House Of Delegates

A visit by Olympic champion Michael Phelps to the Maryland State House on Thursday transformed delegates into a salivating swarm of paparazzi. Politicians took pictures on their cell phones, whistled and gaped as House Speaker Michael E. Busch introduced a "very special guest." He said that unlike Phelps, lawmakers are not "great swimmers ... but they all know how to tread water very well." Addressing the House of Delegates, a somewhat nervous-seeming Phelps smiled and said it "feels good to be back home" in Baltimore, causing the Baltimore delegation to leap to its feet.

With an expression of "profound regret," Maryland lawmakers have acknowledged the state's participation in slavery and the decades of racial discrimination that stemmed from it. With no debate, and to a smattering of applause, the House of Delegates voted 130-6 yesterday to approve the resolution. Last month, the Senate passed a similar measure. The passage of both versions follows decades of wrangling over the question, and the Virginia legislature's recent acknowledgement of that state's role in slavery.

Resolution seeks apology for slavery Maryland would become the second state to apologize for its support of slavery under a Senate resolution that is expected to easily pass that chamber. The resolution requires the state to express "profound regret" for its role in promoting the slave trade, but it does not call for reparations. Last week, the Virginia General Assembly became the first state to express "profound regret" for slavery. Maryland senators voted unanimously in favor of the symbolic gesture last year, but the matter died in a House of Delegates committee.

Negotiators from the House of Delegates and state Senate have deadlocked over what to cut from Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget proposal, setting up a last-minute showdown over funding for stem cell research, the University System of Maryland and the Intercounty Connector. The key to the impasse is O'Malley's plan to delay a $53 million payment for the ICC, a long-awaited road connecting Interstates 270 and 95 through Montgomery County. The governor has said the payment, which is required by law, is not needed this year, and he asked the legislature to authorize a delay so the money could be used for other needs.

The House of Delegates approved new fees on development yesterday to pay for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup, a proposal advocates say would also help reduce urban sprawl. The measure would charge developers based on the creation of "impervious surfaces" such as rooftops, driveways and parking lots that cannot be penetrated by stormwater, thus contributing to runoff into the bay. Development outside designated growth areas would be assessed at a higher rate, and builders could mitigate the fees by using environmentally friendly construction techniques.

Maryland lawmakers approved a $30 billion budget, a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants and a first-in-the-nation "living wage" for some government contract workers yesterday, but as the General Assembly adjourned last night, legislators left the State House with a sense of unfinished business. The decision not to address this year the state's most pressing problems - including a projected budget gap of as much as $1.5 billion, a growing number of Marylanders without health insurance and the decline of the Chesapeake Bay - made for a quiet, largely drama-free final day for the General Assembly.

Highlights in Annapolis today:Senate meets. 10 a.m. Senate chamber.House of Delegates meets. 10 a.m. House chamber.House Commerce and Government Matters Committee hearing on HB 809, to begin public financing of General Assembly campaigns. 1 p.m. Room 140, House office building.Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing on SB 568, to prohibit public use of laser pointers. 1 p.m. Room 300, Senate office building.Pub Date: 3/02/99

A year after ethics violations drove two legislators from office, the Senate and House of Delegates approved a sweeping reform of Maryland ethics laws yesterday, laying the groundwork for final General Assembly passage in the next few weeks.The bill, the first major revision of the ethics laws in 20 years, would for the first time prohibit senators and delegates from voting on legislation in which they have a direct financial interest and ban them from dining out on lobbyists' tabs.The measure would also restrict legislators' ability to take jobs with state or local government, prohibit them from hitting up lobbyists for contributions to their favorite charities and give the Assembly's ethics committee subpoena power to investigate complaints.

New state police pension program wins House approvalThe Maryland House of Delegates overwhelmingly approved a new state police pension program yesterday that would raise retirement pay.The Senate passed a similar overhaul last week, but reduced the benefits that were initially proposed. Legislators will iron out the differences between the two versions.Delegates pass bill setting minimum age for bridesThe House of Delegates, spurred by a case involving an Anne Arundel County man, 29, and his pregnant bride, 13, approved legislation yesterday that would forbid children younger than age 15 to marry in Maryland under any circumstances.

State Del. Tony E. Fulton's effort last fall to make it easier to sue manufacturers of asbestos, lead paint and other harmful substances conflicts sharply with his voting record in the General Assembly the last two years.In a letter sent in October to Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, which is part of a federal investigation into Fulton's relationship with two prominent Annapolis lobbyists, the legislator promised to introduce sweeping legislation in this year's General Assembly session aimed at such manufacturers, and he asked for the mayor's support.

Michael U. Gisriel, a former House of Delegates member, a real estate attorney and former Baltimore Sun columnist, was disbarred for cashing a $1,000 check belonging to his former clients. In a decision issued Thursday, the Maryland Court of Appeals said Gisriel's conduct in his client's case was exacerbated by his "hubris" in handling the check. Two judges on the state's highest court dissented and called for a suspension rather than disbarment, noting no prior disciplinary action against Gisriel, who has been a member of the Maryland Bar since 1976.

A visit by Olympic champion Michael Phelps to the Maryland State House on Thursday transformed delegates into a salivating swarm of paparazzi. Politicians took pictures on their cell phones, whistled and gaped as House Speaker Michael E. Busch introduced a "very special guest." He said that unlike Phelps, lawmakers are not "great swimmers ... but they all know how to tread water very well." Addressing the House of Delegates, a somewhat nervous-seeming Phelps smiled and said it "feels good to be back home" in Baltimore, causing the Baltimore delegation to leap to its feet.

Senate approves capital budget The Maryland Senate gave final approval Wednesday to the state's $1.1 billion capital budget, authorizing borrowing to replace the state's aging medevac helicopter fleet, fund land preservation programs and launch more than $200 million in school construction. Senators voted 40-7 in favor of the plan, which is $265 million larger than last year's capital budget and required a $150 million increase in the state's borrowing limit. Sen. Allan H. Kittleman of Howard County, one of seven Republicans who opposed the budget, said the state "needs to have fiscal sanity."

State song hangs on, but change is in the air "Maryland, My Maryland" will retain its place as official state song, for now. State lawmakers rejected an attempt this year to change the Confederate-era poem, but key senators recently vowed to revisit the issue when the legislative session ends next week. Among those who have changed their tune is Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, a history buff who previously defended the song for its historical value. "It was a great war song. The words were just stunning, but of course offensive to a great many people," the Democrat from Calvert County said Tuesday, adding that "it certainly needs to be modified."

Maurice Cardin, a retired lawyer and former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, died of heart failure March 23 at JFK Medical Center in Lake Worth, Fla. The former Baltimore resident was 99. Mr. Cardin, the son of a soft drink manufacturer, was born and raised in a rowhouse at Baltimore and Ann streets. He was a graduate of the Army-Navy Preparatory School and earned his law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1929. For many years, Mr. Cardin, who maintained a general law practice, was a partner in the Baltimore law firm of Cardin & Cardin.

House OKs taking gun with protective orders The House of Delegates passed two measures yesterday that would take guns from the subjects of protective orders. Supporters, including Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, say the bills help protect victims of domestic violence, but some lawmakers said the measures were nothing more than a "gun grab." One bill would enable judges to order subjects of temporary protective orders, which last seven days and are granted without hearing from the accused, to turn over their guns.

Maryland senators advanced a plan yesterday to make the state's capital punishment statute one of the most limited in the nation. Although the proposal is far short of the full repeal sought by Gov. Martin O'Malley, the governor said it might be the best that death penalty opponents could hope for this year. The new requirements - if they become law - would mean that the death penalty could be applied only in murder cases in which there is DNA evidence, a video recording of the defendant committing the crime, or a voluntary, videotaped confession.

House OKs parental consent for tattoos A proposal to require parental consent for tattoos and body piercings was unanimously approved yesterday by the House of Delegates, days after House Republicans tried and failed to amend the measure to address abortion rights as well. Last week, Del. Gail H. Bates, a Howard County Republican, tried to amend the bill on the chamber floor to have it require parental consent for "other invasive surgical procedures," language intended to refer to abortion.

The drama associated with the final voting session of the county's General Assembly delegation last week occurred mostly behind the scenes. And it came in the form of legislators' handling of two minor measures. In the end, both perished, but the episode seemed to provide a glimpse at the sometimes-curious ways of business in Annapolis. Republican state Sen. Allan H. Kittleman said he rejected what he viewed as an offer from Ned Cheston, the Ulman administration's General Assembly lobbyist, to save one of the senator's measures in exchange for him changing his vote and supporting an unpopular administration bill.

Cornell N. Dypski, one of Baltimore's longest-serving state legislators who was in both the House of Delegates and Senate, died Tuesday of Alzheimer's disease at Gilchrist Hospice Care. He was 77. During yesterday morning's session, Del. Peter A. Hammen, a Baltimore Democrat, announced Mr. Dypski's death, and delegates observed a moment of silence in his honor. "He was an awfully decent fellow," former Gov. Harry R. Hughes said yesterday. "He typified the public official who worked really hard as a legislator representing the people who had elected him."