In what has become an annual tradition, Del. Jon Cardin is sponsoring legislation to establish a fund that would finance General Assembly campaigns with public funds.
The bill was applauded by citizens’ and voter rights groups appearing before the House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday. It has yet to win approval from both houses of the General Assembly. Cardin, a Baltimore County Democrat, said that he “inherited” the bill from former Del. John Adams Hurson, who retired in 2005.
Three bills that would crack down on illegal immigrants were hailed by supporters, who called the immigrants a public safety issue, and condemned by opponents, who said the bills raise constitutional concerns.
“We need to get serious about criminals and gangs,” Del. Pat McDonough told the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday.
McDonough, a Republican from Baltimore and Harford counties, and 10 other mostly Republican delegates are sponsoring the measures which the committee killed last year.
Sen. Rich Colburn of the Middle Shore uses a little old bill about oyster poaching to make some points about Natural Resources Police and their placement of secret tracking devices on the boats of oystermen.
On the gay marriage front: University of Maryland activists are targeting Sen. Jim Rosapepe from Prince George’s, where the delegation is almost evenly split for and against; Marc Steiner hosted a discussion on the issue; while two Baltimore County senators now say they will vote for it; and there’s coverage of the Valentine’s Day rally. President Obama mixed budget news and education priorities as he chatted with science and technology students at Parkville Middle; bill aims to close the loopholes on texting while driving; one delegate will vote for medical marijuana, on condition; transportation panel wants to lock down trust fund, create new revenue streams; former Prince George’s Exec Jack Johnson indicted, more charges are expected in bribery, corruption probe.
As far as some rural lawmakers are concerned, the proposed new limits on septic systems for homebuilding backed by Gov. Martin O’Malley and environmentalists are part of a “war on rural Maryland,” as a new website describes it.
“This is about a power grab, this is not about the environment,” said Senate Republican Whip E.J. Pipkin, from the four Upper Shore Counties, who launched the fledgling website with Del. Michael Smigiel, R-Upper Shore.
The best way to improve Maryland’s transportation system is to lock down the transportation trust fund, and start raising $800 million per year in new funds to maintain infrastructure, a state transportation committee is recommending to the governor and General Assembly.
The Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding put the final touches on its report Monday.
The Howard County Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint against County Executive Ken Ulman and County Council Chairman Calvin Ball filed by a former Ehrlich administration official who claimed they got her fired as the lobbyist for the Howard County Chamber of Commerce.
Sending out lots of news this Valentine’s Day: Obama visits a Parkville school; a death row on hold puts crime survivors and convicts in limbo; same sex marriage rally expected today; Annapolis considers sharing of juvie, ed records; two O’Malley bills high on environmentally forward list; disabled folks rally for dime-a-drink tax; tons more poached fish found, ending netting season early; Baker had no honeymoon in Prince George’s; complaint against Ulman dismissed; and Howard government workers get union option.
Moody’s Investor Service is adding pension liabilities to the factors it reports publicly in rating total state debt, a new approach one expert called “very significant.” The new numbers showed that while Maryland was not among the top 10 states with the biggest long-term debt including pensions, it ranked between 13th and 17th among the states with the highest debt.
MarylandReporter.com Editor and Publisher Len Lazarick sits down with Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Sen. Joan Carter Conway to discuss the wine shipping bill and gay marriage. Filmed and produced by Fosie Weston of OnTheHillMedia.com.
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