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Local bills and resolutions filed by Washington County delegation members in the 2012 session. (April 21, 2012) |
Washington County’s state legislators pursued some lofty but unattainable goals this year, along with several more grounded ideas that succeeded.
Sen. George C. Edwards and Del. John P. Donoghue each won a share of the state’s capital budget for local projects.
Sen. Ronald N. Young sponsored successful legislation to protect employees or job applicants from having to hand over their passwords to social media sites.
After four failed tries, Sen. Christopher B. Shank amended his proposal to increase the penalty for fatal child abuse this year and it passed.
Among the measures that were defeated — some without a vote — were Edwards’ attempts to impose a mass-transit tax on Maryland’s urban jurisdictions, Shank’s proposal to cut the state corporate income tax and Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr.’s push to let certain Allegany County students finish their school careers in Hancock.
For the second year in a row, Del. Andrew A. Serafini tried unsuccessfully to pass measures to alter the state pension system, which is underfunded compared to its obligations.
Strictly speaking, about a quarter of the bills filed by members of the Washington County delegation passed — including duplicate versions filed in the House and Senate, but not including bills they filed pertaining only to other counties.
But measuring success by the number of bills passed or defeated is misleading. It makes no difference if a bill is voted down in the House if the same version already passed the Senate. Some bills are withdrawn because a compromise achieves the same result.
The Washington County delegation filed six bills. The top item — giving the county government the authority to approve Washington County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association budgets — passed easily.
A change in the payment in lieu of taxes system and a technical change to a 2006 grant for a local Rural Heritage Transportation Museum also passed.
The delegation proposed giving volunteer fire and rescue companies the ability to bill for services, but withdrew the bill when it ran into resistance.
Another bill related to tip jars — changing the definition of an “amusement device” and allowing the cost of a gaming sticker to be deducted from the gross receipts — languished at the end of the session, caught in a logjam behind a controversial Prince George’s casino bill. Serafini said a House committee also might have been leery that the Washington County Board of Commissioners didn’t fully support the bill.
A skeptical House committee voted down a request to expand and continue a Washington County pilot program — using GPS to monitor certain criminal defendants — so it apparently will end this year.
Sen. Ronald N. Young
Young said he was pleased his bill protecting employees and job candidates from handing over passwords was approved — making Maryland apparently the first state in the nation, if Gov. Martin O’Malley signs it into law.
A similar bill extending the same protection to college students on campus passed the Senate, but didn’t advance in the House.
A big disappointment, he said, was that his bill calling for the purchase of American-made goods for public works contracts failed in the House after unanimous support in the Senate.
Young tried again this year to pass an increase in the estate-tax exemption for agricultural land. A version backed by the governor passed instead. Young was added as a sponsor.
For the second straight year, Young tried to pass a measure letting local government bodies save money by posting notices of public meetings and other proceedings on their websites instead of being required to pay for a newspaper ad.
Sen. George C. Edwards and Del. John P. Donoghue each won a share of the state’s capital budget for local projects.
Sen. Ronald N. Young sponsored successful legislation to protect employees or job applicants from having to hand over their passwords to social media sites.
After four failed tries, Sen. Christopher B. Shank amended his proposal to increase the penalty for fatal child abuse this year and it passed.
Among the measures that were defeated — some without a vote — were Edwards’ attempts to impose a mass-transit tax on Maryland’s urban jurisdictions, Shank’s proposal to cut the state corporate income tax and Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr.’s push to let certain Allegany County students finish their school careers in Hancock.
For the second year in a row, Del. Andrew A. Serafini tried unsuccessfully to pass measures to alter the state pension system, which is underfunded compared to its obligations.
Strictly speaking, about a quarter of the bills filed by members of the Washington County delegation passed — including duplicate versions filed in the House and Senate, but not including bills they filed pertaining only to other counties.
But measuring success by the number of bills passed or defeated is misleading. It makes no difference if a bill is voted down in the House if the same version already passed the Senate. Some bills are withdrawn because a compromise achieves the same result.
The Washington County delegation filed six bills. The top item — giving the county government the authority to approve Washington County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association budgets — passed easily.
A change in the payment in lieu of taxes system and a technical change to a 2006 grant for a local Rural Heritage Transportation Museum also passed.
The delegation proposed giving volunteer fire and rescue companies the ability to bill for services, but withdrew the bill when it ran into resistance.
Another bill related to tip jars — changing the definition of an “amusement device” and allowing the cost of a gaming sticker to be deducted from the gross receipts — languished at the end of the session, caught in a logjam behind a controversial Prince George’s casino bill. Serafini said a House committee also might have been leery that the Washington County Board of Commissioners didn’t fully support the bill.
A skeptical House committee voted down a request to expand and continue a Washington County pilot program — using GPS to monitor certain criminal defendants — so it apparently will end this year.
Sen. Ronald N. Young
Young said he was pleased his bill protecting employees and job candidates from handing over passwords was approved — making Maryland apparently the first state in the nation, if Gov. Martin O’Malley signs it into law.
A similar bill extending the same protection to college students on campus passed the Senate, but didn’t advance in the House.
A big disappointment, he said, was that his bill calling for the purchase of American-made goods for public works contracts failed in the House after unanimous support in the Senate.
Young tried again this year to pass an increase in the estate-tax exemption for agricultural land. A version backed by the governor passed instead. Young was added as a sponsor.
For the second straight year, Young tried to pass a measure letting local government bodies save money by posting notices of public meetings and other proceedings on their websites instead of being required to pay for a newspaper ad.
