According to multiple news sources, a near consensus is emerging that a special session of the Maryland General Assembly will be scheduled to begin on Monday, May 14. Most observers agree that the likely schedule will be to consider only the major fiscal legislation sought to resolve budget issues, and will last no more than a few days.
From coverage in the Annapolis Capital:
Maryland’s top politicians say May 14 is the likely date of a special session for the General Assembly to resolve tax and budget issues.
“We’re going to have an agreement done,” state Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., D-Calvert, said at a bill-signing ceremony at the State House Wednesday. He mentioned May 14, 15 and 16 as probable dates for a special session.
House of Delegates Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis, has told members of his chamber to keep that week open.
From the Washington Post:
Lawmakers concluded their annual 90-day session without adopting an agreed-upon revenue package that included an increase in income taxes for those making $100,000 or more.
As a result, more than $500 million in cuts to education and other planned spending will take effect July 1, if lawmakers do not reconvene and reach an agreement.
Busch said Wednesday that “everyone agrees we need to take up where we left off. . . . I think the dialogue and discussions have gone well.”
O’Malley has said he is open to a second special session this summer on gambling, an issue that became intertwined with budget negotiations in the closing hours of the 90-day session.
