| 2012 Committee Appointments | |
Appropriations Committee
-Member-
Public Safety & Administration Subcommittee
-Chair-
Oversight Committee on Personnel
-Member-
Oversight Committee on Pensions
-Member-
Capital Budget Subcommittee
-Member-
Joint Audit Committee
-Member-
Joint Committee on Fair Practices
-Member-
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Ethics Reform |  | |
The General Assembly passed ethics reform legislation (SB920) that requires legislators' conflict of interest forms to be filled out electronically and posted online. Legislators will also be asked to submit their occupation/employer or primary business interest as well as that of their spouse to the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee. This is a significant step forward towards a more transparent and open state government. A workgroup will study further reforms.
Campaign Finance
As a result of campaign finance legislation passed this session (HB1103), candidates across Maryland will be required to post the occupation and employer of contributors who give them more than $500 between elections, making it even clearer where campaign contributions originate.
Accountability
Subject to approval by Maryland voters at the November 2012 general election, HB 211 proposes to amend the state Constitution to immediately remove from office a state or local elected official who pleads guilty to a felony or to certain misdemeanors related to the elected official's public duties. In addition, the legislation proposes to amend the state Constitution to suspend from office without pay or benefits any state or local elected official who is found guilty of the same crimes. Currently the Constitution provides for such suspension only on conviction which often occurs months after a finding of guilt.
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Galen Clagett's 
Delegate Newsletter
Session Wrap-Up One:
The Capital Budget
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Greetings!
At midnight on Monday April 9, the General Assembly adjourned Sine Die without completely resolving the FY 2013 Budget for the State of Maryland. I remain hopeful that the Governor will call a special session in the next few weeks in order to complete this task. In the interim, I can provide an accounting of issues that were successfully dealt with as they are part of the Capital Budget and therefore separate from the Operating Budget. If the Operating Budget is changed as a result of a special session, I'll report back to you. The Capital Budget that supports the state's construction program for schools, universities and the environment, totals $1.1 billion and creates and maintains 44,000 jobs for Marylanders. It makes substantial investments in state infrastructure, including: over $360M in school construction and modernization and nearly $300M for the State's universities, community colleges, hospitals and research and development institutions. The remaining Capital Budget funds environmental preservation programs, promotes homeownership retention, and upgrades tools for our first responders to maintain safe communities for Maryland's children and families. Upgrading Maryland's infrastructure puts our citizens back to work while positioning Maryland for the future.
Once the Maryland Legislature has resolved the 2013 Operating Budget, I will provide a second wrap-up newsletter on the issues affected by that Budget and the decisions made in the special session.
I thank you for your continued interest in my activities in Annapolis. As you read through these newsletters, I hope you will contact me with your thoughts, questions, and opinions via email or by calling (301) 663-4596. I thank you again for giving me the opportunity to represent and serve our Frederick neighborhoods.
Best of regards,
  
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 Final Updates on Bills for 2012
HB 788 - Authorizes $250,000 to be used as a grant to the City of Frederick for the acquisition, planning, and design of the  Downtown Frederick Hotel and Conference Center - PASSED
Frederick County - Hotel Rental Tax -
Rate and Distribution of Revenue
Assigned to: Ways & Means Committee - Died in Committee
HB 381
Electric Companies - Generation Request for Proposals - Expansion of Area
Assigned to: Economic Matters - Passed the House unanimously, but died in Senate Finance Committee
State Personnel - Hiring Prohibition - Individuals Terminated with Prejudice
Assigned to: Appropriations Committee
Unanimously PASSED
HB526
State Personnel - Special Appointments Assigned to: Appropriations Committee
PASSED
HB 1437State Operating Budget - State Prescription Drug Program Subsidy - Lump Sum Payment
Assigned to: Appropriations Committee - Re-referred to Appropriations - can be re-submitted in 2013
City of Frederick - Criminal History Records Check - Taxi Driver Applicants
Assigned to: Judiciary Committee
PASSED |
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Eye On Annapolis -
2012 Session Wrap-Up One
THE ENVIRONMENT
Reducing Pollution to the Chesapeake Bay & State Waterways
Over the past decade, the federal government, in partnership with states in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (MD, DE, NY, PA, VA, WV & DC), have established stringent requirements and timelines for improving the health of our greatest natural resource, the Chesapeake Bay.
Maryland is now more than halfway to the comprehensive goals set to restore the Chesapeake Bay but big steps were needed this legislative session to meet the first round of federal requirements by 2017.
HB446 increased the flush tax from $2.50 a month to $5.00 a month to complete installation of enhanced nitrogen removal technology at Maryland's 67 major wastewater treatment plants, fund cover crop programs and replace failing septic systems across the State. The increase to the fee will sunset in 2030, once Maryland has complied with the federal requirements for Chesapeake Bay cleanup. Under the federal mandate, counties must also reduce stormwater runoff, which significantly contributes to nitrogen levels in the Bay.
Legislation (HB987) also passed this session requires the State's largest counties to charge a stormwater fee and allow local governments to install low impact stormwater systems to comply with the federal mandate at the local level.
Sustainable Growth & Agricultural Preservation Act
The Governor proposed and the General Assembly passed legislation  (SB236) to promote smarter local planning and zoning policies to curb pollution into the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waterways. As amended, instead of an outright ban on septic systems, the legislature created four planning tiers for counties to adopt as a part of their comprehensive planning program and grandfathered existing development projects already in the pipeline. The bill contains protections for family farmers to ensure they can continue to farm their land. This legislation addresses both water quality and land use issues that contribute to nitrogen pollution growth in the Chesapeake Bay.
Arsenic
Legislation (SB207) passed banning compounds that contain arsenic from being used in chicken feed, keeping it out of our food supply, ground and water. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment but at higher levels is a carcinogen that contributes to diabetes and heart disease. |
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JOB CREATION & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Security Clearance Tax Credit
Legislation passed this session (SB296) creates a tax credit for individuals and businesses in Maryland for costs associated with receiving security clearances. This allows Maryland businesses to be more competitive with their out-of-state counterparts. BRAC has brought thousands of jobs to Maryland. This legislation helps put Maryland contractors and workers in the best position possible to win those jobs and contracts.
Turning Research into Jobs
(HB442) establishes the Maryland Innovation Initiative Fund to promote technology transfers from Maryland's public and private nonprofit  research institutions to the private sector. The Fund will turn Maryland innovation into Maryland jobs by providing grants to university researchers intended to commercialize university based research. The bill also requires the University System of Maryland and Morgan State University to undertake "high impact economic development activity" to create jobs and revenue, attract businesses, receive externally funded grants, license and commercialize products, and train workers for 21st century jobs.
Family Farms
The Family Farm Preservation Act of 2012 (HB444) was passed to ease the estate tax burden on family farms, making it easier to pass on and preserve agricultural land. This Administration bill exempts from the estate tax up to $5M of agricultural property. In order to qualify for the exemption, the property must continue to be used for farming purposes.
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EDUCATION
Maintenance of Effort
Important legislation was passed this session (HB1412) to protect the state's record investments in education by requiring counties to continue to provide adequate funding for education while giving them  the flexibility to make adjustments in tough times. Under existing law, counties are required to maintain per pupil funding levels from year to year. The bill passed this session and signed into law by Governor O'Malley on April 11, 2012, closes loopholes in the existing law and requires counties to apply to the State Board of Education for a waiver if they are unable to meet maintenance of effort. The legislation encourages counties and local school systems to find shared efficiencies to reduce ongoing expenses. In addition, counties are required to increase their effort in future years to keep up with the state's average effort.
Social Studies
Over the past decade Maryland educators have reported a significant decrease in instructional time devoted to social studies in all grades. Additionally, the Maryland State Department of Education  (MSDE) discontinued the Government High School Assessment due to budget cuts last year. In order to address these issues, legislation (HB1227) passed requiring MSDE to reinstate the High School Government Assessment in the 2015-2016 school year and that it include a written section. It also requires that MSDE develop and implement a middle school social studies assessment. Local school systems must include in their master plans information about how they are assessing social studies at all levels. Additionally, MSDE must conduct a survey about social studies instruction in K-12 education. |
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HEALTHY FAMILIES
Maryland Healthcare Exchange
Required by law under the federal Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA), the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange will make health insurance affordable and accessible to thousands of Marylanders for the first time. The Exchange will be a fair, transparent marketplace that provides individuals and small businesses one-stop comparison shopping for affordable insurance options.
 Private insurers will offer competitive plans, allowing consumers to compare rates, benefits, and quality to find coverage that best suits their needs. The Exchange will help low-income Marylanders find out whether they are eligible for Medicaid or federal subsidies to buy private plans, and it will support small business access to affordable coverage.
The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Act of 2012 (HB443) takes the next important step in establishing Maryland's Exchange, which must be certified as operational by January 1, 2013. The Exchange may establish standards, like promoting wellness or ensuring continuity of care for people when they change plans, beyond the minimum  requirements of the ACA.
Beginning in 2016, the Exchange may use contracting strategies like competitive bidding or negotiation with carriers to begin to achieve the critical objectives of reducing costs and enhancing the quality of health care. Prior to employing any alternative contracting strategies, the Exchange must submit its plan between December 1 and the beginning of the legislative session to the Finance and Health and Government Operations committees for 90-day review and comment.
Civil Marriage
During the 2012 legislative session, the Governor introduced and the General Assembly passed, the Civil Marriage Protection Act, providing same sex couples in Maryland the legal right to marry. The legislation confers upon same sex married couples all of the rights and responsibilities that now apply only to heterosexual married couples. These include health related benefits, tax benefits and responsibilities, financial rights/responsibilities, adoption rights and other rights/responsibilities regarding the children of same sex married couples.
With the passage of HB438, Maryland became the 8th state in the country to legalize same sex marriage. This legislation extends important protections to many Maryland families.
The Act provides only for civil marriage and includes stringent religious protections, making clear that no church or religious clergy are  required to condone, officiate, or in any way participate in the solemnization or promotion of a same sex marriage ceremony.
The bill also extends protections and immunities from civil suits to religious organizations, associations, societies and any non-profit institutions operated, supervised or controlled by the same.
As of this writing, an effort is underway by opponents of the legislation to petition the bill to referendum. If this effort is successful, the issue of civil marriage will be decided by Maryland voters in November's general election.
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