Maryland Legislature: 2005 Session

The Maryland General Assembly meets on Wednesday in the historic State House in Annapolis where lawmakers will face such issues as the budget, slots, education, school construction, medical malpractice, witness intimidation and more.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is a Republican, the first elected to the Maryland governor's office in more than 30 years. Despite his popularity statewide, Ehrlich has had trouble pushing key initiatives through the Democratic-controlled legislature in the past two sessions. This year could prove pivotal as he prepares for a reelection bid in 2006.

Senate Minority Leader J. Lowell Stoltzfus (R) was online Tuesday, Jan. 11, at Noon ET, to discuss the upcoming Maryland legislative session and how lawmakers view the issues.

Programming Note: Live Online will present a Democratic delegate at a date and time to be determined later this week.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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washingtonpost.com: Sen. Stoltzfus will begin a approximately 12:10. Please stay with us.

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J. Lowell Stoltzfus: Delighted to be here with washingtonpost.com. to preview the session.

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Arlington, Va..: Is there any chance this session of the legislature may increase the minimum wage? What is your position on increasing the minimum wage?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: I'm not aware of any attempt to increase the minimum wage. What we're looking at at the beginning of the session is an attempt to override the governor's veto on a living wage bill from last year which would put state contracts at a minimum of $10.50 per hour. I don't anticipate that this veto will be overridden because of the extreme cost to small business and because the bottom line is that it puts people out of work and threatens the viability of some small and minority businesses.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Senator, thanks for taking questions. I would like to know what you envision in this upcoming session for changes in the laws for new, teenage drivers. Specifically, will you support Delegate Mandel's proposals in this regard?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: I haven't looked at Del. Mandel's proposals regarding teenage drivers. We'll be certainly looking at it in the Republican Caucus and we're anticipating that the governor may have some news on that issue within the next week.

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Columbia, Md.: A while back, someone leaked a memo from the State Health Dept. showing that the governor was considering $480M in cuts to health services in Maryland to balance the budget. These massive cuts would surely send more people to the emergency room for care and increase every insured taxpayers' health care premiums.

Is the governor that shortsighted? Will his budget cut health care services or will he keep his campaign promises and not cut health care?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: As you know, the governor's budget is not yet out. I don't anticipate that there will be the kind of draconian cuts in the health care arena. We are mandated in much of that area to fund it and I think most of what's been out heretofore is rumor and speculation.

The governor will increase significantly the Medicaid end of the budget.

He is going to look at underperforming programs in terms of balancing the budget. But as far as the programs that are genuine human health programs and especially Medicaid, they'll be fully funded.

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Anonymous: What sort of camaraderie do you have in the Maryland Senate with your Democratic counterparts?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: Some of my best friends are my Democrat colleagues and in fact I go out to dinner -- though I am conservative -- with more liberal colleagues and consider them very good friends. We keep our discussions on a policy level and not on a personal level and debate on the floor very energetically and yet there is no rancor on a personal level.

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Maryland: What will be your top priorities in the new session?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: Starting today I would like to see the governor's medical malpractice veto be sustained. The bill is short-sighted. It's assessing people who can least afford health care to pay wealthy trial lawyers. It's going to cost about $200 more per family if they are insured by an HMO and this $200 per family will go directly to trial attorneys. And the governor's right -- he wants real reform without a tax increase.

And then beyond today, the budget, from my perception, is the biggie.

I'm confident the governor's budget will be balanced, will fully fund education and will continue to be a responsible answer to the deficit that he inherited. I think he is making significant progress in solving the structural deficit problems that have been there for two years of over $2 billion.

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Arlington, Va.: How closely does the Maryland legislature work with the Virginia legislature on issues such as transportation, or water, etc.? How does this relationship work?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: That's a good question for me. I'm chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Commission and on the commission we work closely with Virginia legislators. As far as transportation, we work together with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and in transportation we're doing new Metro cars in the D.C. region and I was in a private meeting with the two governors yesterday and was pleased with the rapport and camaraderie between the two. They are working together on environmental issues, transportation issues, homeland security and others.

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Gambrills, Md.: Please explain how the ads currently being run by your party in Anne Arundel County, urging voters to call three Democratic State Senators on a very specific issue, can not be considered lobbying?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: I think the Democrat party did as much when they rallied their party members before the special session. It's a grassroots citizens awareness effort. We should never fear the truth.

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Anonymous: I have always thought of state legislatures as being a stepping-stone to higher office. Can you dispel me of this myth if I am wrong?

Also, and forgive me if this is rude, but how much does a state senator get paid? Is this a full time job for most of you?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: Many but not all in the federal legislature started here but certainly not all of them. The state legislature is a good place to develop the necessary skills required to govern.

As far as the salary, we're making, I think it's $31,000 a year, which, interestingly enough, is $15,000 less per year than my wife makes as a school teacher.

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Baltimore, Md.: Will the Republicans and the governor support legislation to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and the uninsured -- specifically the proposal to reimport Canadian drug prices into Maryland and the proposal to allow poorer citizens to purchase drugs at Medicaid prices?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: That's one that we have to see a bill on. There's no bill out there yet that I'm aware of but I anticipate there will be. There are significant health and legal questions that need to be resolved. Currently the FDA does not allow those imports.

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Red Line Commuter: Will the legislature do anything to get Metro a guaranteed source of funding?

J. Lowell Stoltzfus: The governor and the Department of Transportation does the funding for Metro. There's an enormous price tag and for that reason the administration continues to review it in the context of physical limitations.

As far as I know no final decisions have been made. I would suggest that Secretary Flanagan be contacted.

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J. Lowell Stoltzfus: Thanks so much for your interest. I feel confident that we will work together to bring the best solutions achievable for the citizens of Maryland.

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