Rosapepe continues march towards Comptroller race with constitutional proposal

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With the legislature meeting next week for a special session on gambling (and probably pit bulls), Delegate Brian Feldman (D, Mont) and I will be introducing our “End the Gridlock” constitutional amendment to enable the legislature to propose major transportation finance plans to voters in Maryland, as legislatures in many other states can do.

Maryland is #1 in local schools — and in traffic congestion.

It’s past time to fix that but, the traditional approach — convincing a majority of the legislature to raise the gas tax every few years — is obviously and understandably failing.

We need a new approach – and that’s what our “End the Gridlock” amendment is.

The amendment authorizes the governor and the legislature to draw up a specific plan for major public investment in roads, bridges, and transit and present the plan to the voters for approval in a subsequent referendum. Such an approach would be new in Maryland but is common in other states and regions. In the past 3 years, 74 referendums for transportation programs have been approved in 18 states by the voters.

Our proposed constitutional amendment would not prejudge the projects or the revenue sources. Those would be developed by the governor and the legislature, after our constitutional amendment has been passed and ratified. Specific transportation packages would be adopted by the legislature and presented to the voters for approval. Our amendment would simply give the governor and the legislature the authority to present a plan to the voters (the amendment is needed because the constitution currently does not allow such referendums).

It also includes a provision assuring that the funds raised in such a referendum are used only for the purposes approved by the legislature and the voters.

Our “End the Gridlock” constitutional amendment would itself need to be passed by the legislature and approved by the voters. That could be done whenever the legislature agrees to it. But to get it on the ballot in fall 2012, it would need to be passed by the legislature in the upcoming special session.  A second special session this year should fight gridlock, not just expand gambling.

For more information, see our letter to Governor O’Malley, my Baltimore Sunoped, and former Governor Parris Glendening’s letter to the editor at www.EndGridlockInMD.com.

If you agree with our idea, let your legislators know.

We can pass the “End the Gridlock” amendment next week and you and your neighbors will be able to vote on it this November.

And, of course, if you disagree or have other ideas, I welcome them!

Thanks!

www.MarylandersForRosapepe.com

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Setback to Baker, state panel rejects new casino in PG

Prince George’s Executive Rushern Baker

Today the special commission that was charged by Governor Martin O’Malley, Speaker Michael Busch, and Senate President Mike Miller to explore finding a consensus on the hotly debated proposal of expanding casino gambling into Prince George’s County had planned to announce a deal on a plan that would be considered in a special session the week of July 9th, but those plans have been scrapped. Panel leaders announced they have not been able to reach consensus and there would be no extension in their work. That is fancy talk for saying they failed.

The proposal, which was pushed by County Executive Rushern Baker, took over the final days of the regular session of the General Assembly. Many blamed Senate President Miller for holding up budget negotiations in an attempt to push the hand of the House of Delegates but by midnight both proposals had failed to be approved. Legislators returned to Annapolis last month to resolve budget work and planned to return next month to deal with the casino proposal. News today that the commission named to draft the plan both chambers would debate failed to reach a deal seems to end those plans. Governor O’Malley had indicated he would not call another special session unless the panel was successful.

Last week officials with MGM Grand announced plans to develop a casino at Prince George’s National Harbor in what some elected officials said was another attempt to push the hand of legislators. MGM promised the deal would create more than 1,000 construction jobs and more than 4,000 jobs after the casino opened. For Prince George’s County, which struggles with job creation, that was big news. Additionally a state report released said the casino would generate more than $200 million annually in education funding for the state. Opponents to the casino point to the promises made by the lottery and said they never came to fruition. Community groups and church leaders in the county also opposed the plan saying the amount of crime and social issues the casino would create was not worth the risk.

Sources in the Prince George’s County government say the executive and his team will continue to explore ways to move forward with their plans. Any expansion in the county would first have to be approved by both the legislature and voters in a constitutional amendment.

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Governor O’Malley to host Sine Die briefing

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Just hours before the end of the Maryland General Assembly, should they not go into extra session, Martin O’Malley will circle with Democrats from across the state to tout the end of the session.

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Please join us tomorrow afternoon, Monday, April 9th at 3:30 p.m. for our Sine Die briefing call with Governor O’Malley, who’ll be providing a legislative update as well as taking your questions.

Here are the details:

What: Sine Die briefing conference call with Governor O’Malley

When: Monday, April 9th, at 3:30 p.m.

Where: On the phone. RSVP for the call-in information

You’re one of our Party’s leading voices, so we hope you can make it. Reserve your spot and we’ll send you the number and passcode to use on Monday:

Thanks,

Matt

Matthew Verghese
Maryland Democratic Party

So if you had an opportunity to speak to the governor, what would you want him to talk about?

*- Note we removed the RSVP information since the email was not sent to us for public sharing.

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GUEST OP-ED From Chesapeake Climate Action Network MD Field Director, Prince George’s Businesses Support Offshore Wind

The Maryland General Assembly is considering a bill that could increase taxpayers monthly electricity bills anywhere from $2.00 (as the governor says) to as high as $9.00 a month (critics say) in order to require power companies to rely more on wind power for their customers. Keith Harrington is the Field Director of the grassroots organization Chesapeake Climate Action Network is leading an organizing effort to build community support for the bill here in Prince George’s County. One of their key targets is State Senator C. Anthony Muse (D-26).

A similar bill proposed by the governor was killed last year in the legislative session.

Prince George’s Businesses Support Offshore Wind

In the debate whirling around Governor O’Malley’s offshore wind energy legislation, one of the top questions in the mix concerns whether the plan to build a 310 MW wind farm off Maryland’s coast would be good for the state’s small businesses. The good news is that several studies contend that the answer is “yes.” A report recently released by the Maryland Energy Administration found that the state could become a manufacturing hub for offshore wind development and the Department of Business and Economic Development has found that this one offshore wind project could bring over two billion dollars in net economic benefits to the state during construction.

Of course, it’s all well and good for the government to make projections. But what do the people on the ground, the small business owners who really know the pulse of the local economy think about offshore wind?

To get a good read on the situation, advocates for Marylanders for Offshore Wind have hit the streets to talk to small business owners and managers, and after a few weeks of door-to-door outreach the answer is in: small businesses from Seat Pleasant, to District Heights, to Fort Washington strongly support the wind initiative. Indeed, no less than 60 local small businesses have recently signed on to a letter endorsing offshore wind as a good investment for economic development, longer term energy-price stability, and healthier air, among other benefits. (Click here to read the letter and see a list of signatories)
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Among the signatories is Greg Hall owner of Go Enterprises in Seat Pleasant. Like the other signatories on the letter, Hall dismissed concerns that offshore wind power will result in a small bump in energy costs when the wind turbines come on line in 2017. “I think common sense just tells you that our energy prices are going to keep rising if we stay hooked on oil and gas and other fuels like that,” Hall said. “If we’re going to keep our bills down we’ve got to start investing in green energy like offshore wind. Clean energy is our future.”

Hall’s sentiment was echoed by Vicki Roy, manager of Top Line Pools in Fort Washington. “Anyone who works in small business can tell you that to keep your doors open you’ve got to make smart decisions that focus not just on the here and now but on the longer term. That’s why we support this wind energy bill, because it does that.”

Support isn’t limited to local businesses. Over 200 additional small businesses statewide have signed on to letters of support for offshore wind since 2011, and a recent hearing for the wind bill saw local chambers of commerce, business consortia, and entrepreneurs all testifying in favor of the bill.

The Prince George’s business community has voted yes for offshore wind. Now it’s time for our local lawmakers to do the same and pass the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2012.

Keith Harrington is the Maryland Field Director for the the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and other online publications.

Follow Keith Harrington on Twitter: @kharring
Follow Marylanders for Offshore Wind on Twitter: @MDoffshoreWind

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Dist. 24 Delegate charged with new theft case, from the state

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Delegate Tiffany Alston (D-Prince George's)

The Baltimore Sun has the following story on Delegate Tiffany Alston being charged with theft from the State of Maryland.

** Updated with Speaker Busch’s statement

Prince George’s County Del. Tiffany Alston was indicted this morning on charges that she arranged for the General Assembly to pay the salary of a employee in her private law practice.

Alston, a Prince George’s County lawmaker, is also facing charges that she misused her campaign fund by using political donations to buy a wedding dress.

The new charges were handed up this morning by an Anne Arundel County grand jury after an investigation by Maryland’s Office of the State Prosecutor. The prosecutors alleged that she had a $100-a-day clerk position added to her office payroll, which is funded by taxpayer dollars. The employee never worked in Annapolis, prosecutors say. Instead the individual was assigned to her law firm, authorities said. The prosecutors allege that $800 was stolen.

Alston denied any wrongdoing in the initial theft charges. (We are trying to get in touch with her on the latest ones, and will add her response.) Several lawmakers have said that she’s approached them to co-sponsor legislation auditing the state prosecutors office, which is charged with investigating lawmakers.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch Thursday requested that the Department of Legislative Services conduct biweekly “reviews” of Alston’s legislative account and “assume responsibility for verifying the time sheets of her legislative employees,” according to a statement from his office.

“While it is important to remember that Delegate Alston has not been convicted of a crime, I believe that the allegation of theft of state dollars warrants an immediate response to assure the public that legislative funds are being used appropriately by those who have been entrusted with them,” said Busch in a statement.

Other than the charges, Alston, a freshman delegate, is best known for an episode last session during the debate on same-sex marriage. She walked out of a House Judiciary Committee voting session on the bill and withdrew her support from the measure even though she initially co-sponsored it.

She, along with several other lawmakers, also walked out of a Legislative Black Caucus meeting in October. Their action denied the body the quorum needed to take a position on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed Congressional map.

Donna Edwards turns up the heat on Montgomery County legislators

Screen shot of Rep. Edward's email

As the Governor’s proposed redistricting map moves to the House of Delegates today, Rep. Donna Edwards, the lone member of the congressional delegation to publicly oppose it, is ramping up pressure on Montgomery County legislators to support an alternative map she proposed. Under Gov. O’Malley’s map Edwards would lose all of Montgomery County that is currently in her district. Edwards and other black lawmakers blasted that plan saying it would undermine the growing minority population.

To make her point more clear Edwards launched an online petition today targeting legislators from Montgomery County asking them to support her plan in an email to supporters.

Dear Friends,

The Maryland Senate passed the redistricting plan Monday night, and the House of Delegates is expected to vote today.  It is important to make your voice heard.

From Change.org:

Sign Petition and Support the Amendment to Congressional Redistricting Bill SB1

Why this is Important

SB1, the redistricting plan passed by the Maryland Senate is unfair to Montgomery County residents, especially those living in diverse East County neighborhoods like Silver Spring, Burtonsville and Briggs Chaney. These neighborhoods will be placed into an oddly shaped congressional district that stretches all the way to neighborhoods north of Baltimore City. An alternative is available that is fairer and will allow more Montgomery County residents to keep the same local congressional representation that they depend on. I urge you to support the amendment to SB1 and look forward to your response.

Click here to sign this petition and send an email to the Montgomery County delegation showing your support.

The House of Delegates is expected to approve the governor’s plan between today and tomorrow. Both chambers are expected to pass the final version by the end of the week.

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