Monday, May 10, 2010

2010 OUTCOME OF PROGRESSIVE LEGISLATION IN MARYLAND

    (Includes the Progressive  Working Group's three legislative priorities - campaign finance reform,  combined reporting and government transparency - and several other important  bills. Thanks to Progressive Cheverly for most of this  wrap-up)


Campaign Finance Reform for General Assembly Races – This measure would help neutralize the effect of special-interest money in our political process.  Unfortunately, Senate President Mike Miller switched his support of a year ago, and the bill remained bottled up in Senate committee without even making it to the House for consideration.

Reducing the Impact of Budget Cuts Through Fair Revenue Sources – Combined reporting, which would close income-tax loopholes for corporations that operate in more than one state, was not passed.  Likewise, the “millionaire’s tax,” enacted in 2008 and set to expire this year, was allowed to do so, effectively lowering taxes for the top 1% of Maryland taxpayers.  Together, these lost revenues will amount to $250 million per year, and cuts to services for the disabled and poor were made instead.

Improved Transparency of General Assembly Business and Improved Citizen Access – A bill was not enacted that would make it easier for citizens to access information about the progress of legislation and present testimony during hearings  and require such bill hearings and meetings of the Board of Public Works to be broadcast on the Internet.  Instead, these concerns were relegated to a summer study.  However, this legislative effort did prompt leaders in the House and Senate to require that all committee votes be posted online.

ASVAB – Legislation was passed that only students and their parents or guardians can release the results of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test to the the military. ASVAB is used as a military recruiting tool in public high schools throughout the country. Almost 7,000 students in 156 public schools throughout Maryland took the test in the last year for which data is available. 91% had the results and private information forwarded to military recruiting services without parental consent and often without parental knowledge. This legislation ends this practice and represents a real victory for student privacy from military recruiters.

Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers (BOAST) in Maryland Tax Credit – Progressives generally opposed this legislation that would have granted tax credits to businesses that fund scholarships for low-income students to attend private schools, which means primarily religious schools (which represent over 80% of all private school students*).  The bill passed the Senate, but a revised version of the legislation was reported unfavorably out of the House Ways and Means Committee on the last day of the session so the legislation was not passed. .

Civil Marriage Equality and Transgender Anti-discrimination – In the middle of the session, Attorney General Doug Gansler issued an opinion that state agencies should begin recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states where they are legal.  Legislative efforts to undo Gansler’s opinion were unsuccessful.  The bill that would allow such marriages to be performed in Maryland did not pass, but it gained more co-sponsors.  Transgender anti-discrimination legislation also remained stuck in Senate committee, but it, too, gained new co-sponsors.  Additional legislation died that would have protected parenting rights and extended medical leave to siblings, grandparents and domestic partners.

Environmental Justice and Environmental Protection – Protecting the green infrastructure budget:  There were some important gains, especially considering the budget constraints that pervaded this legislative session: $22 million for the Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund, preserved funding for Project Open Space, and protected funds for environmental enforcement.  The Smarter Transportation Choices for Maryland Act passed and establishes smart and fair growth criteria for funding transportation projects.  The Watershed Protection and Restoration Act did not pass.  Instead “emergency regulations” were passed, which constitute a severe setback to the 2007 Stormwater Management legislation.  A legislative effort to restrict funding for the University of Maryland Environmental Law Clinic, was defeated. Some legislators from the Eastern Shore wanted to use the budget process to try to intimidate the Environmental Law Clinic from taking action against Perdue and other companies who are major contributors to agricultural pollution of the Bay and other waterways.

End Life Without Parole Sentencing for Juveniles – The U.S. is the only country that officially sanctions life-long sentences for children who have committed serious crimes, and Maryland currently has 13 such individuals serving sentences.  Efforts to outlaw this practice in Maryland did not move forward this year.

*source: National Center for Education Statistics

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