Tag: Rich Madaleno
Md. legislators get high marks from consumer group — but not GOP
A consumer advocacy group is giving state lawmakers high scores for passing laws in the 2014 General Assembly session that raise the minimum wage and reduce the impact of foreclosures.
The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, a nonprofit whose mission includes advancing fairness and justice for consumers, also released four-year scores that depicted state lawmakers as generally favorable to consumer issues. Only nine of 47 senators and 46 of 141 delegates got four-year scores lower than 80%.
Read More$10.10 minimum wage gets preliminary OK in Senate
A bill to hike the state’s minimum wage $10.10 has reached its final hurdles after a flurry of attempts from lawmakers Friday to amend the already fragile legislation.
The Senate gave preliminary approval to the legislation, HB295, a chief priority of Gov. Martin O’Malley, that would boost Maryland’s minimum wage to $10.10 by 2018.
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Cut in estate tax sent to governor, who will likely sign it
In an effort to ensure Maryland’s millionaires don’t flee the state for cheaper pastures, the General Assembly approved Thursday a cut to the state’s estate tax.
After spirited debate and a 36-10 vote from the Senate, the bill was sent to Gov. Martin O’Malley, who is likely to sign the bill.
Read More50% hike in cigarette tax gets hearing
Health care advocates are stoking the tax fires again with legislation that would make Maryland’s tobacco taxes some of the highest in the country.
The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee heard testimony Wednesday on SB 589, which would increase the tobacco tax rate from $2 for a pack of cigarettes to $3. The bill also calls for steep hike on all other tobacco products — from 30% to 95% of the wholesale price.
Read MoreLegislators try to tackle college affordability
Grappling with the issue of affordability in higher education, lawmakers are taking suggestions and drafting legislation to ease the financial burden Maryland college students face.
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Off to the Races: Decision time for candidates; running mates needed; incumbent senators challenged; Hogan appeals to Korean-Americans
The filing deadline for state and county offices is tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9 p.m., and candidates are trying to make up their minds to jump in or jump out.
Read MorePodcasts: Miller, “I needed to get 24 votes” on the tax hike; Pipkin, “It will cost us jobs”
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.”
Read MoreSame-sex marriage passes Senate, O’Malley will sign, and petition drive gears up
Same-sex marriage passed the Senate with a 25-22 vote on Thursday night, paving the way for a battle at the ballot box in November. The bill passed the Senate in exactly the same form as it passed the House of Delegates last week and now goes to Gov. Martin O’Malley, who proposed the bill and said he will sign it soon.
Read MorePodcast: Miller ‘on wrong side of history’ and Madaleno ‘making history’
Duane Keenan’s podcast from the final Senate debate on same-sex marriage includes Senate President Mike Miller’s remarks and some of the speech by openly gay Sen. Rich Madaleno.
Read MoreHundreds rally for same-sex marriage on Monday night
Beneath the monument to Thurgood Marshall with the engraved words “Equal Justice Under Law,” around 800 advocates for same-sex marriage rallied on Lawyer’s Mall on Monday evening.
Organized by the Marylanders for Marriage Equality coalition, which consists of several state and national organizations, the rally and lobby day — which flooded House and Senate offices with 15,000 signed postcards urging support for the bill — came as supporters continue to round up the votes needed to pass the bill in the House of Delegates.
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