State Roundup, September 6, 2017

BUDGET CUT VOTE TODAY: The Board of Public Works is scheduled to vote today on $68 million in budget cuts proposed by Gov. Larry Hogan in what is billed as an effort to get ahead of the state’s revenue problems, reports Michael Dresser in the Sun. Hogan, a Republican, will need to win the vote of at least one of the two Democrats on the board, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp. Franchot has been a reliable ally of Hogan’s on fiscal decisions.

• A proposal by Gov. Larry Hogan to trim the state budget has renewed a debate over ways to tame it. While Hogan has repeatedly called for easing the formulas that are now driving state spending at a rate that is growing faster than revenue, Democratic lawmakers and others have different suggestions, writes Bryan Sears for the Daily Record.

MD ‘DREAMERS’ PROTEST TRUMP ACTION: John Fritze and Lorraine Mirabella of the Sun interview a number of Maryland’s 9,000+ “dreamers” following the Trump administration’s decision to rescind protections for immigrants brought to the country illegally as children and whose only home they have ever know is the United States. They also interview U.S. Rep. Andy Harris and a number of business owners on their views on the decision.

• WJZ-TV reports on a protest that took place at the White House of DACA recipients, many from Maryland, who are upset with the administration’s decision.
• WYPR-FM’s Dominique Maria Bonessi interviews business owners who will be affected by DACA’s rescinding. State Farm agency owner David Rosario said overall his business will lose tens of thousands of dollars. He hired these DACA workers roughly three years ago for their eagerness to work and their bilingual skills

• The editorial board of the Sun opines that President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program after a six-month delay is a transparent attempt to pass the buck.

PURPLE LINE FOES BACK IN COURT: Purple Line opponents are heading back to federal Judge Richard Leon’s courtroom. Andrew Metcalf reports for Bethesda Beat that the plaintiffs in the long-running Purple Line lawsuit filed a new lawsuit Tuesday based on the federal Highway Act that argues the state and federal government shouldn’t be allowed to spend money on building the Purple Line because they haven’t properly funded Metro as required by the law.

SCHOOL TEACHER SALARIES: The average public school teacher in Maryland starts out with a salary of a little more than $43,200 a year, Jonathan Munshaw reports for the Baltimore Business Journal. That’s according to data from research website Niche.com, which found that Maryland ranked among the states with the highest starting pay for K-12 teachers. But by just traveling a few miles across county borders in the state, new teachers can aim to see a significant increase in pay.

Gov. Larry Hogan leads cheer at Arbutus Elementary School Tuesday morning. Governor’s Office photo.

GREETING THE KIDS: Gov. Larry Hogan and Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz were on hand to greet students at Arbutus Elementary School as they started their first day of school, writes Libby Solomon for the Arbutus Times.

CANDIDATES OPT OUT OF PUBLIC FINANCING: Several candidates who voted to support public campaign financing in local elections are opting not to use the funding mechanism for their own campaigns, as they run for local office in Montgomery County, Glynis Kazanjian of MarylandReporter writes.

ACLU CRITICIZES GRASSO: Anne Arundel County Council Chairman John Grasso did not stop residents on Tuesday from making critical comments or calling for the resignation of County Councilman Michael Peroutka after Grasso was accused by the ACLU of Maryland on Friday of violating First Amendment rights stopping similar comments. In a letter sent Friday to Grasso, the ACLU said the Glen Burnie Republican improperly censored two county residents at separate council meetings when they tried to speak about Peroutka, Phil Davis and Chase Cook report for the Annapolis Capital.

FREDERICK COUNCILMEN IN MEME FIGHT: Frederick County Councilman Jerry Donald says fellow County Councilman Kirby Delauter challenged him to a fight over a Facebook meme, blogs Ryan Miner for this Miner Detail website. Shortly after Frederick’s county council meeting concluded Monday night, Donald posted to his public Facebook page about an incident in which he claims Delauter, who is running for Frederick County executive, called him a name and apparently asked him to walk outside over a disparaging Facebook meme posted on Donald’s Facebook page that is aimed at Delauter.

EX SURGEON GENERAL TO DISCUSS ADDICTION: During his term as U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy released a report on opiates and addiction that emphasized that dependency on opioids and other substances must not be viewed as a character flaw. Murthy, who was surgeon general from 2014 to 2017, will take part in a panel discussion and question-and-answer session on heroin and opioid addiction on Sept. 14 in Bel Air, the Aegis’ Ericka Butler reports.