Cynthia Prairie, Author at MarylandReporter.com

Point, Counterpoint: Maryland can’t cut its way to growth

This was written in response to Dee Hodges’ commentary on Wednesday: “Some ideas for legislative relief to help Maryland thrive”

State Roundup, January 5, 2017

Gov. Hogan to continue annual school construction Begathon, over opposition of General Assembly, Treasurer Kopp; state ACLU challenges state parole system’s handling of juveniles sentenced to life; Gonzales poll finds Hogan approval number climbs to 74%; tourism revenue in Maryland jumps 3.5%; Frederick schools won’t give state student info until it proves computer system is safe; Del. Impallaria found guilty of DWI; Del. Korman won’t seek Montgomery Council seat; former Del. Carter heads city Civil Rights division; and despite concern about a President Trump, U.S. Rep. Cummings stays hopeful.

Hogan riding high with 74% approval; Trump in the dumps

Gov. Larry Hogan is still riding high among Maryland voters, with the latest poll showing his job approval rating at 74%; even two-thirds of Democrats say the Republican governor is doing a good job. The Gonzales Research poll released Thursday is the fifth public opinion survey in the last four months that has found seven out of 10 voters or more approving the job Hogan is doing as governor.

State Roundup, January 4, 2017

Gov. Hogan lays out his legislative agenda for the environment, intends to spend $65 million to promote green industries. Bay Foundation chief cautiously optimistic; state legislative panel puts hold on fracking regulations to allow General Assembly to consider ban; Attorney General Frosh calls for testing of more rape kits, consistency among police agencies; Maryland schools drop to No. 5 in Education Week review; Maryland lawmakers consider making ballot access contingent upon presidential candidate’s release of tax returns; and two reps and a senator: Jamie Raskin, Anthony Brown and Chris Van Hollen sworn into Congress.

Gallery: Brown, Raskin, Van Hollen sworn in to 115th Congress

Here is a gallery of photos assembled from various Facebook pages of Maryland’s two new representatives and new junior senator on the day of their swearing in to the 115th Congress.

Opinion: Some ideas for legislative relief to help Maryland thrive

Government should always be about fostering conditions — laws, regulations, and taxes — to better enable the citizens to thrive. Over decades this mission seems to have been lost in Maryland’s one-party system. In losing focus, the state forgot the people who really support the poor, the taxpayers. Demands became greater on workers during the O’Malley years even as the state has wallowed in an economy that treads water. Dee Hodges of the Maryland Taxpayers Association offers a few ideas for enough relief to make Maryland a better place.

State Roundup, January 3, 2017

Legislative spending mandates rise to top as General Assembly see shortfalls nearing $1 billion through FY 2019; University of Maryland School of Medicine among world-wide researchers looking into Zika virus; Chris Van Hollen to be sworn in as senator today; Howard councilmembers propose banning law enforcers from asking immigration status; Frederick County exec, council lag in salaries compared to peers; and 10 of highest paid nonprofit CEOs live in Montgomery County.

Collins: Legislature may step up partisan warfare at State House

The legislature has a fairly comfortable pattern. Year one focuses on getting the budget done and acclimating new members. Year two is tax increases. Year three is a mixture of taxes and spending, and year four is a spending blowout in order to get re-elected. Gov. Larry Hogan threw a wrench in that well-oiled machine and Democrats are miffed. They will go to extreme lengths to portray Hogan’s election as an aberration and make him a one-term governor

State Roundup, January 2, 2017

Teachers union to push legislature for cap on student testing time; state payroll system to get a closer look by joint legislative committee; two articles explore Maryland’s incarceration problems from two perspectives: One from a 13-year-old who was stuck in the juvenile justice system for stealing a cell phone and the other of a woman who found herself in jail for five days because friends and family couldn’t scrape together her bail; 2016 drug overdose deaths surged in Maryland; state switches to online portal to begin handgun purchase process; Gov. and Mrs. Hogan to attend Trump inauguration; Dels. Carter, Hammen leave office to join Mayor Pugh’s administration; candidates abundant to replace Del. Smith; U.S. Rep. Delaney believes proposal to tax overseas profits may stand a chance; Sinclair Broadcasting scored in summertime Trump access; and Washington Post hires more reporters.

Rascovar: Re-imagining State Center

As an early New Year’s gift to Maryland taxpayers, Gov. Larry Hogan Jr. delivered the final blow to an outrageously priced scheme aimed at turning over to private investors the 28-acre State Center complex in Baltimore for redevelopment.

Hogan’s predecessor, Gov. Martin O’Malley, had pushed hard for the State Center deal in a way that benefited the developers but left the state with unconscionably high rental payments for the next half-century – beginning at $30 million-plus per year, escalating by 15 percent every five years.

Cynthia Prairie

Support Our Work!

Recent Comments

Twitter

Facebook

Recent Articles