On the opening day of the General Assembly session yesterday, Gov. Martin O'Malley laid out an agenda on energy policy, public safety and the environment but predicted little movement on divisive social issues including gay marriage and the death penalty.
O'Malley acknowledged that spending cuts and $1.3 billion in tax increases he pushed through during a November special session to fill a budget gap were "mostly unpopular," but the Democratic governor said yesterday that he doesn't think he has expended too much political capital to get what he wants in Annapolis in his second year in office.
"There's a lot to be done," O'Malley said. "In this state, there's more that unites us than divides us. It's in the arena of compromise that progress is made."
O'Malley plans to lay out the specifics of his legislative agenda in the next week.
He said yesterday that he would seek to expand the use of renewable energy and to update legislation on "critical areas," where development is generally restricted. He said the move was sparked by issues over a proposed 1,300-home development along Kent Island's waterfront last year. O'Malley also said he would invest in energy-efficiency programs and efforts to reduce consumption.
"We need a more predictable future and a more sustainable future," O'Malley said.
Noting that Maryland ranks as one of the most violent states in the nation, O'Malley said he would back public safety initiatives such as an expansion of a DNA database that's used to investigate unsolved crimes and efforts to improve the juvenile justice system. He wants to increase the availability of drug treatment programs and re-entry programs for prisoners before they are released.
Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown said he would work with the legislature to create "revitalization and development" zones to help manage the influx of 28,000 new families to the state under the federal government's military base realignment process, known as BRAC. He said Baltimore would be one area where the state could create incentives for households and businesses to locate, which would allow them to take advantage of the infrastructure.
The state hasn't moved beyond its budget woes despite the special session. The state still has to identify more than $200 million in spending cuts, and differences have arisen among the Democratic leaders over whether the state can afford to continue a tuition freeze at state universities.
