General Assembly

As many as one-third of Maryland lawmakers have not returned a portion of their legislative salaries - despite having been urged to show solidarity with state workers facing furloughs. Amid budget woes, General Assembly leaders had encouraged lawmakers - whose pay is constitutionally protected - to voluntarily take payroll deductions or write a check to the state for the equivalent of as many as five days' pay. That's $605 for most members, and $785 for presiding officers. The initiative could raise more than $100,000, a tiny sum that won't make much difference in a $14 billion operating budget suffering from huge revenue shortfalls.

State still needs ultimate penalty Once again, our General Assembly will come together and some members will try to eliminate the death penalty ("O'Malley vows to work to end death penalty," Jan. 16). But I believe that the ultimate penalty of giving up one's life for the taking of another is needed in our society. It has been argued that the death penalty is not a deterrent to violence. But how can it be when it is not used in a timely manner and often is not used at all? And when someone is brutally and senselessly murdered, why shouldn't the person who committed this crime pay for it with his or her own life?

More than two years after bitterly partisan accusations that Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. fired state workers for political reasons, the General Assembly might consider legislation to protect hundreds of midlevel employees who can still be terminated at any time. That was one recommendation contained in a report by legislative analysts, who were directed under a 2007 law to review the state's personnel system and explore the possibility of bringing some management positions under the merit system.

Even a $3.7 billion federal lifesaver isn't enough to solve all of Maryland's budget quandaries. While the state is now flush with federal dollars for education, Medicaid and infrastructure projects, other state functions, among them the prison system, mental health programs and juvenile justice, are facing significant cutbacks. In some cases, lawmakers and advocates have questioned how agencies will be able to function within constrained budgets. Meanwhile, the economy continues to deteriorate and state officials are bracing for more bad news later this month when the latest estimates of tax revenues are due. Analysts have warned that annual collections have fallen as much as $500 million below expectations for the current budget year and next.

The $13.8 billion state operating budget enacted Tuesday by the General Assembly is not a pretty thing. Shortchanged local governments can't be happy with it. Same with state employees who are going without steps or merit pay and agency heads who must do more with less. But it could have been far worse, and given the economic realities of the times, it's probably about right. Let that stand as no more than a qualified endorsement. Had President Barack Obama and Congress not provided $2.5 billion in stimulus money this year, the outcome would have been disastrous.

Applicants for new Maryland driver's licenses would have to prove they are in the U.S. legally under a pair of competing and contentious plans up for votes Monday in the General Assembly. Both measures would take Maryland off a short list of states that allow illegal immigrants to become licensed drivers and would bring the state into at least partial compliance with "Real ID," a federal security act passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Lawmakers and other officials hope that revising the state's licensing policy would reduce the pervasive problem of fraud and end the state's status as a magnet for undocumented immigrants looking for government-validated credentials.

FROSTBURG - Cheryl Haberkam became despondent after losing her job as a dispatcher for a moving company late last year. The Baltimore resident had no income and no savings, and unemployment benefits had not kicked in. She didn't know where to turn. So she e-mailed Gov. Martin O'Malley. "I know you probably can't help me," she wrote, "but I think just saying this might help. Thank you for your time." As the economy slid into recession, an increasing number of residents have apparently wanted to share their troubles - and their grievances - with the governor.

Gov. Martin O'Malley plans to introduce emergency legislation Wednesday that would give the state authority to acquire Maryland's bankrupt horse racing tracks and the Preakness through eminent domain, officials confirmed. However, legal experts say the bankruptcy filing by the tracks' owner could prevent the state from exercising that power. Debate on the bill, which has the backing of the General Assembly's presiding officers, could begin as soon as Thursday afternoon in a joint hearing of Senate and House of Delegates lawmakers.

Readers of The Baltimore Sun's Maryland Politics blog weighed in Monday on the final actions of the General Assembly, which adjourned at midnight. Blog commenter Mark Newgent said utility ratepayers were big losers in this year's session. "Forget the red herring of re-regulation. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act will significantly increase our electric and energy rates. Despite its failure in Europe, cap and trade is on its way to Maryland. Expect higher rates and energy rationing all for no impact on the climate."

No one would disagree that all children should receive a quality education, and that our state and nation depend on it for a competitive work force and cohesive citizenry. Yet that isn't happening, despite the fact that such an education in Maryland is a constitutional right - as well as a matter of self-interest and moral principle. Worse, at the special session of the General Assembly that starts today - called by Gov. Martin O'Malley to deal with the state's fiscal problems - the state may be on the path to backtrack on this right and the progress achieved over the past decade.

Washington is proposing rules, restrictions and the creation of an entire federal agency to stop dumb consumers from repeating the mortgage disaster or something just as bad. Maryland has another idea. Make dumb consumers smart. Don't let kids out of school without a basic understanding of interest rates, bank fees and scams that will persist no matter how baby-proof Congress tries to make the system. State officials are about to reveal proposals for personal-finance instruction that could be in the classroom by next fall.

Delegate Cardin was arrogant and should resign What arrogance Delegate Cardin has!! He saw nothing wrong with using tax funded police services for his personal use. This is a prime example of what our representatives do with our tax dollars, wasting our money for their pleasure. It is time for us to Delegate Cardin to resign. His political career should now end. He belongs in jail as punishment for stealing from Baltimore City. I hope your paper will print the dollar amount that he repays the city plus a fine.

Two state senators are requesting that Maryland's attorney general broaden his inquiry into the compensation of Constellation Energy Group's chief executive, Mayo A. Shattuck III. In a letter dated Aug. 10 to Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, Democratic state Sens. Jamie Raskin of Montgomery County and James Brochin of Baltimore County said that about 30 percent of Constellation's executive compensation costs, not including salary, is allocated to Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. The senators said they are concerned that future compensation costs, including potentially tens of millions of dollars if Shattuck is terminated in connection with a change in control at the company, will be borne by BGE and its ratepayers.

Companies and special interest groups spent about $13.9 million on lobbying during the six-month period that included this year's General Assembly session, newly released figures from the State Ethics Commission show. While overall spending fell slightly from the same period a year ago, when lobbying costs reached $14.6 million, several entities reported ramping up their lobbying presence despite the economic downturn as they worked to protect their interests in a volatile legislative session.

The state of Maryland this spring announced that one of its public agencies would save up to $15 million a year on its electricity bill as a result of buying cheaper electricity in the competitive market.Gov. Martin O'Malley was rightfully ecstatic, proclaiming that "the state is leveraging its electricity buying power to provide a much needed measure of price stability and protection." Maryland taxpayers should be heartened by the governor's pronouncement. States across the country are facing significant budget challenges, so any opportunity to save taxpayer money and buy cheaper electricity should be welcomed.

A former Republican congressional candidate from Montgomery County is leading an effort to overturn by referendum Maryland's new speed-camera legislation. Daniel F. Zubairi, a Bethesda businessman, has formed Maryland for Responsible Enforcement and notified the state elections board that the group will try to collect the more than 53,000 signatures required to put the question to voters in a coming election. Zubairi said he intends to build a nonpartisan coalition that focuses on the largest counties but reaches across the state, noting that some Democrats crossed the aisle to oppose the Gov. Martin O'Malley-backed speed camera bill in the General Assembly.

Gov. Martin O'Malley signed legislation Tuesday giving the state eminent domain rights over the Preakness Stakes horse race, hours after the fast-tracked bill passed in the General Assembly. The Democratic governor also approved bills expanding unemployment benefits for part-time workers and conforming state law to federal rules intended to guard against mortgage fraud and employment discrimination against women and other workers. O'Malley said the theme of his first bill signing this year was the protection of working families.

Few saw it coming, but the General Assembly approved a sleeper environmental bill that will require thousands of homes in Maryland to install more costly nitrogen-removing septic systems to keep the polluting nutrient out of rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Bay advocates are hailing the septic legislation's passage as a significant boost for the beleaguered Chesapeake, coming as it did near the end of a legislative session dominated by budget woes....

The $13.8 billion state operating budget enacted Tuesday by the General Assembly is not a pretty thing. Shortchanged local governments can't be happy with it. Same with state employees who are going without steps or merit pay and agency heads who must do more with less. But it could have been far worse, and given the economic realities of the times, it's probably about right. Let that stand as no more than a qualified endorsement. Had President Barack Obama and Congress not provided $2.5 billion in stimulus money this year, the outcome would have been disastrous.

Readers of The Baltimore Sun's Maryland Politics blog weighed in Monday on the final actions of the General Assembly, which adjourned at midnight. Blog commenter Mark Newgent said utility ratepayers were big losers in this year's session. "Forget the red herring of re-regulation. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act will significantly increase our electric and energy rates. Despite its failure in Europe, cap and trade is on its way to Maryland. Expect higher rates and energy rationing all for no impact on the climate."