A little bit of everything
The delegate who chairs the House’s gambling subcommittee still doesn’t think there will be a special legislative session this summer to expand gaming in Maryland. And if there is one, the only topic should be permitting table games at the existing slots casinos, not adding a sixth casino at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Del. Frank Turner told MarylandReporter.com Sunday.
Read more“Shame on them for not doing the people’s work in the time frame that they had… They raise our taxes, we put less food on the table,” said a Carroll County protester. Senate President Mike Miller says, “It would have been nice if we could have got it done in the 90-day session.”
Read moreFirst elected in 1962, Sen. Norman Stone is the longest serving member in the current Maryland General Assembly and the longest serving state senator in Maryland history. He is historical artifact in other ways: one of the last remaining fiscally and socially conservative Democrats – an opponent of tax hikes, abortion and gay marriage, a supporter of labor unions and the rights of workers and crime victims.
Read moreThe pressure is mounting for a special session to raise the taxes that failed to pass as the legislature adjourned April 9 and “fix” a “doomsday” budget with cuts that had been specifically designed to scare up votes for tax hikes.
Details have not been worked out, but legislators have been advised that Gov. Martin O’Malley will likely call a special session for the week of May 14.
Read moreGov. Martin O’Malley addressed more than 60 business leaders from India and Maryland in an attempt to strengthen trade and investment. But in an interview, O’Malley said two special sessions for the legislature are likely — one in May to resolve budget issues and another in August to deal with gaming. He also suggested it might be time to create a new gaming commission to regulate gambling in the state.
Read moreAt a forum sponsored by Maryland Business for Responsive Government last week, four journalists wrap up the legislative session and look ahead to the prospects for a special session to resolve the budget mess. The panel included Andy Green of the Balti…
Read moreThe chair of the gambling subcommittee in the House of Delegates said Wednesday he hopes there are no gaming bills in any special session to fix the current budget mess — there are not enough votes to pass a 6th casino.
Read moreRepublican legislators and conservative groups are mounting a campaign against a special session of the legislature to raise taxes, as teachers and public employees advocates are organizing to bring the lawmakers back to Annapolis to do just that.
Read moreAs the longest serving speaker in Maryland history, he shares immense power with the governor. He is also a hometown family man who lives in a modest house on McKendree Avenue in the Homewood section of Annapolis and knows thousands of residents of the capital city from a quarter-century of knocking on their doors in election campaigns. (This feature profile of House Speaker Michael Busch by Len Lazarick is running in the May issue of the regional magazines What’s Up Annapolis and What’s Up Eastern Shore.)
Read moreThe body language seemed to convey the lingering hostility. Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch stood stiffly behind their chairs, waiting for Gov. Martin O’Malley to arrive at Tuesday’s bill signing. The usual celebratory atmosphere after the 90-day session was muted by the failure to enact the tax hikes the night before, forcing the implementation of a budget with another $500 million in budget cuts.
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