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Every one of the 430 legislative sessions of the Maryland General Assembly has had its own unique character, and the session that ended at midnight on Monday, April 9th is no exception. This session will be remembered as one of the most combative on record and the first one in twenty years to fail to complete its work. This failure will almost certainly result in the calling of a special session this spring or summer.
I would like to take a moment to update you on the outcomes of the legislative session.
Budget and Taxes: The Legislature approved the Governor's proposal to increase spending by $943 million to a total of $35.6 billion in fiscal 2013. The decision to increase spending to this extent precipitated another large increase in taxes and fees, including an increase in the income tax and a doubling of the "flush fee." Since Marylanders are already the 4th most-taxed people in the United States, I could not support this budget or the tax increases needed to sustain it. Shockingly, due to last-minute brinksmanship by the leadership of the General Assembly, the budget passed but the tax bill did not by the midnight deadline. Accordingly, a special session will likely be called by the Governor. Separately, I am pleased to report that we were successful in blocking the Governor's proposal to apply the 6% sales tax to gasoline.
County Tax Caps: In one of the most outrageous actions of the session, the Legislature enacted a statute to allow County Councils to ignore voter-adopted property tax caps. Anne Arundel County adopted its tax cap by voter referendum in 1992 by an overwhelming majority. I urge my colleagues on the Anne Arundel County Council not to exercise this new authority.
Gaming: An effort was made late in the Session to legalize table games in Maryland and to create a sixth gambling license for National Harbor in Prince George's County. The addition of a sixth license would be financially disastrous for Anne Arundel County because it will bleed off revenue and tax proceeds to PG County. It was the Senate President's attempt to force the House of Delegate's to pass this gaming bill that doomed the budget bill.
Health Care: Maryland enacted the first major component of President Obama's health care plan for our State by creating a health benefit exchange. The exchange is conceptually like the New York Stock Exchange in that it would allow insurance purchasers to buy insurance over the internet or through an insurance broker in the same manner that one can already purchase stocks over the internet or through a stock broker. Maryland's health benefit exchange is structured so that it can operate even if President Obama's health care bill is found unconstitutional, which now seems very possible.
Same-Sex Marriage: Maryland became the 8th State in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage. The debate in the Legislature was highly charged but very professional, and the final vote in the House was a very-close 67 to 72. While I am respectful of everyone's right to choose his or her life's partner, I do not believe every combination of partners warrants use of the term marriage or access to all of the financial and other benefits that come with marriage. Accordingly, I voted against the bill and in favor of the traditional definition of marriage. I believe the bill will be petitioned onto the ballot this November, at which time the voters will determine the fate of the bill.
Energy: The Governor proposed developing a large wind farm off the coast of Ocean City to generate electricity. While the concept of offshore-wind power generation has conceptual merit (e.g., emissions-free energy, less reliance on Middle Eastern dictators, etc.) in my best judgment the technology is just not yet there to make the project financially feasible. The bill did not succeed but could be revisited during a special session.
Better Maryland Plan: My major legislative initiative this year was the Better Maryland Plan, which was a package of five bills intended to point Maryland in a better direction. The Plan called for (i) reducing taxes so as to create jobs and spur economic growth, (ii) requiring employers to confirm that their employees are legally present in the United States so as to assure that jobs go to American citizens and legal immigrants, (iii) adopting term limits for legislators so as to recommit ourselves to the concept of citizen legislators, (iv) creating a non-partisan redistricting commission so as to end the practice of gerrymandering, and (v) allowing law-abiding citizens to more freely exercise their Second Amendment rights so as to end Maryland's unconstitutional abridgment of those rights. While none of these bills passed, I do believe they had a significant impact on the debate in Annapolis over the direction of our State.
Elected School Board: In addition to the Better Maryland Plan, I worked hard with Delegate Tony McConkey to pass legislation that would transform Anne Arundel County's school board from an appointed board to an elected board. I believe strongly that our school board should be accountable directly to parents and not to the Governor of the State. While the bill received a favorable recommendation from the Anne Arundel County Delegation to the House of Delegates, the bill was not brought for a vote in the full House. I intend to continue to press this important issue.
I would like to thank you for the privilege of serving you in the Maryland General Assembly. Also, I would like to thank especially the approximately 1,200 constituents who contacted my office for the first time ever during this legislative session. We are delighted to hear from those we represent and find invaluable your feedback on legislation and alerts regarding community issues.
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Update on the 2012 Legislative Session
