A bipartisan panel of legislators has agreed to ask Gov.-elect Hogan to cut ongoing spending by $350 million; Lt. Gov.-elect Rutherford will share staff with Hogan; Hogan likely to push to charter schools; Sen. Pinsky calls Comptroller Franchot’s “start school later” proposal ridiculous; Hogan picks four for Cabinet; November elections strengthened Republican Party in Maryland; Montgomery County has frozen most hiring, purchasing; and Frederick County exec must tackle budget shortfall.
Year: 2014
Hogan names first four cabinet secretaries; Caret to become university chancellor
Gov.-elect Larry Hogan named his first four cabinet secretaries Wednesday. He pulled another Republican lawmaker from the legislature for his team, naming Frederick County Del. Kelly Schulz to be labor secretary, but he also retained a current O’Malley administration appointee, keeping Sam Abed on as secretary of Juvenile Services.
Perhaps the most important state official to be named yesterday, also crucial to the success of the Hogan administration in stimulating economic growth, was done by the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland, which announced that Bob Caret, former president of Towson University and current president of the University of Massachusetts system, would become chancellor of the state colleges and university, replacing Brit Kirwan, who is retiring.
State Roundup, December 17, 2014
Board of Public Works expected to OK contract for new paper-scanning voting machines; Gaming board green lights Hollywood Casino request to cut number of slot machines; with Caesars on brink of bankruptcy, what will happen to Baltimore City’s new Horseshoe Casino?; Sen. Rosapepe offers Gov.-elect Hogan advice on managing budget problems; Hogan, Baltimore City mayor meet over dinner; Del. Tarrant says backers hope to secure federal funds to push State Center project through; Prince George’s lawmakers to defend local, state-funded projects targeted by Hogan; Washington County could secure Ag Center from state; Gov. O’Malley meets with supporters but no talk of presidential bid; Blaine Young admits to relationship with employee recently reassigned; and Harford Council prez backtracks on security policy.
Senate president announces committee assignments
Senate President Mike Miller announced the full slate of committee assignments Tuesday, finding places for the 11 new senators and shifting several of the incumbents. The Democratic presiding officer determines the committee assignments for both Democrats and Republicans in the 47-member Senate.
2015 State House Birthday Calendar includes all 58 new delegates, 11 new senators
Get the new 2015 Maryland State House Birthday Calendar produced by the staff of MarylandReporter.com.
It includes the birthdays of all 188 members of the incoming Maryland General Assembly — including all 58 newly elected members of the House of Delegates and 11 newly elected senators. There are also the birthdays of all statewide elected officials and Maryland members of Congress.
State Roundup, December 16, 2014
State’s budget shortfall grows amid predictions of lower tax collections, stagnant wages, problems split between current fiscal year and next; with dire budget predictions, Gov.-elect Hogan could find himself fighting state mandates, education funding advocates; Purple Line’s fate looks gloomier; opinionator Josh Kurtz ponders how Montgomery County could once again find itself in such a politically weakened situation; Sen. Raskin seeks to take out language from state constitution that bans nonbelievers from holding office; former Del. Cane suffers stroke; and legal questions arise over Blaine Young appointment.
No easy budget fixes; Rascovar’s proposals to change the fiscal year are way off base
In Monday’s column, Barry Rascovar claimed that an “easy budget fix” for Maryland would be to stop projecting revenues in favor of using a previous year’s levels, and shifting the fiscal year from July-June to January-December.
His arguments are greatly flawed. Here are a few of his assertions and the sensible counters to them:
State Roundup, December 15, 2014
Gov.-elect Hogan’s visit to Montgomery brings hope for bi-partisanship, projects with huge dose of budget reality; new legislators to address a number of environmental issues; Gov. O’Malley started to address the fracking issue, Gov.-elect Hogan will have to put a stamp on it; Hogan also must face down problems with chicken waste, the Chesapeake and farmers’ future; former Gov. Harry Hughes reflects on a full life at home and in politics; new Frederick County government worries about trickle-down deficit from the state; Carroll Commissioners to keep praying; new Harford exec proposes rooms tax; and Hyattsville considers lowering voting age to 16.
Rascovar: Md.’s easy budget fix
Maryland governments are awash in budget deficits.
Yet it need not be quite so bad, if Maryland were to change its budget cycle.
State Roundup, December 12, 2014
Gov.-elect Hogan says Maryland’s budget needs “strong medicine” to repair overspending of the past; Comptroller Franchot sees “adjustments … not draconian changes” to fix budget problems; in-coming Attorney General Frosh defends storm-water fee, farm pollution remediation; Beilenson’s health cooperative doing better under new exchange, enrollment time; some businesses stressed over handling health insurance for their employees; Hogan committed but cautious on restoring funding for Maryland Route 75; clergy to hold police violence protest tonight; Montgomery Exec Leggett recounts recent “politicking while black” incident; Harford council continues to keep citizens at arm’s length; and Gov. O’Malley calls for probe into torture following report.
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