Hogan criticizes Busch’s handling of budget

Gov. Larry Hogan and House Speaker Michael Busch at bill signing Tuesday.

By Rebecca Lessner

For MarylandReporter.com

Hard feelings from the just-finished legislative session spilled over into the Board of Public Works meeting Wednesday, as Gov. Larry Hogan used his seat as chairman to call out House Speaker Michael Busch.

“I’m not going to allow the petulant and unprecedented action by the Speaker, ignoring our supplemental budget, to go,” said Hogan, addressing a representative from the Maryland State Police who was testifying on police radios.

Hogan’s second supplemental budget included $8 million for 100 additional troopers and the reopening of the Annapolis barracks.

Hogan asked Major John Hasenei commander of the Office of Technology Management, to tell the Secretary of State Police, Col. William Pallozzi, that Hogan would “continue to push to open the Annapolis barracks, regardless of what the speaker says.”

“We’re going to fight to get those 100 troopers on the street, because I know you need them,” Hogan said.

Kopp defends Busch

State Treasurer Nancy Kopp, sitting next to Hogan, objected to politicizing the meeting of a board that approves state contracts and came to Busch’s defense.

“Everyone has different priorities and I appreciate that,”  Kopp said.  “But there isn’t just one way to view the world.”

Kopp, a former Democratic delegate recently re-elected to a fourth term as treasurer by the legislature, defended budget choices made this session. She said lawmakers were pushing for different spending priorities than the governor.

“I do know there are older citizens in their homes who hope to have community programs that won’t happen now, there are teachers in the schools that will have fewer teachers now, there are pregnant women that won’t have family health now,” Kopp said.

Hogan had started the meeting with a rehash of the session he has repeated several times since Monday, but the presence of the state police major triggered a nerve.

“Seeing you up here reminds me of the fact that the Speaker of the House refused to read our supplemental budget across the desk, the first time that has happened in 25 years,” Hogan said.

The governor asserted that Maryland is the only state in the country without a barracks in the capital.

$20 million saved on contract

The item before the board was $20 million in savings found by the state police in a contract with Motorola for radios they were purchasing to allow communications with all state and local radio systems. The inability for all state and local law enforcement and first responders to talk on the same radio system has been a longstanding homeland security issue.

Hogan thanked Hasenei for “proving the board right” in not granting a $20 million increase of grant money during the last BPW meeting. Instead Hogan insisted they find funds in existing contracts, which they did.

“As you move forward, if you could please identify another 20 million in savings,” said Comptroller Peter Franchot. The room laughed, releasing some of the tension created by the earlier criticism. Franchot was quite serious.

“I would like to ask you on behalf of the state of Maryland, to be as tough as possible in looking for another $20 million through this contract,” said Franchot, noting it was an overall $345 million contract over eight years. “So it can be recycled to resolve some of these disputes.”

Hogan suggested creating a plan to utilize the $20 million to fund his $8 million state barracks and police force.

“The scorecard right now is $20 million to the good, unless the governor takes $8 million of it,” said Franchot jokingly.

Importance of pension contribution

Where Hogan will use the $20 million in savings hasn’t been determined, but the comptroller believes it will go to fund the $75 million the legislature cut from the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System in order to fund school aid and state employees salaries.

“The only thing that will resolve the security of the pension funds is proper contributions,” said Franchot said after the meeting. “Since it was $75 million that they were talking about we gave them $20 million today. That’s only $55 million to go.”

Franchot says he is keeping his own “scorecard” of the extra funds returned to the state.

“I noticed that there were items in the legislative session…that were, compared to the entire budget, relatively small amounts,” said Franchot. “I’m going to very passionately help my folks with different beliefs about priorities.”