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Md. House Rejects GOP-Backed Budget Cuts
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Another amendment that sought only to delete $15 million for stem cell research grants was also defeated by the House, 96 to 39. Del. Tony McConkey (R-Anne Arundel) argued that the Maryland Technology Development Corp., which administers the grants, has been slow to distribute two previous rounds of funding provided by the legislature.
Del. John L. Bohanan Jr. (D-St. Mary's) said it was important that Maryland maintain its commitment to the research, particularly given federal funding restraints.
"This is an important program that we've just begun," Bohanan said.
The budget adopted by the Senate last week included $5 million for the research next year. That is one of several significant differences the two chambers will need to resolve before sending the budget to O'Malley, who proposed spending $23 million on stem cell research next year.
The House also rejected two amendments to the budget yesterday that sought to reduce the pay of officials whom O'Malley brought in at significantly higher salaries than their predecessors in the administration of former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R).
O'Malley, for example, agreed to pay $185,000 a year to Steven B. Larsen, who was nominated in February 2007 to be chairman of the Public Service Commission. His predecessor made $117,000. A GOP amendment would have reduced the pay of Larsen and other members of the commission, which regulates utilities. A broader amendment sought to limit the pay for 53 positions. Both measures failed by votes that broke largely along party lines.
Del. Galen R. Claggett (D-Frederick) defended the higher salaries, saying O'Malley had recruited people from the private sector in some cases to oversee dysfunctional agencies. Cutting their pay now, Claggett said, would be "penny-wise and pound-foolish."
Claggett said some officials in Ehrlich's administration were paid more than their counterparts in the O'Malley administration, citing the governor's chief of staff as an example.
