Lawmakers

Maryland is poised to join a growing number of states that allow voters to register and vote on the same day as lawmakers today endorsed plans to expand early voting. The Senate passed Gov. Martin O'Malley's bill, sending the measure to his desk for his expected signature. Early voting would be expanded from six to eight days and the hours extended, moves intended to alleviate the long lines seen during last year's election season. More voting centers would be added, and lawmakers created a $5,000 fine for illegally registering to vote, allowed for residents to apply to register to vote online and called for a host of studies on the voting system. 

Five air traffic control towers in Maryland that had been scheduled to shut down in June as a result of federal budget cuts are now expected to remain open, lawmakers said Wednesday — easing fears that the closures could back up flights at BWI Marshall Airport. A provision tucked into a high-profile bill approved by Congress last week to end furloughs of air traffic controllers — and the flight delays they caused — also leaves more than $30 million available for towers at 149 small airports nationwide, lawmakers said.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Both the Maryland House of Delegates and the Senate are working this weekend to prepare for adjournment. Both chambers are gathering Saturday to catch up with unfinished business. The House will be debating a bill backed by Gov. Martin O'Malley to make utilities generate more of their power by solar energy. Supporters say it's important to grow the use of solar energy to help drive down energy prices. But opponents contend it will pass on costs to ratepayers and small businesses.

Some people have argued that the Boston Marathon bombing should not affect immigration reform because immigrants in the country illegally are not in the habit of planting bombs. But that doesn't doesn't mean they are safe. Many gang members are here illegally, including members of the dreaded MS-13. The gang member who killed the four New Jersey college students was in the country illegally. The 25-year-old man who kidnapped the 13-year-old-boy at a bus stop in Florida was too. And countless others kill people in traffic accidents.

Neither the governor, lieutenant governor nor any of the state's 188 lawmakers will see a pay raise anytime soon. A House of Delegates committee unanimously rejected Thursday the recommendations of a pair of independent commissions that called for moderate pay raises in about three years. Most state lawmakers make $43,500 yearly; the House speaker and Senate president earn $56,500 each. The governor's salary is $150,000, and the lieutenant governor's is $125,000. The commissions meet once every four years, meaning that the salaries of those elected officials are to remain the same until 2015.

State Sen. Andrew P. Harris has drafted a pair of amendments that make changes to lawmaker pension plans and planned to offer them Monday night. The first would make state lawmakers who are convicted of crimes related to their office ineligible for state pension benefits. Harris, a Republican representing Baltimore and Harford counties, pointed to voter outrage that former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon will collect her $83,000 pension despite a jury conviction on a theft charge as a reason for his legislation.

I want to applaud the House of Delegates members who stood up for Marylanders and opposed the tax cuts for casino operators ("Slots déjà vu," June 21). While the governor seems perplexed by this issue, the matter is quite clear. You can't cut taxes for wealthy individuals while you just raised them on everyone else. Dels. Sheila Hixon, Pete Hammen and Frank Turner and House Speaker Michael E. Busch should be thanked by the people of Maryland for standing up for what is right.

As a professional in the Maryland home building business, I urge members of the Maryland General Assembly to oppose Gov.Martin O'Malley's proposal to limit new residential subdivisions served by septic systems (SB 236/ HB 445 - The Governor's Sustainable Growth and Agricultural Preservation Act). If approved, the bill would have negative effects on our industry and would kill jobs. It takes planning authority away from local governments by requiring counties to add "growth tiers" into their comprehensive plans by the end of this year or else many of their septic subdivisions will be denied.

While diners in Washington, D.C. and Virginia are free to bring their own bottle of wine into a licensed restaurant, the practice, known as "corkage," is prohibited in Maryland. But changes could be on the way. New legislation to allow corkage is scheduled for its first hearing before the Economics Matters Committee in the state House of Delegates Monday, and an identical bill was heard in a state Senate committee last week. The legislation's outlook is much more promising than last year, when proposed corkage bills sank in committees.

When I saw the article on the front page of your newspaper about Negro Mountain ( "Controversy over 'Negro Mountain' reveals urban-rural divide," Feb. 21), I thought it was a joke! Are you kidding me? Enough is enough! You can't change history, only learn from it. And hopefully you don't let the bad things repeat themselves. We need to stop using the race card. I can't believe that anyone can find the name offensive especially when you know the meaning behind it! What an honor!

BOGOTA - Colombian lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a polarizing bill to allow same-sex marriage in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, as hundreds of people took to the streets to demonstrate for and against the measure. The bill was rejected by 51 out of 102 lawmakers in the Senate - with 17 in favor. The negative vote was widely expected, given that lawmakers from the ruling coalition had made an alliance to oppose the initiative. Several hundred people rallied in Bogota's main colonial square as lawmakers debated the proposal to allow people of the same sex to marry.

Consumer advocates say they didn't get everything on their wish list during the latest meeting of the General Assembly, but the session produced several victories for Maryland consumers. For example, Marylanders would find it easier to buy auto coverage from a state insurance fund, foster children would gain protection from identity thieves and debtors would be less likely to be jailed under bills recently passed by lawmakers. Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to sign these and other consumer-friendly bills next month.

We've all seen them on the road - people driving too slowly, drifting out of their lane or oblivious to a changing traffic signal. Chances are, these distracted drivers are using a cellphone. The days of doing so with impunity in Maryland are just about over. The General Assembly has passed a new, tougher bill cracking down on this dangerous behavior and much of the credit goes to a delegate whose district includes both Baltimore and Howard counties, James E. Malone Jr., along with a state senator, James Robey of Howard County, the co-sponsor.

Regarding your recent editorial on making it easier for families to commit a mentally ill relative to a mental institution against their will, Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and some state delegates apparently are missing the urgent need to clarify the state's civil commitment standards ("The tricky question of involuntary commitment," April 6). Many relatives of individuals with serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, recently testified about the consequences of the denying timely treatment under the current law. Those consequences include homicide, suicide, homelessness, job loss and permanent brain damage.

Maryland's deteriorating infrastructure could receive a boost from private investor dollars, thanks to legislation passed Monday designed to enhance public-private partnerships. The idea behind so-called public-private partnerships, or P3s, is to get investors to put up money for, say, highways or bridges in exchange for a share in the revenue stream later. Maryland has had some projects funded by public-private partnerships, but the bill aims to improve the process to attract more investors.

Maryland is poised to join a growing number of states that allow voters to register and vote on the same day as lawmakers today endorsed plans to expand early voting. The Senate passed Gov. Martin O'Malley's bill, sending the measure to his desk for his expected signature. Early voting would be expanded from six to eight days and the hours extended, moves intended to alleviate the long lines seen during last year's election season. More voting centers would be added, and lawmakers created a $5,000 fine for illegally registering to vote, allowed for residents to apply to register to vote online and called for a host of studies on the voting system. 

As lawmakers and lobbyists gird for another special session that the governor called this summer to debate an expansion of gambling — an issue that has led to pitched battles for years — dog lovers are hoping to get their pet issue some attention that could prove just as divisive. In a 4-3 decision in April, the Maryland Court of Appeals held that pit bulls are "inherently dangerous" for liability purposes. Several legislators have vowed to reverse the ruling, spurred by letters from concerned pet owners and advocates who say meddling by the court could have broad consequences.

After months of fierce resistance, Cadbury's about-face to accept a sweetened $19.5 billion takeover from Kraft Foods Inc. - forming the world's biggest candy company - has alarmed British unions, lawmakers and chocolate lovers. With Cadbury shareholders expected to agree to the deal, opponents fear the U.S. multinational's impact on one of Britain's oldest and best-loved brands. - From Sun news services

With most of the heavy lifting behind them, Maryland legislators will convene Monday for a final frenzy of lawmaking before the 2013 General Assembly session adjourns at midnight. Bills that could affect every dog owner and every driver who talks on a cell phone still await approval, as does legislation that would craft tighter rules on speed cameras, legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes and put new restrictions on government speed camera programs. Most lawmakers said these remaining issues and scores more will likely find resolution by the end of the day. "We're in pretty good shape," House Speaker Michael E. Busch said as his chamber adjourned Saturday afternoon.

Amid complaints over what critics dismiss as a "rain tax," some powerful lawmakers in Annapolis are mounting a last-minute attempt Monday to delay state-mandated storm-water fees that Baltimore city and Maryland's nine largest counties are about to assess their property owners for cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. State Sen. Joan Carter Conway , chair of the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, said Sunday she plans to propose...