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Fur Flies (and Fur Bill Dies): A Look at the Extremes of The General Assembly Session
Gov. Martin O'Malley had some wins and losses in the session.
(Marvin Joseph/twp - The Washington Post)
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The ever-visible tax collector had so alienated Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., a fellow Democrat, that Franchot heard rumblings in February that the Senate might cut his budget request. Worse, the comptroller feared his two top advisers' jobs were slated for elimination. Franchot held a news conference to give voice to the rumblings, accusing Miller of "ruthless political meddling." Miller shot back with his own news conference, in which he called Franchot an "embarrassment to the state of Maryland."
Budget committees wrangled over the comptroller's spending request. By the time the budget passed, the aides' jobs were intact, and several auditing positions had been created.
· Most unfashionable bill: Fur coats.
Not even a rack of designer jackets trimmed with the hair of Chinese dogs could sway members of the House Economic Matters Committee. After pulling out all the stops -- er, coats -- Del. Tom Hucker (D-Montgomery) failed to change the coat-labeling rules in Maryland. The committee rejected his bill to require manufacturers and retailers to identify the species and country of origin on their labels, regardless of value.
· Most visible feud: Sens. Nancy Jacobs (R-Harford) and E.J. Pipkin (R-Queen Anne's).
The strong-willed conservatives could barely hide their mutual dislike on the Senate floor. Jacobs endorsed Sen. Andrew P. Harris (R-Baltimore County), a Pipkin rival in the GOP primary for the 1st District congressional seat, which Harris won in February.
In the session's final days, Pipkin and Jacobs were on opposite sides of a bill to allow Cecil County officials to create a business taxing district (he against, she in favor). The controversy prompted the bill's sponsor, Sen. Donald F. Munson (R-Washington), to apologize to his colleagues on the floor.
"I'm afraid I've gotten in the middle of a family feud," he said.
