The progressive Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute is recommending $2.6 billion in tax increases to cure state budget shortfalls, including $2 billion on consumer services that are not currently taxed.
Len Lazarick
Program Open Space moves to Natural Resources for more efficiency
The state’s Program Open Space has a new home entirely within the Department of Natural Resources and more flexibility with how funds can be spent.
State Roundup, July 29, 2011
MTA looks to soften impact of new tolls; Miller predicts same-sex marriage will pass in 2012; Harris speaks out about debt ceilings and the need for a constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget; a General Assembly Joint Committee urges a federal compromise; local governments may also see a ratings downgrade if the U.S. defaults.
Auditors find problems at Morgan State with scholarships, grants, computer access
Auditors found that Morgan State University has a litany of problems with controlling spending on scholarships, research and development grants, and granting access to its computer systems – but on the whole, the university is doing much better.
McDonough switches gears, may run against Cardin
So what is Pat McDonough running for this week? Would you believe U.S. Senate? McDonough, a three-term Republican delegate from Middle River, has been talking for months about challenging Democratic Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger in the 2nd Congressional District.McDonough said Thursday that would be an “uphill battle” but “a winnable race.” But if the Democrats start monkeying with the district lines and the 2nd District turns from uphill to “impossible,” he’ll try to be the Republican nominee against Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin.
New solar farm will double solar energy on the grid, but return no cash to Maryland
Despite being a fan of renewable energy and jobs for western Maryland, Comptroller Peter Franchot voted against a long-term lease for the state’s largest solar energy farm at the Board of Public Works on Wednesday.
Despite federal debt upheaval, Maryland sells $512 million in bonds at low rates
While discord over the national debt and budget cutting sizzled Wednesday in Washington, D.C., the Board of Public Works approved the sale of $512 million in state bonds at some of the lowest rates ever – and had harsh words for uncompromising Republicans in Congress.
State, local financing help Owings Mills Metro project leave the station
Thanks to the intervention of the Maryland Department of Transportation, ground will be broken Thursday for the first building in the long-stalled $220 million Metro Centre at Owings Mills project. A transit-oriented development at Baltimore County’s Owings Mills Metro station, the project has been in the works since 2000. Disputes over building logistics and price, as well as increases in construction costs delayed it for more than a decade.
Assembly staff presents $1 billion in sales tax hikes on services, Internet
As legislative staff presented over $1 billion in potential new revenues from taxing professional services and Internet sales in Annapolis Tuesday, Senate leaders insisted repeatedly that they weren’t actively considering sales tax hikes. “This is an effort in the main part to be prepared for any situation,” said Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Chair Ed Kasemeyer, D-Howard. “They’re not priorities. They’re a list of potential revenue sources.”
Federal debt crisis threatens state bond ratings
The federal debt crisis continues to threaten Maryland’s prized AAA bond rating, and “the state is likely to lose in almost any scenario,” Warren Deschenaux, the legislature’s chief fiscal analyst, told lawmakers Tuesday. If the federal debt cap is not increased, “I don’t see much in the way of a happy ending for the state,” Deschenaux told the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.
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