Can “Change Maryland” actually change Maryland into a state friendlier to business? That’s what almost 400 executives explored Thursday morning at the first large event sponsored by Change Maryland [...more]
Gov. Martin O’Malley’s bill to expand voting debuted in Annapolis Thursday, calling for more early voting days, same day voter registration and an opportunity for all Marylanders to obtain absentee ballots online. But critics, including members of the governor’s own party, sounded off about the potential for voter fraud, some even suggesting that certain parts of the bill be delayed until security could be improved. [...more]
Two bills trying to increase compliance with Open Meetings Act were approved by the Government Operations Subcommittee Thursday. [...more]
A bill changing the state’s petition process could make it harder for voters to bring controversial laws to referendum. The Referendum Integrity Act will be among numerous bills debated in Annapolis Thursday that could fundamentally change state election law. [...more]
Republican lawmakers are pushing a bill to cut the expected rate of return on Maryland $38 billion pension investment portfolio -- a move that would effectively add billions of dollars to the state’s pension liabilities. The move to reduce what the GOP considers an unrealistic 7.75% rate to something like the corporate rate several points below that drew strong opposition from the State Retirement Agency at a hearing Tuesday. [...more]
While a December Motor Vehicle Administration report found older drivers have fewer crashes, a group of experts and witnesses told a House committee Tuesday that older drivers should be required to renew their licenses on a more frequent basis and in-person. [...more]
Responding to Republican assertions at a Tuesday morning news conference that a gas tax hike he proposed is unnecessary, Senate President Mike Miller said, “These people are Neanderthals.” Miller suggested that Republicans were towing the party line even though many of their districts would benefit from the passage of the tax bill. [...more]
The Greater Baltimore Committee’s latest report reveals that Maryland’s tax structure and other corporate regulations are a driving force behind the state’s spotty performance on U.S. business climate rankings, which typically rate Virginia as a better place to do business than Maryland. On average, Maryland placed 27th out of 50 states in national rankings published between 2012 and 2013. But each of the 10 rankings are based on different criteria, so Maryland receives better grades from some ranking groups than others. [...more]
Democratic leaders at the State House have learned not to count on a single Republican vote for any tax increase, including proposals for a gas tax hike being floated again. But GOP legislators plan to explain at a Tuesday news conference why new transportation revenues aren’t needed at all. The Republican delegates will argue that the transportation trust fund, raised largely through the motor fuel tax, the titling (sales) tax on vehicles, registration and drivers fees, “heavily subsidizes mass transit,” said Del. Susan Krebs, R-Carroll. [...more]
It was not a great week for openness and transparency at the State House. Perhaps it is more accurate to say it was business as usual in Annapolis, with a few events reminding us that while much of the public business has become remarkably accessible over the Internet, much of it still happens behind closed doors. [...more]
