UNRESOLVED AUDITS: MOORE, LEGISLATURE EACH PUSH TO FIND SOLUTIONS:: Gov. Wes Moore said in a January interview that his chief performance officer’s “expansive mission” includes financial audits. But when asked for copies of any such audits, the governor’s office of legal counsel said that “no records exist.” Instead Moore’s team clarified that the chief performance officer does not conduct independent financial audits but instead works to resolve findings identified by other auditors, narrowing the scope of what the governor described. Tessa Bentulan/The Baltimore Sun.
- The Joint Legislative Audit and Evaluation Committee voted Monday to back a package of bills aimed at forcing agencies to be more attentive to fixing problems uncovered by state audits. The bills follow a number of sometimes contentious hearings over the last year where lawmakers expressed frustration over the seriousness of the problems identified in audits, as well as the growing number of repeat findings, sometimes stretching back a decade or more. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
FERGUSON TAKES AIM AT BGE UNDERGROUND LINE, DATA CENTERS: Flanked by frustrated residents in Otterbein on Monday, state Senate President Bill Ferguson announced legislation aimed at tightening oversight of major utility projects. He accused BGE of pushing a costly transmission line through neighborhoods without proving it’s necessary — while the utility countered that the project is essential to replace aging equipment and protect electric reliability for tens of thousands of customers in South Baltimore. Brian Carlton and Chevall Pryce/The Baltimore Sun.
- Under state law, only “overhead” transmission projects are scrutinized by the PSC — underground lines are not reviewed by state regulators. State law also requires the commission to grant a waiver to a power line project, exempting it from review, if it does not require the acquisition of new land or the addition of larger or taller structures. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
- Ferguson also is seeking to prevent Baltimore Peninsula’s next owners from constructing a data center there, part of a legislative proposal aimed at curbing rising power bills in the region. He intends to file the bill this week, which also expands the state’s regulatory oversight of costly utility projects. BGE and its parent company, Exelon, have a $537 million plan to build new distribution and underground transmission lines throughout South Baltimore to meet future power demands at Baltimore Peninsula. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
BILL WOULD CUT COMMUNITY FROM B’MORE SCHOOL BOARD APPOINTMENTS: State Sen. Antonio Hayes, a Democrat representing Baltimore, wants to shift power over school board appointments to the mayor and Maryland’s Senate, a move that some fear would politicize the process. A bill he introduced would cut community voices — like the American Civil Liberties Union, the disabilities community and teachers — from the process. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.
ARUNDEL SHERIFF SEEKS TO MODIFY LEGAL EVICTIONS ACTION: A judge in Anne Arundel County was following an almost century-old state law that requires a trial within five days of a landlord’s filing a failure-to-pay-rent lawsuit, a rule that other localities across the state regularly ignore. Housing advocates and Arundel Sheriff Everett Sesker are trying to get state lawmakers to change the law as it applies to Anne Arundel to avoid what some view as the potentially devastating consequences. Alex Mann/The Baltimore Banner.
CLIPPINGER TAKES A SWING AT HOUSE SPEAKERSHIP; HOYER, BOAFO TOGETHER: It’s been a while since the speaker of the Maryland House was addressed as Mr. Speaker, but your ears were not deceiving you if you were listening to the proceedings Monday night. That’s when Del. Luke Clippinger got in some practice time for when he will have to fill in for House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk. U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) and Del. Adrian Boafo (D-Prince George’s) made their first campaign appearance together Monday, about a month after Hoyer endorsed the delegate to be his successor from a crowded field of Democratic contenders. William J. Ford, Danielle J. Brown and Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
$2.5M IN FED FUNDS TO HELP HOOD COLLEGE WITH BIOTECH RESEARCH CENTER: New federal funding will allow Hood College to keep up to date with the future of biotechnology, with a new research center on the school’s Frederick campus. The $2.5 million award will help support the renovation of the school’s Hodson Science and Technology Center Annex, which will be the home of the new Bioscience Research and Education Center. Ryan Marshall/The Frederick News Post.
ARUNDEL SEEKS TO RECONSTRUCT SIGNAGE CODES: Time is running out for the Anne Arundel County Council to vote on a bill that rebuilds its code for signage of all types, from yard sales to storefronts. Among other things, the bill looks at what the county defines as a sign, as well as creating a slew of definitions pertaining to various sign types, like freestanding, banners and electronic. Proponents of the bill say it is meant to curb driver distraction and maintain community aesthetics. Benjamin Rothstein/The Baltimore Sun.
REP McCLAIN DELANEY ANNOUNCES $11.75M FOR 7 PROJECTS IN THE 6the DISTRICT: Congresswoman April McClain Delaney has announced $11.75 million in federal Community Project Funding to support seven critical projects across Maryland’s Sixth District. Combined with seven projects announced last November, she has now secured a total of $18.4 million in federal funding during her first term, benefiting all five counties she represents. Staff/The Garrett Republican.
WINTER HAZARD: CARBON MONOXIDE SENDS RECORD NUMBERS TO ER: A record-breaking number of Marylanders have landed in the emergency room this winter due to exposure to carbon monoxide, as cold temperatures lead people to seek warmth in unsafe ways. So far this winter, there have been 234 trips to the emergency room or urgent care due to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the most recent state health data, more than any of the last six cold seasons for which data is publicly available. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
I hope these bills pass in regards to holding departments accountable. I would also like to see employees or managers fired for their incompetence. If gov’t is not going to hold those employees to regulatory standards then what is the point. For example in the private sector, if I failed to do those background checks that resulted in pedophiles being with children I would have been fired. Have they been disciplined for failure to do their job and follow the law? We continue to have problems that go back decades. I really hope these bills solve the problem of the departments not fixing themselves and being compliant. But this all goes back to if the gov’t is not following the law, then who is enforcing the gov’t to follow its own laws? Where is the head rolling? Why do heads never seem to roll?
Tax resale is cruel and wrong. There should be other options and proper letters sent to notify the property owners of their failure to pay. This system takes advantage of the poor and ignorant. There needs to be other safeguards in place that allow the homeowner to rectify their past due bill instead of having their largest investment and place of living stripped from them for a few hundred or thousands of dollars. Nothing like continuing to have to rent the land from the king for the privilege of “owning and living.” This system is wrong and needs an upgrade statewide.
In regards to tenants not paying rent. If they are not getting their court letter in a timely manner than 5 days is too short, you should have to be legally served. But if they choose to continue to not pay the entire eviction process can take another 3-6 months. Lets not act like they did not know they needed to pay their rent. This idea of oh we didn’t know is bull crap. You signed a lease and had all month to pay, then you want to be shocked that you got a court date or judgement against you. Like come on and show some responsibility.