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Md. Tax Package Nears Approval
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The package, pursued by health advocates for years, came close to passage during the session last winter. But it was blocked over concerns that new spending would be irresponsible without a budget solution.
The proposal will expand Medicaid over four years, first to parents with incomes of less than $20,000 for a family of three, then to adults without children.
Although O'Malley got most of what he wanted from the legislature, some of his proposals died during the session, including some aimed at providing targeted tax relief.
Lawmakers balked at O'Malley's plan to roll back the property tax rate by 3 cents per $100 in assessed value. They rejected his plan to provide a $50 sales tax rebate to low-income families and did not act on his proposal to double the personal income tax exemption for the elderly to $2,000.
Legislators also scrapped an O'Malley proposal to peg the gas tax to rising costs of highway and transit construction. Instead, they directed a larger portion of the sales tax to the state's transportation trust fund, which is projected to grow by about $400 million a year under legislation expected to pass by adjournment.
Staff writers Lisa Rein and Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report.
