Dear
Friend:
This
was a remarkable session. It began and ended with overrides of the
Governor's vetoes. Slot machines and other topics that had generated
enormous controversy in years passed attracted little attention. But
a slew of other contentious issues replaced them. Close to 3,000 bills
and resolutions were introduced, possibly an all-time record. Here
is a summary of some of the big issues of the session.
Budget.
The General Assembly enacted a balanced budget of $29.4 billion for
fiscal year 2006. Thanks to higher state revenues, the budget could
include an increase of $500 million for K-12 education It also boosts
funding for the University System of Maryland by 12 percent and freezes
tuition next year. For the first time in four years, Program Open
Space received full funding.
Electric
Rates. Electric power rates held center stage in the session’s
final month. When Maryland deregulated power companies in 1999, it
capped rates temporarily. With caps now coming off, rates are poised
to soar, a danger that I and other deregulation opponents warned against
years ago. At 11:40, on the session's final night, legislation came
before the Senate to mitigate the rate increase. Members who recalled
that the original deregulation bill was rammed through in half an
hour were reluctant to push a rate bill through in even less time.
The bill failed, and, as a result a special session appears likely.
Teacher
Pensions. Maryland teacher' pensions, currently some of the skimpiest
in the nation, will get a boost from legislation raising the multiplier
used to compute payouts; the bill increases benefits for service performed
since 1998 and requires teachers to contribute a larger portion of
their salaries to retirement. This is a much needed adjustment. I
cosponsored the legislation and was pleased that differences between
Senate and House that threatened the legislation were worked out in
the session’s final days.
Power
Plant Pollution. A high point of the legislative session was passage
of the Healthy Air Act, which I cosponsored. The legislation requires
Maryland's coal-fired power plants (among the nation's dirtiest) to
clean up emissions of major pollutants including carbon dioxide, a
principal cause of global warming.
Voting
Machines. Perhaps the greatest disappointment for many people
this year was the failure of legislation requiring a paper record
of ballots cast in the upcoming 2006 election. I cosponsored a paper
trail bill. But the measure fell victim to mounting concerns about
the accuracy and availability of alternative voting machines and the
risks of changing voting procedures so close to the September primaries.
The Committee considering paper trail legislation reported out a much-amended
bill that never came to a final vote in the Senate.
Stem
Cell Research. Maryland this year joins the ranks of States funding
stem cell research. The new program allows either adult or embryonic
stem cell research--projects will be selected competitively based
on their merits--and provides $15 million in funding for the first
year.
Judicial
Proceedings Committee. Serving as Chairman of the Senate's Judicial
Proceedings Committee continues to be extremely rewarding. The Committee
considered a large number of controversial bills. I was particularly
pleased by the Committee's endorsement of four bills I sponsored and
thought especially important. All four won passage this session. One,
the product of two years work, modernizes rules dealing with defendants'
competency to stand trial. Another removes roadblocks to treating
defendants with drug and alcohol problems. The third addresses the
threat posed by the increasing number of unlicensed drivers in Maryland;
closing a loophole in current law, it will give the courts and police
more tools to deal with unlicensed motorists. The final measure includes
the developmentally disabled among disabled individuals entitled to
extended leases when apartment buildings convert to condominiums.
For
those of you who contacted me during the session, I thank you for
your opinions and interest and hope you will continue to share your
views.
All
the best of a good spring and summer.
Sincerely,
Brian
E. Frosh
Read
the Baltimore Sun Wrap-Up Article on the 2006 Legislative Session
