Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Governor says 56-page bill "will create predictability in the marketplace" while protecting local and city aid and giving Prince George's County the ability to decide if it wants a sixth slots venue in its county.
Gov. Martin O'Malley Monday night released the 56-page bill that will be the focus of a special session on expanded gambling in the state. Legislators will be asked to vote on legislation that could add a sixth casino, most likely at National Harbor in Prince George's County as well as legalize table games. “The legislation we are sending to the members of the General Assembly will create predictability in the marketplace, protect local and city aid being generated at existing sites, ensure authorized facilities are able to be built, and allow the people of Prince George’s County the opportunity to decide whether they want a sixth site for the benefit of their county and revenue base," O'Malley said in a statement released just before 9 p.…
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Comptroller Peter Franchot argues the state needs to find a way to build businesses not casinos.
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Tuesday, July 31, 2012
By Comptroller Peter Franchot For anyone who remains unconvinced that the Maryland economy has lost momentum and is now moving in the wrong direction, the latest unemployment figures released by the U.S. Labor Department should remove all doubt. The State of Maryland lost 11,000 jobs in June – the third highest total in the nation, trailing only Wisconsin and Tennessee. This was our fourth consecutive month of job losses, and it elevated our state’s unemployment rate to 6.9 percent. Disappointing as those numbers are, they don’t tell the full story. Maryland also ranked 48th in Fiscal Year 2012 in both average private hourly and weekly earnings growth, and has actually experienced year-over-year declines in both categories. This means …
Friday, July 27, 2012
O'Malley says session, which begins on August 9, will be about job creation and funding for schools.
UPDATED (2:57 p.m.)—Gov. Martin O'Malley Friday announced he will call the General Assembly back to Annapolis for a special session on the issues of gambling and the creation of a sixth casino. "This is an issue about jobs," O'Malley said. "This is an issue about maximizing revenues from gaming." A bill was not available at the time of the morning news conference. O'Malley said it needed tweaking and would likely be made public shortly before the beginning of the special session. O'Malley, House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller all said the bill would create about 2,500 jobs from the legalization of table games and generate $100 million for schools. Sen. E.J. Pipkin Friday afternoon blasted O'Malley for …
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Purple Line Now wants to raise the gas tax to help replenish the fund.
The Purple Line activist group responsible for a February flash mob in Silver Spring in support of the proposed line, is calling on Maryland legislators to raise the gas tax during its July special session so that the line that will link Montgomery and Prince George's counties will be able to proceed. Purple Line Now, a nonprofit organization formed in 2002, proposed a gas tax hike to help replenish the transporation trust fund. "Maryland motorists have been getting a cheaper and cheaper ride since 1992, the last time the gas tax was raised," Purple Line Now member Ralph Bennett said. "Gas prices have fallen 60 cents since April - now is the time to add a small amount to the price of gas to fund the transit projects and roads all …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Governor calls budget package "good for all Marylanders." Republicans say burden to local governments may force county governments to increase taxes.
The Maryland House of Delegates gave final approval Wednesday to a package of three bills that increases taxes on some state residents, shifts part of teacher pensions to county governments and undoes the so-called "doomsday budget." The votes Wednesday afternoon capped the three-day special session called by Gov. Martin O'Malley to override more than $500 million in cuts made in a budget passed early last month. The Senate approved the same three bills Tuesday. As part of the package, legislators approved by a vote of 86-51 what amounts to an even split of teacher pension costs with local governments. The split will be phased in over the next four years, beginning July 1 with the new budget year. That bill also includes a doubling of fees…
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Do you think lawmakers can agree on a better state budget?
In early April, the Maryland Legislature passed a "doomsday budget" that would require $512 million in cuts across the state, to be felt from classrooms and libraries to police departments and nonprofits. Now, they're heading back to Annapolis hoping for a fix. Gov. Martin O'Malley and state legislators have agreed to reconvene the General Assembly on May 14 to address the budget cuts, the Associated Press reported Wednesday afternoon. Only two weeks ago, Montgomery County representatives to the General Assembly told the Gaithersburg City Council exactly what they thought of the so-called "doomsday budget." Sen. Jennie Forehand (D-Dist. 17) called the budget "truly terrible," while Del. Kumar Barve (D-Dist. 17) described the entire session…
James Fitch
11:38 pm on Monday, August 13, 2012
NO TAX CUTS FOR CASINOS. We should have the best schools in the country, with all the money they are getting from the lottery, and casinos, unless they are not getting the money. more ›