Four-digit tabs for dinner parties are common because of ethics reform passed in 1999 that requires lobbyists to invite an entire legislative “unit,” such as a committee or delegation – an attempt to snuff out the perception of lobbyists peddling inappropriate influence by taking individual lawmakers to dinners.
While bringing greater transparency, it also gives influential lobbyists and their wealthy clients what observers say is an apparent upper hand over smaller lobbying shops and nonprofit groups whose clients lack deep pockets to fund receptions.
Len Lazarick
State Roundup, April 22, 2011
Still more Schaefer tributes. Motorcade route planned to take him to special places in Baltimore; his legacy could be honored by working toward another Baltimore renaissance; Mfume, members of the press share his memories. In other news, O’Malley leading an Asian trade mission; pension return rate of 7.75% may not be realistic; Kasemeyer says tax hikes are the way to end persistent structural deficit; Van Hollen sues FEC for more disclosure.
Broader sales tax a good idea to fix deficit, Senate Budget chairman says, and O’Malley likely to propose tax hike to fund transportation
Widening Maryland’s sales tax to include more services is “the place to go” in fixing the state’s persistent structural deficit, the chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee said Thursday. Sen. Edward Kasemeyer, D-Howard, also said, “I’m assuming some kind of revenue increase” will be part of a transportation package Gov. Martin O’Malley will sponsor in the fall special session of the legislature that he will call to deal with congressional redistricting.
State Housing Department headquarters declared surplus, ready for sale
The Crownsville headquarters of the Department of Housing and Community Development was formally declared surplus on Wednesday, meaning the state is free to sell it and move forward with plans to relocate the agency to Prince George’s County.
Wednesday’s resolution, passed unanimously by the Board of Public Works, is the next step in the long process to jump-start transit-oriented development in Prince George’s County by relocating the agency to a new location near a Metro station.
Blog: Schaefer remembered by the Board of Public Works
Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting started with a tribute to one of the people who had been a fixture on the board for 16 years: Gov. William Donald Schaefer, who died on Monday.
Schaefer sat on the board when he was governor, from 1987 to 1995, and when he was comptroller, from 1999 to 2007.
General Assembly moves forward with more transparency, but there’s still a long way to go
Maryland made strides toward getting more of its government information easily accessible to the public during the last General Assembly session, but transparency advocates say there is still a long way for the state to go. “There is always room to improve the transparency of government,” said Jack Murphy, executive director of the Maryland-DC Press Association.
Blog: Better late than never at ICC as I-95 roars by
We waited a long-time for the Prince George’s County executive to show at the event on I-95 at the Intercounty Connector. But the developers of Konterra had been waiting decades longer for an interchange that they finally got by swapping land with the state so it could finish the last leg of the ICC.
William Donald Schaefer: Love him, hate him, and now we are without him
William Donald Schaefer – city councilman, mayor, governor, comptroller — was a man we journalists loved to hate, and he returned the grudging respect in kind.
He used us for his higher purposes, and reporters used him with all his strengths and flaws for some of the most flamboyant head-shaking stories we will ever remember.
Blog: We’re looking for volunteers to help improve MarylandReporter.com
At MarylandReporter.com, we make decisions based on facts and educated guesses. We definitely prefer facts.
Petition drive to repeal in-state tuition for illegal immigrants gets underway but new signature guidelines needed
Opponents of just passed legislation allowing illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition met on Saturday in Annapolis to organize a petition drive for the issue. But the elections board has yet to revise signature guidelines for the process or approve wording on the petition.
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