Legislative Update 03 March 2010

Unemployment change leads O'Malley's agenda:
Gov. Martin O'Malley released his 2010 legislative agenda Monday, saying he will focus on creating jobs, promoting renewable energy, strengthening education and improving public safety.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.agenda26jan26,0,1006151...

Anne Arundel backs down on taxing short sales:
Anne Arundel County said it will no longer tax short sales on more than a home's purchase price, reacting to an opinion from the Maryland attorney general's office Wednesday that the practice isn't supported by state law.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.short28jan28,0,5139459.story

Md. Republicans propose budget cuts
State Republican lawmakers recommended deep cuts to education, state government and local aid Tuesday afternoon at a rare joint Senate and House hearing called by Democratic leaders to blunt criticism that they had excluded the minority party from the budget process.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.budget24feb24,0,6572121...

Md. can recognize same-sex marriages
Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler released a long-awaited opinion Wednesday
saying that Maryland should recognize same-sex marriages performed in other
states, drawing cheers from gay-rights supporters and igniting immediate debate on a highly contentious issue in an election year.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bal-md.samesex25feb25...

Montgomery County is losing its share of millionaires, causing a sharp decline in income tax revenue.
http://www.examiner.com/a-2494238~Montgomery_suffers_huge_decline_in_tax...

O'Malley vulnerable on gambling matters:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/02262010/poliras175343_32557.php

'Bureaucracy gone wild,' Della calls pension staff trips abroad
A Baltimore state senator critcized the state's retirement agency Thursday for spending $173,000 on travel in the past year, calling it a "bureaucracy gone wild" because it sent staff members on 61 trips last year to such far-flung destinations as Hong Kong, Paris, Tokyo, Zurich, Athens, Frankfurt and Toronto.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.pension26feb26,0,135114...

Md. prosecutors, police urge tightening of anti-gang laws
Prosecutors and police officers from across the state pleaded with legislators Tuesday for tougher anti-gang laws, saying they want to define who is a "gang member" and broaden the number of crimes that trigger longer prison sentences.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/legislature/bal-md.gangs03mar0...

Fees proposed statewide to cut runoff pollution
Environmental advocates, stream restoration experts and local officials urged
state lawmakers Tuesday to require all jurisdictions to charge property owners a fee to deal with the Chesapeake Bay's growing problem - pollution washing off lawns, driveways, buildings and parking lots.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/bal-md.gr.stormwatermar03,0,5...

Panel weighs two proposals on gay marriages
On the day that Washington began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples,a Maryland Senate committee heard a proposal that would bar the state from
recognizing such unions.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bal-md.br.marriage02mar04,0,12...