Governor Emphasizes Energy, Crime
By John Wagner and Lisa Rein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
On the eve of the General Assembly's annual session, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley asked lawmakers to focus on issues including energy policy and crime, while Republican leaders signaled that their priorities will include immigration measures and the repeal of a new tax on computer services.
The dueling objectives for the three-month session emerged yesterday at a pair of annual events in Annapolis, where party leaders continued to fight over the outcome of a three-week special session called this fall to fix the state's finances.
At a pre-session luncheon that drew more than 200 Democrats to an Annapolis hotel, O'Malley (D) argued that a state as wealthy as Maryland should not be among the nation's most violent. And the governor, who will start detailing his legislative agenda later this week, said lawmakers need to be cognizant of rolling "brownouts" that have been forecast in Maryland within a few years.
"The energy challenge, which confronts every state, is real, and we can't ignore it," O'Malley said. "We've got to get ahead of that. We've got to work together to find many solutions."
House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said lawmakers' other priorities would include securing at least $300 million for school construction and keeping university tuition affordable.
And he and other Democratic leaders congratulated one another for passing a wide-ranging package of tax increases and spending reductions during the special session designed to close a budget shortfall of more than $1.5 billion.
"We set the ship of state afloat and in the right direction," Busch said.
Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), one of four county executives who spoke at the lunch, said Democrats deserve to be praised for addressing long-festering budget problems in the special session. But he also offered a cautionary note.
"We have to go out in the community now and sell what we have done," Johnson said, arguing that it was important that constituents know that the legislature's actions allowed the state to continue to invest in education, public safety and the environment. "We need to show them that there are tangible results."
Republican lawmakers, in a separate pre-session policy gathering, said they would work to repeal one of the most controversial measures passed during the special session: application of the state's 6 percent sales tax to the purchase of computer services, which analysts say could generate $200 million a year for the state after it takes effect July 1.
On that issue, Republicans found common ground with Comptroller Peter Franchot, a progressive Democrat who said he would stand with them against the new tax.
"The symbolism of taxing the knowledge-based economy is not good for the business climate," Franchot told GOP lawmakers. He had appeared earlier at the Democratic party luncheon.
Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Frederick) replied with a chuckle, "We can empathize with that." He acknowledged that there "may not be the votes" to eliminate the tax altogether, but said he plans to sponsor a bill that would exempt contracts for computer services that are in place before it takes effect.
Businesses that procure computer services, such as custom software and database management, are expected to pay most of the new tax.
Republicans, the minority party in both legislative chambers, said they are planning this session to push an array of initiatives to stem illegal immigration, focusing on a federally mandated regulation that states create driver's licenses that double as national ID cards.
Maryland, a state with millions of immigrants, has resisted such efforts since Congress passed the federal Real ID Act in 2005. With the national mood apparently turning against undocumented workers, it is unclear what path Democrats in Annapolis will take this year
The Republicans also heard from long-serving State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick, whose future could be decided during the session.
Over the objections of O'Malley, Miller and Busch, the State Board of Education -- a majority of whose members were appointed by former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) -- awarded Grasmick another four-year contract last month. Lawmakers are looking to alter the appointment process to effectively reverse the board's decision.
During O'Malley's tenure as Baltimore mayor, Grasmick sparred repeatedly with him over city schools.
But yesterday Grasmick was among allies and used the opportunity to praise the state's success with early childhood programs and high student scores on standardized tests.
In a preview of the likely partisan debate over her future, she was asked by Sen. Senate Minority Whip Allan H. Kittleman (R-Howard) about possible effects of a move by Democrats to oust her.
Grasmick said Maryland has a long history of "insulating schools from partisan politics."
Afterward she told reporters: "It's not about me. I've gotten e-mails from people all over the state who are concerned about politics entering the running of the education system."
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