dave Collins of WBAL-TV offers a comprehensive wrapup of the bills signed yesterday into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley. Read below for details on a number.
BOOZE TAX HIKE: Gov. O’Malley signed the first tax increase on alcohol in more than a generation into law yesterday, one of more than 200 bills he approved at a ceremony in Annapolis, reports Julie Bykowicz of the Sun. So, come July 1, the sales tax on alcohol will rise to 9% from 6%, which is expected to generate about $85 million per year.
The bill, pushed by health-care advocates, marks the first time Maryland has raised an alcohol-specific tax since 1972, blogs John Wagner for the Post.
OPEN GOVERNMENT: The governor also signed legislation creating a Joint Committee on Transparency and Open Government, and Del. Heather Mizeur, who hopes to be appointed to the panel, has already ponied up a list of suggestions that heavily rely on Internet technology, writes Len Lazarick for MarylandReporter.com.
NAZI DISCLOSURE: Leo Bretholz escaped a freight train headed for Auschwitz in 1942. Yesterday, at age 90, he was in Annapolis for the signing of legislation that will make Maryland the first state to require that a company seeking government rail contracts to provide all records about Nazi victims it transported and any personal belongings taken from them, reports John Wagner for the Sun.
TEXTING BAN: O’Malley also signed a bill that strengthens the state’s texting-while-driving ban by closing a loophole that allowed drivers to text at stoplights and read messages while driving, David Hill reports for the Washington Times.
IN OTHER NEWS
ANTI-DREAM DRIVE: Andrew Schotz of the Hagerstown Herald Mail reports that Del. Neil Parrott, an organizer of the petition drive to overturn in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants, says the efforts are on target, but declined to provide the number of signatures that have been gathered thus far.
IMMIGRANT TUITION: It’s not just Latinos who will benefit from the new law granting in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, its supporter say in a Gazette story by Sarah Breitenbach, but those backing the petition drive to repeal it say it will largely help Hispanic immigrants.
Blair Lee’s Gazette column says there was a temporary malfunction of the “pap machine” when it came to immigrant tuition and the demise of the state’s Distinguished Scholar program.
ARUNDEL POLITICS: In the Annapolis Capital’s Political Notes, Maryland Young Republicans will hold its annual convention in Annapolis next month, and Republicans ages 18 to 40 are invited to join; A who’s-who of northern Arundel pols are expected to attend a town hall meeting next week; and Arundel Greens are also set to meet.
LIGHT RAIL STATION BLUES: Residents urge the MTA to shut down the Linthicum light rail station, even while others call it a lifeline, writes Andrea Siegel for the Sun. Meanwhile, the MTA is proposing to cut back service.
PROTECTING MEDICARE: Speaking at the Washington County Democratic Central Committee’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin promised that Democrats in Washington will protect Medicare and Medicaid and preserve the collective-bargaining rights of labor unions, reports Andrew Schotz for the Hagerstown Herald Mail.
PREAKNESS STAKES: With just two days to go before the Preakness, Julie Bykowicz reports for the Sun that Maryland’s elected officials have a familial sort of love for horse racing — boasting of the jobs and land preservation the industry brings to the state, even as they deal with disappointed expectations, unpaid loans and repeated entreaties for one last chance,
Be sure to check out the video interview with Jim Stieff of the Stieff Silver Co., who speaks about the creation of the winner’s trophy.
There are no slot machines planned at Pimlico Race Course, writes Barbara Pash for MarylandReporter.com, but Baltimore City neighborhoods surrounding the storied venue are winners nonetheless. Starting July 1, they will receive the first of the state-wide slots revenue — $2 million – allocated to them by law.
Jean Marbella of the Sun writes about Georganne Hale, who runs the Preakness, and says that the only thing she has come to expect is the unexpected. A video interview with her is at the top of the story.
The editorial board of the Sun writes that the news about Maryland horse racing has been so glum for so long that the pleasures and thrills of the Preakness can sometimes be forgotten.
Barry Rascovar in his Gazette column sees a few rays of optimism for Maryland’s horse racing industry.
LEOPOLD SHUFFLE: A half-dozen county employees who testified in the grand jury investigation of Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold now have different jobs, reports Erin Cox for the Annapolis Capital. Leopold’s spokesman said the job changes are unrelated to the probe.
MOCO BUDGET OK’D: Michael Laris of the Post reports that the Montgomery County Council yesterday voted unanimously to approve a $4.4 billion operating budget that includes a 4-cent property tax rate hike and tens of millions of dollars in cuts to employee benefits and the county’s contribution to the public school system.
ZONING DECISIONS TRASHED: Meg Tully reports for the Frederick News Post that the Frederick County Commissioners are planning to overturn zoning decisions throughout the county that were made just last year by the previous board.
9/11 MEMORIAL: The Gazette’s story on the 9/11 memorial to be built at Baltimore’s World Trade Center includes renderings of the site that will display twisted beams from New York’s World Trade Center and the names of Marylanders killed there and at the Pentagon that day.
HOSPITAL PAYMENTS: Some of Maryland’s hospitals will be switching to a new payment system in which they are paid based on the patient’s illness and how effectively it is treated, according to Margie Hyslop in the Gazette.
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS: Daniel Valentine reports in the Gazette that the case of a developer charged in the corruption case of former Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson puts the spotlight on the use of ‘straw donors’ to funnel illegal campaign contributions to politicians.
SUPERINTENDENTS: One quarter of Maryland’s school superintendents will be leaving their posts, Andrew Ujifusa reports in the Gazette.
NOTEBOOK: The Gazette’s Reporters Notebook has items on Montgomery County’s Viagra payments; Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown’s engagement; the commute for the new Terps’ coach; and Michael Steele.
GAS TAX: Rising gas prices and proposed toll hikes make a gasoline tax hike less likely, Senate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola says in a Gazette article by Alan Brody.
