Legislature

Up to half of sexually active young people will get a sexually transmitted disease by the time they are 25, yet many don't seek testing because it may be difficult, costly or embarrassing. Public health officials nationally and in particularly affected cities like Baltimore, however, say they've found a method that seems to address the major hurdles — a website that supplies free in-home testing kits for three of the most commonly reported STDs. "The highest prevalence is in young adults, and we knew we had to reach these kids," said Charlotte A. Gaydos, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Those thinking "done deal" after the state adopted a stormwater runoff fee may have another thing coming. Even though counties, including Baltimore and Howard, have adopted measures to comply with the fee, resistance is building to what some are now scornfully calling a "rain tax. " Not only was the fee structure bill in Anne Arundel County recently vetoed by the county executive, but now there are predictions the state legislature will reconsider how...

Not one but two more special sessions of the Maryland General Assembly? And all because the state House and Senate wasted the regular session on trivial matters and expressions of ego. Neither the so-called governor nor his two minions in the legislature should draw a salary for the dog and pony show they exhibited this year. Maybe that would help defray the costs of this double-dipping. Even Doc Holliday said that his hypocrisy only went so far. F. Cordell, Lutherville

I am a gun owner, and like some others I have grave concerns about the use of guns in the commission of a crime. However, the actions taken by our legislature only penalize the law abiding citizen. Legislators had the chance to accept an amendment to the proposed law that would have increased penalties for gun crime offenders. The law abiding citizen is not the problem. The problem is our legislature's failure, as well as that of the judicial branch, penalize the criminal. Use a gun to commit a crime, and chances are the courts will only slap the hands of the criminal and eventually let them back on the street commit another crime.

Maryland's roads, tunnels and bridges are in need of repair. But before we raise the gas tax, all funding that has been removed from the Transportation Trust Fund to pay for other programs over at least the last two decades should be returned to the fund. To do this I suggest that the sales tax on gasoline and diesel fuel be directed to the trust fund until all of the money that has been removed is restored. I further recommend that legislation be passed to prevent these special funds from being removed from the fund in the future.

The Maryland General Assembly has a strong reputation of fiscal integrity and leadership, dating back to the second decade of this century. Our prized triple-A bond rating is the ultimate testament to this strong leadership.At a time when legislative bodies at all levels have suffered from political paralysis, the Maryland legislature has been able to react decisively and responsibly, even in the most difficult of times. Our state weathered the political crises of the late 1970s, the savings-and-loan crisis of the mid-1980s, and in the 1990s, the most severe recession in this half of the century.

Ravens mania has moved the Maryland legislature. Both chambers of the General Assembly will start early tomorrow so that lawmakers won't miss the Ravens' Super Bowl victory parade in Baltimore that beings at 10:45 a.m. at City Hall. "If I had my way, everyone would be here at 7 a.m.," joked House Speaker Michael E. Busch. Instead, the House of Delegates will convene an hour early at 9 a.m. The Senate will start a half-hour early at 9:30 a.m., aides said.   

The Maryland legislature should be applauded for its willingness to tackle the many problems created by the Tracey v. Solesky decision dealing with liability for pit bull attacks. Too many Maryland renters are now fearing eviction for no other reason than the apparent breed of their companion dogs. And, as the many hours of hearing testimony made clear, breed-specific liability standards are not the way to solve dangerous dog problems. The American Bar Association recently adopted a resolution urging legislatures "to adopt comprehensive breed-neutral dangerous dog/reckless owner laws that ensure due process protections for owners, encourage responsible pet ownership and focus on the behavior of both dog owners and dogs, and to repeal any breed discriminatory or breed specific provisions.

Year after year this "Free State" becomes more and more excessive in what it takes from the working citizens. Each year the state legislature and governor conjure up new ways to wear away the patience of taxpayers. There is a point when our backs have been broken. Too bad for us that we do not consider throwing the rascals out of office. The school system in Maryland reeks of waste, and it begins with the school administrations. Too many administrators, and too much levied on students because of educators wanting more and more and working less and less.

Bearing down on the Monday night end of the legislative session, Maryland lawmakers met Saturday to chip away at some of the weightiest issues remaining, advancing a 50 percent increase to the sales tax on alcohol and approving a plan to decriminalize marijuana for the sick. The House of Delegates late Saturday gave preliminary approval to an increase in the the sales tax on beer, wine and spirits from 6 percent to 9 percent. The estimated $85 million in annual revenue would be set aside for school construction, disabilities services and education assistance to Baltimore City and Prince George's County, but that distribution would only be guaranteed for a year.

The politicians of Maryland made a major miscalculation during this session. I still have some change in my pocket. Perhaps they should have put a parking meter in front of my house? Leonard Magsamen, Nottingham Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

The Maryland General Assembly passed two pieces of legislation aimed at protecting dogs in the state, but failed to vote on the "pit bill compromise" that made headlines earlier this year. The bill that would have removed the "inherently dangerous" label from pit bulls was allowed to die in the state House of Delegates last night. It passed the state Senate earlier in the week, but was tabled in the House after a loud debate over it. The bill would have made all dog owners -- not just those who have pit bulls -- liable for dog bites.

There had to be some drama at the end. The 2013 General Assembly session, in a marked contrast to the train wreck that was the 2012 edition, moved toward its conclusion Monday as a model of efficiency and cooperation. For once, the kids weren't waiting until the night before to do their homework, having wrapped up virtually all of the major issues by Friday. And then came the speed camera bill. After a series of reports in The Sun about erroneous tickets given to motorists in Baltimore City (including one case of a car ticketed for speeding while stopped at a red light)

In a victory for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the General Assembly gave final passage Tuesday to a bill easing restrictions on hiring of people with criminal records for jobs at Maryland casinos. The Senate voted XX-XX to approve the House-passed legislation, sending it to the governor. Under current law, an individual who has been convicted of crimes of moral turpiitude and gambling is subject to a lifetime ban on employment at a facility with slot machines. The legislation limits that ban to seven years after a conviction or after a person comes off parole or probabtion.

We at the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative are thrilled that the O'Malley Administration continues to make our state the lead dog in the pack implementing the Affordable Care Act. As with the previous two years, we are once again the envy of states across the nation with this year's bill, the Maryland Health Progress Act of 2013 (SB 274/HB 228). This bill will help complete a three year process to ensure that hundreds of thousands of Marylanders that formally had little to no access to quality, affordable health care now have options that have never existed before.

State Dels. Jon Cardin and Dana Stein recently introduced legislation that would mandate helmets for female lacrosse players in Maryland (House Bill 1123). The bill was supposedly introduced "mostly to get the conversation started," in the words of Mr. Cardin's spokesperson, as there was apparently no real conversation with any constituent groups prior to introduction ("Headgear bill criticized" Feb 14). I understand that the bill has been substantially revised as a result of constituent criticism.

Many people credit Mark Twain with coining the phrase "No man is safe when the legislature is in session. " Maybe that is why Maryland's state constitution limits the legislature to only 90 days a year. But the current trend is to have special sessions to deal with so-called "emergencies. " Shortly after his election as governor in the fall of 2006,Martin O'Malleycalled a "special session" of the legislature in 2007, after lawmakers failed to raise taxes during the regular session.

It looks like Del.-elect James E. Malone Jr. of southwest Baltimore County got some bum advice months ago when a high-ranking county personnel official told him he could occupy a seat in the House of Delegates while working as a local firefighter. This official apparently did not know that Maryland's Constitution forbids firefighters, police and other sworn holders of "offices of profit" from serving simultaneously as elected politicians.Lately Mr. Malone has been looking at a tough choice.

Ravens mania has moved the Maryland legislature. Both chambers of the General Assembly will start early tomorrow so that lawmakers won't miss the Ravens' Super Bowl victory parade in Baltimore that beings at 10:45 a.m. at City Hall. "If I had my way, everyone would be here at 7 a.m.," joked House Speaker Michael E. Busch. Instead, the House of Delegates will convene an hour early at 9 a.m. The Senate will start a half-hour early at 9:30 a.m., aides said.   

For the fifth year in a row, Del. Eric M. Bromwell has introduced a bill to authorize slot machines at BWI Marshall Airport It's Bromwell's attempt to infuse the state treasury — specifically the Transportation Trust Fund — with gambling money, and the Baltimore County Democrat said he has no intention of giving up. "I consider this to be the ultimate alternative to a gas tax," he said. "This is exactly how we pay for roads. " The bill would authorize up to 2,500 slot machines in the airport's main terminal beyond the security screening area.