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O'Malley pledges Budget fix for Prince George's County
Legislators Push Transit Development at Prince George's business roundtable.
Delegate Griffith Speaks on Health Care!
2010 Caucus Wrap-Up
April 13,2010
This session, the legislature made balancing the budget, public safety and job creation the top priorities. Working with the Administration and the Senate, we passed a number of bills to crack down on sex offenders, create tax credits and streamline government to give the private sector more confidence to invest in the economy.
Budget and Captital Budget
Balancing the State’s Operating Budget
Recognizing these tough economic times, the legislature balanced the State’s operating budget for next fiscal year, while protecting our priorities of education, higher education and public safety. This budget continues to constrain spending to offset significant declines in revenues due to the global economic recession.
Maryland balances its budget every year. We do not deficit spend or put future bills on the State credit card. Over the last four years, the State’s General Fund budget decreased 3% while continuing to increase education funding and healthcare funding for Marylanders. Even if the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, commonly referred to as stimulus money, is included, the Governor and legislature have limited increases in funding to less than a third of spending increases from the four years prior. The FY11 budget:
•Cuts spending by $525M in spending for next fiscal year, bringing the State’s General Fund budget down to $13.19B. State General Fund spending – the funding source that we fund most core programs out of – is below 2007 levels. Overall spending also decreases almost 2% from last year. (FY10= $32.2B compared to FY11= $31.9B)
•Makes government smaller and more efficient, with 4,000 fewer State government positions over the past four years, including eliminating 600 positions in this year’s budget.
•Maintains our commitment to K-12 education, one of the only areas in the budget to increase. Next year, the State will provide $5.7B in education aid for teachers, textbooks, and other important education needs. This budget supports 849,000 public school children in Maryland.
•Continues our commitment to higher education, as well, providing $1.2B in funding to our colleges, universities and community colleges. This budget supports 121,235 students who want to attend a Maryland school next year and the 140,000 community college students.
•Takes prudent steps to curtail outyear increases by cutting over $1 billion from the projected 2012 structural gap.
The legislature leaves nearly $830M in cash reserves, including the State’s Rainy Day Fund. Maryland is again one of only seven states in the country to retain the coveted triple-A bond rating, even through this global recession. The independent Fitch Ratings Agency has done a comprehensive review of the State’s finances and highlighted that Maryland’s “financial operations are conservative”.
Studying Teacher Pension Funding
One of the biggest cost drivers in the growth of the State’s budget is the cost of teacher pensions. This year, the cost increased nearly $130 million dollars and next year, projections are that the cost of teacher pensions for the State will increase another $100 million. The Senate proposed to phase-in a cost sharing of teacher pensions with local governments, beginning in Fiscal Year 2012. The House of Delegates rejected the cost shift plan. Instead, the legislature has agreed to create a Sustainability Commission of private sector experts to take a comprehensive look at the State’s retirement system - which supports State employees, current retirees and teachers – and make recommendations to the legislature by December.
No Raise for Legislators
The legislature rejected a recommendation from the General Assembly Compensation Commission, a five member constitutionally mandated, citizen commission, to increase legislative pay in 2013 and 2014. In rejecting the pay raise, we tightened rules that prohibit future legislators that are convicted of a felony or misdemeanor related to their public office from collecting any pension at all. By 2014, legislative salaries will not have increased in 8 years and over 80% of legislators have participated in the voluntary furlough program over the past two years. '
To View the Document in its entireity See attached File Below...
2010 Prince George's County
Legislative Report
2010 session wrapup
Hello all,
I hope your year is off to a great start. Things are going well for me and
my sons. I have completed the first two weeks of the 2010 legislative
session in Annapolis. The House Delegation continues to work in partnership
with our colleagues in the Senate. Chairman Douglas JJ Peters and I along
with Vice Chairs Vaughn and Holmes and Senate Vice-Chair Muse, are working
to review the budget and policy items that we have before us.
The members of the delegation have worked throughout the interim to identify
shared priorities. Our agenda continues to include K-12 education, support
for our Universities and Community Colleges, Health, Public Safety and
Economic/Transit Oriented Development. During our first Delegation meeting
on Friday January 22, 2010, in addition to remarks from Speaker Michael
Busch, we were updated on the County's budget by County Executive Jack
Johnson. We will work closely with him and the Council on behalf of our
shared constituencies.
Your Delegation members are poised to work with our colleagues from across
the state to mitigate the negative impact of the obvious challenges we will
face due to the economic downturn. We begin budget briefings next week, and
will be reviewing each line item and its impact on our communities. Please
see attached my budget introductory review letter.
I hope to see you in Annapolis this session, and hear from you on the
issues.
For more information regarding the Prince George's House Delegation, please
visit www.princegeorgeshousedelegation.com
Thank you for your service to the community,
Melony
Prince George's
Priorities Meeting Report
Final Chairs Corner 02/26/10
Griffith's Top
Read List
1.) Leglislators tout transit development as a top priority
2.) Committee set to square off over Teacher Pensions.
3.)Grant to help computerize medical records
4.)Housing Community opens on Joint Base Andrews
5.)Residents express frustration during forum
6.) Leaders Take Suggestions for new laws
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