 Delegate Galen Clagett's
Newsletter Vol. 3, Issue 9
Working Cooperatively for Our Future |
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| What's Happening in Annapolis: Spring 2009 2009 General Assembly Session Summary |
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Greetings!
Welcome to our 2009 General Assembly Session Summary, and thank you for your continued interest in my activities in Annapolis as your State Delegate.
The 426th session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned on April 13th after 3 months of tough decisions that yielded progress on many fronts for the working families of Maryland.
The session was dominated by a global economic crisis and its effects on our budget. As state revenues declined, it became clear that Maryland was facing a budget deficit of nearly $2 billion. The House convened on a message of shared sacrifice and with the knowledge that, like our friends and neighbors, it was time to once again tighten our belts.
The Federal stimulus plan, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed by Congress and President Obama, allowed us to continue to make significant investments in transportation, education and healthcare but painful cuts still had to be made to the State's budget. In the end, the legislature balanced the budget and protected our constituents' priorities without raising taxes or fees. We've provided an extensive accounting below of how we were able to finish out the year. We hope you find this information helpful and we'll continue to keep you informed throughout the remainder of 2009.
It continues to be a great honor to represent our community in the House of Delegates. I hope you will contact me with your thoughts at galen.clagett@house.state.md.us or (301)663-4596. Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to represent and serve our neighborhoods.
Sincerely,
Delegate Galen Clagett, District 3A
Frederick County, Maryland
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Balancing the General Fund Budget 
We passed a balanced General Fund budget of $13.8B. It is 3.3% smaller than last year's budget and smaller than our FY 2007 budget, leaving Maryland with a reserve of roughly $750 million. We made tough choices, cutting $825M to contain spending. Every agency in state government has taken significant cuts to their budget, including the cumulative loss of 1100 positions. Our state employees have made sacrifices, taking a two to five day furlough this fiscal year, losing 401k benefits and foregoing a cost of living adjustment this year.
Local Impact 
The General Assembly tried to preserve as much aid to counties and localities as possible but the March budget revenue estimates and write downs forced the House Appropriations Committee to make tough cuts in aid to local governments to balance the budget. As a result, roughly 20% of the actions affected local aid which accounts for 40% of the state's total general fund spending. These cuts to local aid were fair. Maryland is one of a few states that provide funding for local public safety - $66 million this coming year - and also provides school construction money directly to county government.
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Even in the face of the global economic crisis, we maintained  our commitment to providing the children of Maryland with a world class education. Maryland was recently ranked # 1 in the country for its K-12 education system. In their review, Education Week noted the State's commitment to early education and college readiness programming.
These programs are due in part to the State's commitment to fund education - a commitment which is reflected in an 82%  increase in funding since passage of the Bridge to Excellence Act in 2002. This year, the State budgeted $5.5 billion for educational support including classroom teachers, supplies and special education programming and $260 million in school construction funds to continue to replace and renovate aging schools in Maryland. We were able to fully fund the Geographic Cost of Education Index for the first time ever.
The State also froze tuition for a fourth year in a row at Maryland 's public colleges and universities. From 2002 to 2004, Maryland college students saw a 33% increase in tuition until the legislature stepped in to freeze rates. We thought it  was important to continue the freeze an additional year for the 2009-10 school year to help middle class families continue to send their children to the colleges of their choice in the State.
The budget also provides a 3.8% increase to community colleges and a record-high $84 million in construction funds. Over 120,000 Marylanders are enrolled in community colleges and many students that cannot afford to go to four-year colleges often turn to community colleges to continue their education or get technical training to enter into the workplace.
Energy
Re-regulating the energy markets was the subject of much debate during this legislative session but ultimately did not  pass. This is a complicated issue and even the advocates acknowledge that re-regulation will not have the short-term impact of reducing the high energy bills of Maryland consumers. We do not want to rush into any legislation which would put more of a burden on State ratepayers and not provide the appropriate tools to regulators to stabilize energy costs. We must be sure to respond with a holistic and well-reasoned approach with four main goals: stabilizing consumer costs, ensuring reliability, reducing demand for electricity and encouraging new generation.
Healthcare
In these tough economic times, the Maryland General Assembly worked hard to preserve the advances we've made in providing Marylanders with access to quality, affordable healthcare. We strengthened Maryland 's world renowned Emergency Medical Services System and provided funding to begin to replace our aging Medevac helicopter fleet. We provided substance abuse treatment funding for an additional 27,000 low income  Marylanders. We mandated a uniform charity care policy at Maryland hospitals to make sure everyone receives the assistance they are eligible for and we protected our previous expansion of Medicaid for low income Marylanders.
Safety
We spent a great deal of time this session working to make Maryland families safer. We passed legislation to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. With the leadership of Governor O'Malley, we enacted sentencing reforms that strengthen evidentiary standards for the imposition of the death penalty, further preventing the possibility of executing the innocent.
The General Assembly also strengthened drunk driving laws. Following the recommendations of a cross-jurisdictional panel of law enforcement andtransportation officials, community members and the judiciary, the legislature passed four bills which collectively take  significant steps to implement the recommendations of the Task Force to Combat Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol. The most significant of the bills imposes a mandatory one-year license suspension for a person convicted of drunk driving more than once in five years. Other bills will tighten underage drinking laws and addresses repeat offenders. These new laws will help stem the tragedy of drunk driving accidents on our roads.
Immigration
One of the most contentious issues facing the General Assembly this year was state compliance with the Federal Real ID Act. Without legislation, Maryland 's driver's  licenses would not be federally compliant and thus not acceptable identification at airports or federal buildings as of 1/1/10. Currently, Maryland allows residents who cannot prove legal status to get identification cards and drivers licenses. We are one of only 4 states with this policy and the only state east of Colorado .
In response, the General Assembly passed legislation that as of July 1st prohibits the MVA from issuing new drivers licenses or identification cards to anyone who cannot prove legal status. Those who already have a driver's license or  identification card and cannot prove legal status will be allowed to renew their license one time and receive a non compliant license that will expire permanently on July 1st, 2015. The legislation also increases penalties for fraud to help end the abuse of the Maryland driver's license system. Allowing one renewal for those who cannot prove legal status will make sure that those driving on the road next to us are doing so in a safe and legal manner and can still purchase automobile insurance.
Environment
The General Assembly passed legislation to continue to protect our ecological treasures, create green jobs and improve our quality of life. We passed the Governor's Smart, Green and Growing legislation to limit sprawl and promote sustainable growth. This strengthens the planning process for communities across the state. The General Assembly took a significant step forward in Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts by requiring new and replacement septic systems in the Critical Area to include new nitrogen removal systems. A State grant fund will cover roughly half the cost of installing this enhanced system for homeowners. The General Assembly continued to fulfill its commitment to cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay by designating $130M for enhanced nutrient removal through the Bay Restoration Fund.
After several years, we also forged a compromise on global warming legislation. During this term, the legislature has  passed the Clean Cars Act, EmPower Maryland and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to begin to reduce greenhouse gases. These three initiatives will achieve half of the reduction goal - 12.5%. This legislation will require the State to adopt a plan to reduce 2006 greenhouse gas emissions levels by 25% by the year 2020, while ensuring that there is no significant job loss in the manufacturing industry, as well as produce net new jobs across the State.
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Send your questions, feedback
and ideas directly to Delegate Clagett at:
Talk to Galen@yahoo.com
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