Legislation expected to be introduced once again in the next legislative session would at least send lawmakers on the path to redemption: A trial program for the 2014 election cycle that would allow qualified candidates for the House and Senate to accept up to $100,000 in public money in lieu of private contributions.
It's a modest effort modeled after similar voluntary programs in Arizona, Maine and Connecticut and would be capped so that not all candidates would be eligible, only those who qualify on a first-come, first-served basis. That's not ideal, but it's a start.
Maryland may be facing budget deficits now, but the economic recession won't last forever. Taxpayers aren't stupid. They know keeping elected official less beholden to large corporations and special interests is a money-saver in the long run.
