Of all the backrooms in Annapolis where deals on legislation are struck, Room 111 at the back of the Legislative Services Building may be the mother of all backrooms. For some years now, this room is where the pseudo-public conference committee meets to hash out the differences between the House and Senate over the state budget.
Read MoreDo you want to kill our budget amendments tonight, or save the steamroller for tomorrow?
That was the key question the 12-member Senate Republican caucus had to answer Tuesday evening as the Senate debated the governor’s $34 billion budget.
Read MoreIt was a bizarre finale to a rally that brought thousands of state workers and teachers to Annapolis to protest cuts in pensions, retirement benefits and pupil spending. The last speaker was none other than the man who had triggered the rally by proposing the cuts: Gov. Martin O’Malley.
“I don’t like this budget either,” O’Malley said in a short speech. He was met by cheers, some grumbling, and the evening’s chant of “Keep the Promise.”
Read MoreAdvocates for increased school funding and a key legislator overseeing education spending clashed at a long hearing on the bill that will reduce many formulas for state aid.
The governor’s plan is “a sustained rollback” of education funding, said Robert Rankin, a lobbyist for the Maryland State Education Association.
Read MoreThe governor’s proposed 2012 budget underfunds the Department of Juvenile Services by $7.2 million, according to an analysis unveiled last week.
The analysis by the Department of Legislative services, presented to the House Appropriations Committee Friday, says that Gov. Martin O’Malley’s budget overestimates the amount of money the state will receive from the federal government and underestimates the amount of money needed to pay employees for overtime. The Department of Juvenile Services, which the O’Malley administration calls “undoubtedly one of the most troubled agencies,” is budgeted at more than $277 million for 2012.
Read MoreWhile proposals to increase employee contribution rates and retirement requirements to the State Retirement and Pension System are a good start, analysts, top staff, and members of the system’s board told the Senate budget committee Tuesday that what is truly needed is a quicker return to full contributions to the system.
Read MoreDespite the state’s continuing problems balancing its budget, education advocates – from State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick to community leaders – pleaded with members of a Senate budget subcommittee on Friday not to cut funds from schools.
Gov. Martin O’Malley has proposed a total of $6.4 billion for public school education in his fiscal year 2012 budget, a figure he described as “level funding.” But the total amount winds up being 4.6% less than schools are receiving in the current fiscal year, due to a loss of federal stimulus dollars.
Read MoreAlthough the Motor Vehicle Administration provides services for millions of Marylanders, MVA Administrator John Kuo said on Thursday that his department’s employees would prefer not to see most of them in person.
Read MoreLen Lazarick sits down with Patch.com’s Bryan Sears to discuss what we’re learning about the governor’s budget and the upcoming State of the State address.
Read MoreSenate Majority Leader Rob Garagiola plans on introducing a major tax package to pump $400 million to $600 million a year into the dwindling transportation trust fund, along with a constitutional amendment to put the fund into a “lockbox” so it can’t be raided for other purposes.
A new coalition of 32 business and consumer groups known as the Statewide Transportation Alliance to Restore the Trust (START) is backing the move.
Read MoreThe governor’s new budget may be $425 million to $500 million short on cash to fully fund some programs and pension costs, legislative analysts told lawmakers Monday.
In its first swipe at Gov. Martin O’Malley’s $34 billion spending plan, the Legislative Services staff fiscal briefing identified key issues the legislature has to deal with in handling the budget. The analysts noted over $200 million in bond debt that would be sold to replace money taken out of the special funds for Program Open Space, Chesapeake Bay Restoration and the Transportation Trust Fund.
Read MoreHere is a summary of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s $34.2 billion budget, balanced with no new taxes but continuing transfers special funds from Program Open Space and the Transportation Trust Fund.
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