Conference Committee

The Maryland General Assembly is taking its budget deliberations down to the wire as it moves toward the end of its 90-day session Monday night. The conference committees seeking to resolve differences between the Senate and House on the four bills in the state's budget package did not meet Friday despite early expectations they would. But a conference on the most critical bill, the one that would raise income taxes enough to blance the budget without spending cuts the majority Democrats find unpalatable, will meet at 8:30 a.m. If that committee reaches a deal, the panels negotiating the budget bill  and a companion measure are expected to quickly follow suit.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget for next year sailed through the Senate on Wednesday after an unusually brief debate, seen by some as a sign of the state's improved fiscal condition. Senators voted 42-5 to pass the $36.8 billion budget and send it to a conference committee with the House. All 35 Democrats and seven Republicans voted in favor of the budget, which comes close to eliminating what was once a nearly $2 billion long-term revenue shortfall. "I can't remember any time the budget was adopted by a larger margin.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget for next year sailed through the Senate on Wednesday after an unusually brief debate, seen by some as a sign of the state's improved fiscal condition. Senators voted 42-5 to pass the $36.8 billion budget and send it to a conference committee with the House. All 35 Democrats and seven Republicans voted in favor of the budget, which comes close to eliminating what was once a nearly $2 billion long-term revenue shortfall. "I can't remember any time the budget was adopted by a larger margin.

In light of Johns Hopkins president Ronald J. Daniels' decision to form a committee to explore the potential of joining a conference for the men's lacrosse program, there's a school of thought that the panel is merely a precursor to the university abandoning its 130 years of independence. The committee is expected to produce a report for Daniels by May 15 and then he will make a decision shortly afterward. While multiple reports have suggested that the Big Ten, the Big East and the Eastern College Athletic Conference are interested in Johns Hopkins, coach Dave Pietramala emphasized that the panel is researching the benefits and disadvantages of conference affiliation, but not determining which conference is best for the university.

Subject.. .. .. .. House action.. .. .. Senate action.. Action by governorABORTION RIGHTS .. ..Passed .. .. .. .. .. Passed .. .. .. .. Signed into lawASSAULT WEAPONS BAN.. Passed .. .. .. ..Killed in committeeBATTERED SPOUSE SYNDROME.. Passed .. .. .. PassedCAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM.. Passed .. .. ..Passed committeeCIGARETTE TAX INCREASE.. Approved by conference committee.. Approved by conference committeeFOOD SERVICES/CARRY-OUT TAX ..Approved by conference committee.. .. Approved by conference committeeGAS TAX/MVA FEE INCREASE ..Killed in committee.

A joint committee of ranking state legislators agreed yesterday to spend $5 million in taxpayer funds to purchase textbooks for students at private and parochial schools, essentially settling the contentious matter for the year. The decision by the group of five delegates and five senators is considered certain to be upheld by the full Senate and House of Delegates tomorrow. The General Assembly last year approved spending $6 million on the textbook aid, although only about $5 million was spent.

Prescription drug legislation to be discussed tomorrow Reps. Benjamin L. Cardin and Elijah E. Cummings, both Baltimore Democrats, will hold a meeting at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at Ellicott City Senior Center, 9401 Frederick Road, to talk about prescription drug legislation. In June, the House and Senate passed versions of comprehensive Medicare legislation. Both bills have been forwarded to a conference committee to work out differences. The congressmen will explain key elements of the legislation and how it will affect senior citizens.

The future of the state's Office of Sports Promotion will be determined by a joint committee of House and Senate representatives.That move was made necessary yesterday, when the full Senate passed recommendations from its Budget and Taxation Committee to cut $250,000 from the program's budget.Because the Senate legislation is different from that passed by the House, the legislation must go to the conference committee for a compromise agreement.The House previously voted to cut only $125,000 from State Games and left the OSP's remaining request for $664,000 intact.

House and Senate leaders put the finishing touches on a major ethics reform bill last night, but after allowing legislators to continue to accept sports tickets from the University of Maryland.A conference committee of three senators and three delegates, including the General Assembly's two presiding officers, also voted to amend the bill to allow senators and delegates attending out-of-state legislative conferences to accept meals paid for by corporate lobbyists.The measure generally prohibits legislators from letting lobbyists buy them a meal.

Key legislators agreed yesterday to restore $1 million in state funds cut from the budget of AIDS researcher Robert C. Gallo, but insisted that his state-assisted research institute develop a business plan for the future.Finishing work on the state budget for next year, a House-Senate conference committee also agreed not to restrict abortion coverage in a new state health insurance program for children and teen-agers from working families.After a day and a half of negotiating, the six-member committee ended up cutting some $92 million in state funds from the $16.5 billion budget proposed in January by Gov. Parris N. Glendening.

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Friday that he is calling lawmakers back to Annapolis for a special session of the General Assembly to complete work on budget-related bills  that failed to win approval  before the clock ran out on the regular 90-day session that ended April 9. The governor's announcement came as no surprise after Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said Wednesday that he had asked senators to set aside May 14-15 for what...

When the state's leading Democrats gather for a fund-raising gala Monday evening in Greenbelt, they can expect to see members of the party's most liberal wing demonstrating outside. The group Progressive Maryland will rally to urge Democratic lawmakers to vote for the income tax increase and other measures necessary to avoid the so-called Doomsday cuts that were left in the state budget for next year as a result of the General Assembly's failure to  pass those companion measures on the last night of the regular session that ended April 9. That much the group can pretty well count on. Gov. Martin O'Malley on Friday issued a call for lawmakers to reconvene in Annapolis May 14, and he and legislative leaders appear to be on the same page regarding their determination to pass the measures needed to avoid cuts of more than $500 million to programs liberals generally support.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller has asked members of his Democratic caucus to set aside May 14 and 15 for what he hopes will be a two-days-and-out special session to revive a tax increase bill that died the last night of the regular session and avert more than $500 million in cuts to state programs. Miller put the senators on notice  they can expect to be back in Annapolis those days at a caucus of the chamber's majority Democrats Wednesday morning. The Senate president emphasized that the expected special session this month would deal with budget issues only -- and not with the matter of casino gambling, which contributed to the turmoil of the last days of the session.

The sky is a bright blue over the State House dome, and the weather couldn't be more pleasant. A gentle breeze stirs the early morning air, and the House and Senate still aren't talking -- at least in any public way. On Sunday night, House SpeakerMichael E. Buschsaid the House members of the conference committees on the budget would be ready to meet as of 7:30 a.m. in an effort to wind up the 2012 session by midnight and avoid having to go...

The Maryland General Assembly is taking its budget deliberations down to the wire as it moves toward the end of its 90-day session Monday night. The conference committees seeking to resolve differences between the Senate and House on the four bills in the state's budget package did not meet Friday despite early expectations they would. But a conference on the most critical bill, the one that would raise income taxes enough to blance the budget without spending cuts the majority Democrats find unpalatable, will meet at 8:30 a.m. If that committee reaches a deal, the panels negotiating the budget bill  and a companion measure are expected to quickly follow suit.

Maryland's congressional delegation will have unusual influence in helping to resolve big issues left hanging on Capitol Hill, because two of the state's lawmakers were appointed Friday to help sort out differences between House and Senate legislation. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, both Democrats, were appointed to the conference committee that is charged with finding a compromise on a one-year extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, along with a continuation of the current rate that Medicare pays to doctors.

WASHINGTON - Citing national security concerns, some Republican members of Congress are trying to limit the personal financial information that top federal officials must disclose. Tucked within the House's 497-page version of the "9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act" is a provision to repeal the requirement that senior-level officials report their personal financial assets valued at more than $2.5 million. It also would end the practice of disclosing the dates of stock transactions.

AAI Corp. gained one victory and a draw in congressional budget battling yesterday.The victory: In the early hours yesterday, a House-Senate conference committee came up with a compromise plan to address a technical glitch that threatened a $211 million contract awarded to AAI last month for the production of electronic equipment used to measure airport weather conditions and pass them on to pilots preparing to land.The draw: The committee also authorized the spending of $12.7 millions for a small, camera-carrying drone aircraft made by the Cockeysville company.

Maryland Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said Wednesday she expects the Senate will pass a budget bill on Tuesday that will include $530 million to continue work toward launch of the Webb Space Telescope in 2018 "and secure America's place in astronomy for the next 50 years. " Speaking at a ribbon-cutting for a new Webb Telescope exhibit at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, the Democratic senator added that she hopes to have the funding bill "on the president's desk to be signed into law by Thanksgiving.

The House and Senate members of a conference committee reached a tentative deal on the state's $13.2 billion spending plan Thursday morning, signing an agreement that restores funds to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and keeps the costs of teacher pensions on the state's ledgers. "The budget is balanced," said Sen. James E. DeGrange Sr. "We would have liked to do more. All in all, there were a lot of items where we reached consensus." The trims approved make no major changes to the plan the governor submitted, but in future years, lawmakers project smaller increases to funding for education and local aid. A small group of lawmakers from the House and the Senate have been meeting all week to reconcile differences between the chambers' budget plans.