The three bills under principal consideration are:

BRFA – Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act – includes pension shift, formula changes, fund transfers

State and Local Revenue and Financing Act – includes tax changes affecting income taxes, tobacco taxes, and local tax application

Qualified Zone Academy Bonds – technical clarification required to authorize federally funded school projects

The hearing schedule indicates:

MAY 14, 2012

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS

1:00 P.M. Room 120
House Office Building
6 Bladen Street
Annapolis, MD

Subject: Bill hearings on the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of
2012 and Creation of State Debt – Qualified Zone Academy Bonds

Witnesses are asked to sign up for oral testimony and, if
providing written testimony, to provide 40 copies by 11:00 A.M.
Monday, May 14. The committee will accept late testimony;
however, due to time constraints, late testimony may not be
provided to the members during the hearing, but will be
delivered to their offices as soon as possible.

HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS

2:00 P.M. Room 130
House Office Building
6 Bladen Street
Annapolis, MD

Subject: Bill hearing on the State and Local Revenue and Financing Act of
2012

Witnesses are asked to sign up for oral testimony, and if
providing written testimony, to do so by 12:00 P.M. on Monday,
May 14. The committee will accept late testimony; however, due
to time constraints, testimony may not be provided to the
members during the hearing but will be delivered to their
offices as soon as possible.

SENATE BUDGET AND TAXATION

11:00 A.M. 3 West
Miller Senate Building
11 Bladen Street
Annapolis, MD

Subject: Bill hearings on the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of
2012, the State and Local Revenue and Financing Act of 2012, and
Creation of a State Debt – Qualified Zone Academy Bonds

Witnesses are asked to sign up for oral testimony and, if
providing written testimony, to do so by 12:00 P.M. Friday,
May 11. The committee will accept late testimony; however, due
to time constraints, testimony may not be provided to the
members during the hearing but will be delivered to their
offices as soon as possible.

*Prior to traveling to any meetings please confirm the accuracy of the meeting dates and locations with the respective committee as they are subject to last minute changes. Click here to access the Maryland General Assembly Hearing Schedule Index*

Wednesday, March 28

• SB 450-State Board of Environmental Health Specialists-Transfer of Responsibilities (Bill Hearing)
  House Health & Government Operations Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information

Thursday, March 29

• SB 123-Real Property-Foreclosure Sale of Residential Property-Notice to Local Supervisor of Assessments (Bill Hearing)
  House Environmental Matters Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information

March 20 (70th Day) — Committee Reporting Courtesy Date

Each Chamber’s committees to report their own bills by this date
26 76th Day — Opposite Chamber Bill Crossover Date

Each Chamber to send to other Chamber those bills it intends to pass favorably

Opposite Chamber bills received after this date subject to referral to Rules Committees (Senate Rule 32(c), House Courtesy Date)

Anticipate lengthy floor sessions in both chambers on the week or so ahead, as both the Senate and House face this practical (though soft) deadline for positive action.

As reported by the Baltimore Sun, the bill may face an up hill battle.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller — who before the session had all but promised that a gas tax increase would be approved — on Tuesday came close to ruling out an increase during the current 90-day session.

“As long as the gas price is high, I don’t see any appetite for a gas tax increase,” said Miller, a Calvert County Democrat. He suggested the climate for passage might be better if a special session were called later this year, especially if gas prices go back down to about $3 a gallon.

O’Malley said he’s open to amendments and negotiations — even a delay in the effective date until a time when gas prices seem less onerous. But he wants the General Assembly to take action before it adjourns April 9.

“There are 30 days left in the session,” he said. “I don’t see a reason to punt on first down.”

*Prior to traveling to any meetings please confirm the accuracy of the meeting dates and locations with the respective committee as they are subject to last minute changes. Click here to access the Maryland General Assembly Hearing Schedule Index*

Wednesday, March 14

• HB 1302-Maryland Transportation Financing & Infrastructure Investment Act of 2012 (Bill Hearing)
  House Ways & Means and Environmental Matters Committees
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information
• SB 971- Maryland Transportation Financing & Infrastructure Investment Act of 2012 (Bill Hearing)
  Senate Budget & Taxation Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information
• Budget Decisions
  •  Subcommittee on Education & Economic Development
    1:00 p.m.
    House Office Building, Room 145
  •  Subcommittee on Health & Human Resources
    1:00 p.m.
    House Office Building, Room 150
  • Subcommittee on Public Safety & Administration
    1:00 p.m.
    House Office Building, Room 120
  • Subcommittee on Transportation & the Environment
    3:00 p.m.
    House Office Building, Room 120

Friday, March 16

• Subcommittees Report Budget Decisions
  Full House Appropriations Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  House Office Building, Room 120

*Prior to traveling to any meetings please confirm the accuracy of the meeting dates and locations with the respective committee as they are subject to last minute changes. Click here to access the Maryland General Assembly Hearing Schedule Index*

Monday, March 5

• Budget Decisions
  Senate Budget & Taxation Committee-Subcommittee on Education, Business, &  Administration
  1:00 p.m.
  3 West Miller Senate Office Building
• Budget Decisions
  Senate Budget & Taxation Committee- Health & Human Services Subcommittee
  1:00 p.m.
  Amoss Room, Miller Senate Office Building

Tuesday, March 6

• Briefing by the Department of Legislative Services on Doomsday Budget
  Senate Budget & Taxation
  9:00 a.m.
• Budget Decisions
  Senate Budget & Taxation Committee- Subcommittee on Public Safety, Transportation, & Environment
  1:00 p.m.
  Schweinhaut Room, Miller Senate Office Building
• HB 1177-Ethics-Financial Disclosure by Local Elected Officials (Bill Hearing)
  House Environmental Matters Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information

Wednesday, March 7

• HB 1058-Program Open Space-Local Projects-Funding for Development (Bill Hearing)
  House Environmental Matters Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information

Thursday, March 8

• Subcommittees Report Budget Decisions to Full Committee
  Senate Budget & Taxation Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  
• HB 845-Transportation-Highway User Revenues-Distribution (Bill Hearing)
  House Appropriations Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information
• HB 1201-Department of Planning-State Development Plan-Use and Conflicts of Law (Bill Hearing)
  House Environmental Matters Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information

Friday, March 9

• SB 440-Highway User Revenue Distribution (Bill Hearing)
  Senate Budget & Taxation Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information
• SB 567-Telecommunications Taxes-Reform Commission and Moratorium (Bill Hearing)
  Senate Budget & Taxation Committee
  1:00 p.m.
  Bill Information

SB 848 has multiple pieces, but taken together they conspire to undermine the basic authority of county elected officials, at the expense of the voters who installed them. Setting both the local share of foundation funding and each year’s maintenance of effort target as absolute requirements, and backing that state law up with a raid on county income taxes, completely transforms MOE from a condition to receive state funding increases into a complete state takeover of county budget decision-making. The next decade of county school funding will be essentially set, dollar for dollar, by this statewide legislation. County elected officials will have no actual say in prioritizing resources in an environment of declining tax bases, and will be stripped of any incentive at all to provide any funding in excess of the new state-required minimum.

MACo and a range of additional stakeholders will also testify on the same issues before the House Appropriations Committee during its hearings tomorrow (March 1).

The coalition we are building to accomplish this goal is strong and diverse. It includes teachers, police officers, fire fighters, community college educators and students, the not-for-profit community and others.

There are several key dates you should know about, which provide opportunities for you to get involved.

• On Feb. 29, the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee will hold a public hearing on Senate Bill 152, the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2012, which contains the pension shift as one of its provisions.

• On March 1, the House Appropriations Committee has scheduled its public hearing on an identical version of the legislation.

Please email  stoptheshift@gmail.com if you’d like to participate in those public hearings and other outreach activities.

Working together, we can STOP the SHIFT.

Local governments will be suggesting a number of changes to modify the scope of this Commission, all of which are supported by MACo.  These changes will limit the tax commission’s review to telecommunication taxes only; expand the tax commission’s charge to review broadband network investment; and to address inequities and logical inconsistencies within the bill. MACo would like to focus its comments in the following areas:

• Eliminate the moratorium
• Expand representation on the Commission
• Expand the scope and time frame of the Commission’s review

To read MACo’s complete testimony on HB 563, click here