The Governor signed into Law on 5/4/2010 House Bill 973 “Public Schools- Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline-Distribution of Information”, sponsored by Delegate Susan Aumann.

The bill attempts to reduce the problem of bullying-related suicide by requiring each local board of education to provide each student in grades 6 through 12 with the telephone number of the Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline by:(1) printing the phone number prominently in the school handbook; and (2) printing the telephone number on a student’s school identification card. Delegate Aumann believes any assistance to children in crisis is a responsible thing to do.

Dear Friends,

Thank you for contacting my office during the 2010 Session of the Maryland General Assembly.  I appreciate the time you took to let me know your views on issues that concerned you.  I have taken these opinions into consideration and used them while deliberating.

This term I again served on the Transportation and the Environmental Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.  I continue to serve on the Oversight Committee on Personnel, Oversight Committee on Pensions, Joint Committee for Audits, Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, and Deputy Whip for the Republican Caucus.  I want to thank all of you for the honor and the pleasure of allowing me to serve the residents of the 42nd District as well as our fellow Marylanders.

The 2010 Session has concluded with challenges still ahead of us.  Over 2800 filed bills were heard in our committees and in the House Chamber.  Due to the financial condition of the state, bills submitted with large fiscal notes were considered but not acted on because of the State’s current budget conditions.  This Session the Appropriations Committee worked on ratifying the four Board of Public Works’ actions taken during this year’s unprecedented downturn in our economy.  The Board of Public Works had cut over $700 million from the State’s $32 billion dollar budget.  Even with the $2 billion dollars in Federal Assistance through the ARRA funds, the Government could not collect enough revenues to keep pace with spending.

SB 140 – The Budget Bill for Fiscal Year 2011
After 11 weeks of extensive debate over the Budget Bill, SB140, 76 committee amendments were adopted, reducing the Governors Budget by $12 Million. Just days after the Budget was presented to the Floor of the House Chamber, the Governor took that $12 million and spent those funds on other programs in a Supplemental Budget.  The Conference Committee Report was submitted two days before the Session ended which increased the Budget by $16 million over what the Governor submitted.  Here in lies the challenge, revenues are projected to be less and our spending continues to climb.  This is the third year that State employees have been furloughed; there were no raises or cost of living adjustments.

New programs were created, projects for construction were supported and five pages of transfers from every account that the Governor could sweep from was swept.  See the “Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2010 (SB 141/HB 151) Budget Summary, Provisions, and Recommendations March 2010,” (http://mlis.state.md.us/2010rs/misc/BRFAof2010.pdf) pages 6, 7, 8, and 9 for all the transfers made to the General Fund.  Some of these transfers are constitutionally questionable, such as the Comptroller’s account that receives local taxes for $350 million and $20 million from an account that the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund holds in reserves.  It is still unclear if the State will receive the $380 million from the Federal Government.  There lacks any extra cushion, which may result in further action by the Board of Public Works.  The General Assembly must present a balanced budget and understand the financial forecast to prepare for its duty for fiscal responsibility.

The Minority Party offered more than $850 million in suggested cuts with the help of the Department of Legislative Services.  Just a few of these suggestions were implemented, such as reducing the work force by 500 positions.  It sounds harsh until you understand that about 1,000 people a year leave state service through retirements or attrition each year.  Much more could have been accomplished to protect the pressures for increased revenues from our citizens.  Even though this is an election year, it is irresponsible to put off changes that could provide protection from greater fees and taxes.

Capital Budget
The Capital Budget is used to pay for road projects, construction of prisons, state buildings, school construction and land purchases. The State depends on a portion of the property tax to repay the interest and principle on bonds that finance capital projects. The State has reached the debt limit and the capital budget should be adjusted to reflect the current economic conditions. State policy contains provisions that limit the amount of tax supported debt to be no more than 8% of State revenues and 4% of personal income. Over the past 18 months, the State has experienced declining revenues and has increased the debt limit to $1.14 billion in new State debt. I believe it should have been reduced to $990 million, and follow the recommendation that the Capital Debt Affordability Committee suggested in October.  I offered a detailed amendment to reduce the debt outstanding to $990 million, cutting $150 million from projects that have not started and could be postponed for a year. The concern is that the debt service costs could outstrip the current revenue stream, thus relying on General Funds to supplement those payments. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Friends,

Attached is an article from the Baltimore Business Journal regarding my suggestions on the capital budget. You may remember that I mentioned these proposals in my newsletter sent on March 19, 2010. (click to view)

Very truly yours,
Delegate Susan L.M. Aumann
District 42 – Baltimore County
303 Lowe House Office Building
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-841-3258; FAX 410-841-3163
susan.aumann@house.state.md.us

Dear Friends,

SB107 Unemployment Insurance-Tax Deferment, Trust Fund Solvency and Cost-Neutral Modernization Act was heavily discussed in the House Chamber on Monday evening. Last year the General Assembly voted to expand unemployment benefits to part time workers.  The Federal Government will provide $126 million dollars for the Unemployment Insurance fund in exchange for Maryland expanding their eligibility requirements again.  Senate Bill 107 expands eligibility to people in worker training programs and makes other changes that increase liability in the fund. That means that Maryland will receive only six weeks of help (we are currently paying out $80 million a month) but in the long run it will cost all business owners more.  Currently the State of Maryland has a deficit in their unemployment benefits which are paid by the businesses for the unemployment insurance. After the stimulus money runs out, it is expected that businesses will have to pay up to $92 million a month to sustain the expected demand.  How many businesses will have to close or reduce the amount of employees they employ?

Early in the session I received a letter from an employer in the Towson area who was gravely concerned because the unemployment insurance assessment for her 50 person business was increasing from approximately $800 every two weeks to $3800. She was wondering how she was going to stay in business in Maryland.  Please take a look at these amendments 663224/1, 413522/1, 753222/1 to address repealing the increase to the unemployment insurance taken up last session. I supported the amendments and voted against the bill.

HB 825 Vehicle Laws-Required Security- Minimum Amounts

This bill increases the minimum liability insurance limits for private passenger’s automobile insurance for bodily injury liability from $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident to $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident. This would give Maryland some of the highest liability coverage requirements in the country. It could prove to be very costly to taxpayers in a time when lawmakers are reluctant to increases taxes, but would increase the premium. The Maryland Insurance Administration has recommended an unfavorable decision due to the extra expense and the possibility that the effect may have the unintended consequence of causing people to drive uninsured.  Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund (MAIF) indicated that 98.6% of MAIF’s private passenger policyholders would be forced to pay for the increased limits coverage proposed in this bill. The increase in premiums that would accompany the higher required security coverage’s would certainly result in a greater number of uninsured motorists, as some drivers would simply elect not to pay the higher associated costs. MAIF recommended an unfavorable report. I voted against this bill for the reasons above. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Friends,

We held bond bill hearings all day Saturday and Monday. Sessions are becoming longer and longer as we start to refine the budget process.

Sex Offender Legislation

A 30 year old registered sex-offender was arrested in the death of 11 year old Sarah Foxwell of the Eastern Shore. This tragedy highlighted the need for more stringent sex offender laws. On Tuesday, six bills dealing with sexual predators came to the House floor dealing with the following matters:

• HB 289 – Prohibiting good time credits for child sex offenders. These credits would otherwise shorten time served. This applies to first and second degree sexual offenses with children less than 16 years of age.
• HB 473 – Requiring lifetime supervision for the most violent and repeat sex offenders after they have served their sentences.
• HB 599 – Similar to HB 289, but applying to repeat offenders who have committed third degree sexual contact with children less than 16 years of age.
• HB 931 – Add members to the Sexual Offender Advisory Board that was created in 2006 but never met.
• HB 936 – Includes additional crimes for which offenders must register for the sex offender registry list and includes provisions for homeless people who currently list no fixed address. This sets up tiers of offenses that would standardize the way they are supervised in the community and described in the registry.
• HB 1046 – Provides for use of RAP sheets for use by judges in pretrial release determination.

It was noted in floor debate that if the Administration chooses not to enforce these laws as has happened with previously passed legislation that required assessments as to the threat the offender poses to the community and the functioning of the Sexual Offender Advisory Board, it would not matter how many laws are passed. Amendments were offered and rejected in floor debate on Wednesday which would strengthen these laws even more. The safety of our children should be our top priority.

HB 92 – Labor and Employment – Job Creation and Recovery Tax Credit.

This week we heard on the floor HB 92 Labor and Employment-Job Creation and Recovery Tax Credit. It is a good bill that allows a tax credit to employers who hire new employees are able to receive a $5000.00 per employee hired tax credit. The tax credit cap is limited to $20,000.000. Delegate McDonough offered an amendment that would require that any new hires be evaluated through E-Verify to ensure the new hires are citizens of the state before the tax credit is granted. The E-Verify program is an attempt to combat the prevalence of document and identity fraud in the employment verification process by providing a voluntary means for employers to verify employee status electronically against federal Social Security and immigration databases. We talked about this issue in our weekly caucus and felt this was the right thing to do. The amendment number is 803729/2.

Delegate O’Donnell offered amendment number 643221/1 that would direct the tax credits to small businesses who employ fewer than 50 employees. Ten million dollars would go to minority businesses, and the other ten million would go to small businesses. I supported both of these amendments because they would help small businesses and ensure that those hiring are hiring legal citizens of the state. Read the rest of this entry »

After deep cuts, Md. lawmakers consider millions more in reductions

A new General Assembly analysis of Baltimore’s transportation spending has reopened a debate over state aid to the city – and is leading some lawmakers to consider multimillion-dollar cuts.

The city receives more state funding than any county, and nowhere is that discrepancy more apparent than in the distribution of gas tax and titling fee revenues. Baltimore is to receive $130 million from that fund in the next fiscal year; the state’s 23 counties will split the remaining $10 million. – Read the entire story from the Baltimore Sun.

March 6, 2010
Dear Friends,

The following subjects were discussed during this past week.

Jury Trials in Civil Actions
The Senate passed SB 118, which prohibits a party in a civil action from requesting a jury trial if the amount in controversy does not exceed $20,000, instead of the current $10,000.  The bill is contingent on the voters’ adoption of a constitutional amendment (SB 119, also passed by the Senate) that increases, from over $10,000 to over $20,000, the amount in controversy in civil proceeding in which the right to trial by jury may be limited by legislation.  Identical bills, HB 436 – Courts – Jury Trials in Civil Actions – Amount in Controversy and HB 434, – Civil Jury Trials – Amount in Controversy
respectively, had a hearing in the House this week.

Injured Workers’ Insurance Fund (IWIF)
Senate and House committees took testimony both for and against changing the status of IWIF from that of a State agency to a not-for-profit mutual insurer.  Under SB 507 -Injured Workers’ Insurance Fund – Status and Renaming and HB 1008, the new company retains its public purpose as the insurer of last resort and must continue to guarantee the availability of workers’ compensation insurance in the State.  One of the questions raised at the hearings concerned the long-term status of IWIF’s current State employees.  Also of concern is the new company’s retention of IWIF’s existing exemption from the 2% tax on premiums that other private insurers are required to pay.  There is a tentative agreement between the Governor’s office and IWIF that would allow more autonomy to the agency for a transfer of $20 million from their reserve account to the State’s General Fund.

Health Care and Health Insurance – Bisphenol-A
I voted in favor of House Bill 33 – Child Care Articles Containing Bisphenol-A – Prohibition that prohibits the sale, manufacture and distribution of children’s products that contain bisphenol-A (BPA), a harmful compound found in some plastics.  The bill also requires manufacturers to use materials that are the least toxic alternative available on the market.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BPA can leach from reusable food and water containers and baby bottles.  While the U. S. food and Drug Administration used to assert that BPA packaging was safe, more recently the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has cited concerns that it may have an effect on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses, infants, and young children.  It is important to protect the health of babies and children, especially when they are in the developmental stages.  While many manufacturers have voluntarily stopped producing items with BPA, I think that this legislation sends a strong message and is an important public safety measure for Maryland ’s children.

Read the rest of this entry »

Election-year politics loom large

Check out the February 26, 2010 article from the Gazette.net

Click Here to view

To view a graph that shows the Structural Imbalance between Ongoing Revenues and Ongoing Spending- Fiscal 2006 – 2011

Click Here

February 26, 2010

Dear Friends,

The following relates to the February 19th meeting about Articulated Instruction Module (AIM).

The House and Senate members of the Baltimore County Delegation met on February 19^th to discuss the AIM Program with Superintendent Joseph Hairston regarding the highly contested grading system.  This issue has raised a number of questions over the past few weeks and because of this, the Superintendent stated he would discontinue the mandatory implementation of the reporting component of this program. Upon further pressing, Dr. Hairston said the data collection aspect of the program has been suspended, then followed up by saying AIM’s reporting component would not be implemented.  This was seen as good news.

The issues noted were in regard to the amount of time our teachers would spend recording the student’s mastering of more than 100 specific skills collected on a per student basis and then recorded in a twelve page report.  It was indicated this process would take one and one half hours of input per student. The AIM program would have educators set classroom instruction aside to complete the data input.  Many see this process as duplicative in light of what has been required by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Many questions were posed to the Superintendent about the development and copyright issues surrounding the creation of this program.  The Assistant to Dr. Hairston, Dr. Barbara Dezmon, has renewed her copyright six times, the latest in 2006 for the AIM Program.  This creates a questionable ethics issue.

I have joined in with other delegates in crafting a letter to the State’s Attorney’s office asking for an investigation.  If you would like a copy of the letter please let us know.

As I stated in the hearing: “This program has caused a lot of harm and I hope that there will not be any retaliation to those teachers and staff that were not supportive of this program. Teachers need more time to teach and less time on data collection and I hope this never happens again.”

Read the rest of this entry »