Cynthia Prairie, Author at MarylandReporter.com

Dems seek more control of transportation funding; Hogan calls it ‘reckless power grab’

Complaining that decisions about Maryland’s congested transportation system are made with no accountability or public input, Maryland Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday announced legislation that would create an Oversight and Planning Board for the Maryland Transit Authority. Legislators said Marylanders also need more insight into how and why some projects are funded over others. Another bill announced Tuesday would create a scoring system for transportation projects to determine which get funding.

Comptroller seeks to withhold tax refunds from those with arrest warrants

The comptroller’s office would be able to withhold tax refunds from individuals who have outstanding arrest warrants throughout the state, under a pair of Maryland bills designed to provide criminal suspects with a financial incentive to turn themselves in.

State Roundup, February 16, 2016

Teacher pension costs for counties are expected to increase; Dels. Kathy Szeliga and David Moon team up to push for video streaming of GA floor sessions, say high cost estimates are wrong; Washington County schools predict course shuffling needed to meet Gov. Hogan’s early graduation program; Comptroller Franchot seeks more authority as number of tax cases rises; Supreme Court to hear Maryland utility case; and Leisure World seniors give no rest for District 8 congressional candidates.

Debate continues over creating no-fault birth injury fund

A state-created task force has again called for the creation of a fund that would provide lifetime care needs to babies suffering from birth-related neurological injuries. This is the third time in three years that the task force has pushed for the passage of HB 377. The controversial no-fault birth injury fund, modeled after those in Florida and Virginia, would compensate families of babies with these injuries and allow them to forego the need for litigation. The sponsor of the bill, HB 377, Del. Dan Morhaim, a Baltimore County Democrat, believes Maryland can learn from those states.

Legislators pushing for video of floor sessions say costs inflated

The conservative Republican and liberal Democrat pushing together for video streaming of General Assembly floor sessions also agree that the estimated costs are far too high. In the fiscal note to House Bill 316, legislative staff estimates it would cost $1.2 million to install and operate next year, and then over $400,000 per year to staff and maintain the system. “With modern technology you can do it for much, much less,” House Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga told the House Rules Committee Friday.

Rebranding Mount St. Mary’s

If you believe that all press is good press, Simon Newman is a marketing genius. The new president of Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg has managed to attract national attention for his university with a single turn of phrase.

State Roundup, February 15, 2016

Senate Pres Miller blames raft of nastiness directed toward dems on Gov. Hogan social media blast of latest veto override; Hogan eyes drone detection technology to stop their use in prison drops; family targets Del. Vallario as it pushes for new drunk-driving legislation; legislation to allow cameras in sentencings dies in committee; Carroll lawmakers hope to restrict abortions to 20 weeks; Baltimore City, Arundel County take gripes with liquor boards to Annapolis; Olney resident Pamela Queen tapped to replace Zucker in House of Delegates; and the Congressional Black Caucus PAC won’t endorse U.S. Rep. Edwards for Senate.

Seizure of cash, property by police in drug crime would get harder

A proposal to reform the process by which police seize property like cash and cars from suspected criminals in drug cases is pitting law enforcement against civil liberties groups. Sen. Michael Hough, a Frederick Republican, told the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee during a hearing Thursday that current procedures contradict constitutional protections such as due process.

Rascovar: Procurement clash may be coming

First, the good news: Gov. Larry Hogan last week created a 19-member commission to come up with ways to fix Maryland’s maddeningly inefficient system for purchasing $7 billion worth of goods and services each year. Here comes the bad news: This group may wind up trying to re-invent the wheel because state legislators appear ready to pass legislation, based on three years of study, that could dramatically change state purchasing practices.

S.C. GOP debate: Free for all, Trump v. Bush, Rubio comes back, Kasich aggressively moderate

It is hard to say how the South Carolina or national electorate will react to the debate, but they should be stronger for Marco Rubio, John Kasich and Jeb Bush, in that order. Donald Trump sounded like Bernie Sanders on Iraq, and John Kasich called the Trump-Bush dust-up “crazy, just nuts.” Commentary by Rick Vatz and Len Lazarick.

Cynthia Prairie

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