general assembly Archives - Page 6 of 16

Legislative staff recommends cutting raises, benefits of state employees just ratified in contract

February 25, 2014 Maryland Reporter

State employees last Wednesday ratified a new one-year contract that provided 2% raises, regular step increases, health premium holidays and other financial benefits they had been denied in the lean years of the Great Recession.

Two days later, the legislature’s budget staff recommended rolling back about half the negotiated increases, moves that took the largest state union by surprise, calling them “alarming” and “disturbing.”

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Senators object to bill that would force most legislators to commute

February 24, 2014 Maryland Reporter

Sen. Allan Kittleman’s colleagues on a Senate committee were clearly unhappy with his legislation that would force most of them to commute and no longer reimburse their lodging in Annapolis during the session.

Kittleman, R-Howard and Carroll, has again introduced legislation that would restrict the housing stipend legislators are permitted during session – a maximum $101 per day – to those living more than 50 miles from Annapolis.

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Bill would provide more information on Md. government contracts

February 21, 2014 Maryland Reporter

Greater transparency in Maryland government contracting is the goal of legislation that would provide more information about each contract on a state website.

The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee is considering a bill that would pour $1.4 million into the growth of the website that allows the public to view payments made to state contractors.

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Bill requires many employers to offer paid sick leave

February 19, 2014 Maryland Reporter

Almost a majority of the House of Delegates is sponsoring legislation to mandate many Maryland businesses offer paid sick and safe leave policy for their employees, a move one research group estimates would cost employers $165 million.

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Eberly commentary: Minimum wage needs a boost, but it is not a living wage

February 17, 2014 Maryland Reporter

A review of the history of the wage suggests that it should be raised to approximately $8.40 an hour and then indexed to inflation thereafter. But the proposal to make Maryland’s minimum $10.10 by 2016 simply goes too far and would likely have significant negative effects on youth and unskilled employment levels.

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Barry Rascovar: O’Malley’s latest pension grab

February 10, 2014 Maryland Reporter

It takes quite a bit for the quiet, diplomatic State Treasurer, Nancy Kopp, to criticize her fellow Democrat, Gov. Martin O’Malley. But she gently laid it on the line in opposing O’Malley’s $100 million budget cut for state pension contributions.

“It’s a question of trust,” Kopp said

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Commentary: Minimum wage and Earned Income Credit go hand in hand

February 7, 2014 Maryland Reporter

Maryland’s Earned Income Credit (EIC) and minimum wage work best in combination to reduce poverty and income inequality. Increasing both would put our state on a better path to economic prosperity and opportunity for all. Benjamin Orr of the Maryland Center on Economic Policy responds to Barry Rascovar’s column.

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Teachers, school boards seek to drop standardized tests this year

February 6, 2014 Maryland Reporter

Even those who support the new Common Core education standards, such as school boards and the state teachers union, said the standardized tests scheduled this spring should be dropped since they’re not based on the new curriculum. But the State Department of Education says the move will jeopardize $289 million in federal funds.

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Fresh roundup of General Assembly candidates adds fundraising figures

February 4, 2014 Maryland Reporter

Our seventh monthly roundup of candidates for General Assembly adds a new feature: campaign fundraising totals from 2013 filed with the State Board of Elections in January.

We have tried to list every candidate who has filed and most who have announced. We have added figures for Cash on hand, amount Raised in 2013, and Loans or Debts when significant.

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State treasurer Kopp opposes O’Malley’s $100M cut in Md. pension contribution

February 3, 2014 Maryland Reporter

State Treasurer Nancy Kopp told lawmakers Thursday that she opposed Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed $100 million cut in the pension contribution, and said it would undermine trust by the state’s bond rating agencies.

“I think this is a very difficult thing to defend with the rating agencies,” Kopp told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Administration.