Yesterday, the two Subcommittees of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee met for their “decision meetings” — sending forth a series of recommendations in their various subject areas for cutbacks and restrictions in the FY 2011 budget and the accompanying reconciliation bill (BRFA).

See coverage from news outlets:
Baltimore Sun
MarylandReporter.com

Among issues on the county “watch list” were:

-a vote on reducing education funding, possibly by passing on part of the costs of teacher pensions, was HELD

-BRFA language to permanently cut funding for Local Health Departments (rather than just cut them for two years like other areas) was APPROVED

-A staff proposal to redistribute some $30 million in local road funding from Baltimore City to other jurisdictions was REJECTED

Other issues will be raised in the full committee decision meeting schedule for Thursday afternoon, and the budget is expected to be brought to the Senate floor Monday. Historically, many *major* issues with significant county impact have arisen at this full committee stage, rather than during the more routine subcommittee decisions.