The House Ways and Means Committee on Monday approved its own tax package slashing many of the tax hikes approved by the Senate last week.
Voting along party lines, the committee approved 16-6 a tax proposal that would raise $190 million for state coffers — about half of the $415 million that would be raised by the Senate’s version.
Maryland wants to set a gold standard for safety to drill for natural gas in western Maryland’s Marcellus shale deposits, which could start as soon as as August 2014.
The House moved two drilling-related bills closer to passage Monday night. One funds an impact study and the other provides legal recourse to Marylanders if health and property are adversely affected by drilling.
A robocall targeting women in the western region of Maryland’s 6th Congressional District is apparently illegal, according to women who received the message. The robocall did not include an authority line during or at the end of the call, a provision required under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991.
Members of the Maryland General Assembly are required to file conflict of interest forms if they think their personal financial interests may conflict with issues they are supposed to vote on. Some legislators file many forms, some file none at all. Most get little scrutiny from the public, but there is a proposal this year to put them all online.
Since the new district maps to elect members of Congress and the legislature have sparked anger and lawsuits, many throughout the state have questioned the way that the lines are drawn, especially after the legislative redistricting plan quietly became law without hearings in the General Assembly. Several overhaul plans have been proposed, but none are likely to pass.
Some want Maryland to expand slot machine gambling, and one possible site is National Harbor in Prince George’s County. The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on the proposal Friday. Here is a podcast with a proponent of the new site, and opposition from the developer from the casino at Arundel Mills.
About 1,800 Maryland seniors have received erroneous notices from the comptroller’s office saying they owe money for improperly overstating pension exclusions or claiming pension exclusions they were not entitled to on their 2008 e-filed tax returns. New letters have been sent out to tell seniors to correct the error and assure them they do not owe the state any additional money.
Senate sends $35 billion budget with first general tax increases since the recession to the House; O’Malley uses skyboxes to meet with politicians, donate to charity; slot machine purchases may cost the state millions annually; House passes credits for inmates completing education; parents want to expand charter schools; InvestMaryland tax credit auction raises $84 million; Mikulski becomes longest serving woman in congressional history Saturday.
The Senate approved the state’s entire $35 billion budget package and reforms to maintenance of effort on Thursday as the spending plan cleared its first major hurdle before heading to the House of Delegates for further tweaking.
In this podcast, Senate President Mike Miller explains that progressive Democrats in his caucus demanded a higher tax on high earners. Minority Leader E.J. Pipkin says, “It will cost us jobs.”
“It’s class warfare,” said Sen. Bobby Zirkin in a second podcast. “It’s the worst instincts of the Democratic Party.”
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