2-year halt pondered in spending mandates
With the prospect of a long recession ahead, the Maryland Senate is considering freezing spending mandates for two years. The provision, inserted into an annual budget-balancing bill and applied to the 2011 and 2012 budget years, is likely to draw objections from entities such as higher education institutions that benefit from automatic spending increases required by law. The full Senate and House of Delegates still have to agree on the provision for it to become law. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said it would send the message that "we're serious about balancing the budget."
Laura Smitherman
Health care bill passes in the Senate
The Maryland Senate unanimously approved legislation Tuesday that would require hospitals to provide free care to uninsured patients with incomes of less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level. The bill, crafted in response to an investigative series in The Baltimore Sun into the state's system for charity care, would also prohibit hospitals from charging interest on overdue bills before creditors obtain a court judgment, and it would require them to develop informational literature on financial assistance to be given to patients. The House of Delegates approved the legislation over the weekend.
Laura Smitherman
