Students and administrators at the state universities are worried that the $50 million cut in the state budget will lead to a double-digit tuition hike. [...more]
Republican legislators and conservative groups are mounting a campaign against a special session of the legislature to raise taxes, as teachers and public employees advocates are organizing to bring the lawmakers back to Annapolis to do just that. [...more]
Moody’s Investor Services says Maryland counties could face a downgrade of their bond ratings due the state cuts in education aid and the new maintenance of effort law “limiting the ability of local governments to cut their own spending.” [...more]
Before bill signing, Gov. Martin O'Malley called the cuts to education "really a damn shame." Senate President Mike Miller says "the issue is a lack of trust." [...more]
The House of Delegates voted to increase the mandatory age Maryland children are required to attend public school to 17 years old after a lengthy debate on Thursday. [...more]
In a nearly 11-hour session, the House of Delegates fended off proposals to level fund the fiscal 2013 budget, block shifting teacher pension costs, and eliminate an income tax hike. Scores of amendments were attempted on the controversial bills, but none passed. All of the bills will go for final votes Friday or Saturday exactly as they came from their committees. [...more]
The Senate voted 26-20 for a late amendment to a bill that would raise the state income tax by .25% for most Marylanders. The added amendment goes a step further, raising the bill’s proposed tax rate for anyone making over $500,000 from 5.5% to 5.75% for every dollar earned. The new provision would raise an additional $30 million in new revenue for aging schools. [...more]
A bill that would waive college tuition for employees of the Maryland Higher Education Commission and their children was handily defeated in the Senate Tuesday morning. With a 12-33 vote, it was a rare defeat for a bill that had made it so far along in the legislative process. [...more]
In the Senate’s proposed budget plan, some of the costs of teacher retirement would be shifted to county school boards over the next four years, not to the county governments next year, as Gov. Martin O’Malley had proposed. But the approved proposal would ultimately force counties to give their school boards $500 million more over the next four years. [...more]
Senate budget subcommittees Monday began their decisions to approve or reject recommendations from the Department of Legislative Services. [...more]
