ANNAPOLIS, MD – Who’ll stop the Rain Tax? The lawmakers comprising the Maryland General Assembly during the 2015 session appear to have done just that. Late Monday evening, April 13, Governor Larry Hogan reported on social media that the House of Delegates voted 139-to-1 to scuttle the controversial levy.
Other hot topics addressed by lawmakers include hydraulic fracturing, pejoratively known as “fracking.” The legislature has imposed a “fracking moratorium” that will sunset in October of 2017.
When recently passed legislation kicks in, possession of marijuana-related paraphernalia, such as smoking pipes, will be decriminalized. Additionally, smoking marijuana in public would become a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $500.
Measures that were widely panned by lawmakers from Calvert and St. Mary’s counties but passed anyway include a bill that restore ex-felons’ voting rights following release from prison. Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. [D-District 27] voted in favor of the bill while Delegate Michael Jackson [D-District 27B] opted to abstain. Voting opposed were Senator Steve Waugh [R-District 29] and delegates Mark N. Fisher [R-District 27C], Anthony J. “Tony” O’Donnell [R-District 29C], Matt Morgan [R-District 29A] and Deb Rey [R-District 29B].
While the state’s 2016 operating budget still isn’t a done deal, Hogan declared this afternoon “we stopped the tax increases after eight years in a row.” Additionally, the new governor touted “the lowest increase in spending in decades.”
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
On Tuesday, April 14, Governor Larry Hogan released the following statement in response to the conclusion of the 2015 legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly:
“The people of Maryland made it clear last year that the same old path of more spending, more taxes, and politics as usual was not acceptable. While I have reservations about the General Assembly’s actions on the budget, I am proud to have ended the session on a high note by reining in spending, cutting taxes, providing record investment in education and changing the overall trajectory of the state. I am also pleased that these actions passed with support from both parties.
“We did not get everything we wanted and the legislature did not get everything it wanted, but Marylanders will benefit from the passage of the repeal of the Rain Tax, important improvements in our charter school law, and tax relief for retired military.
“Finally, while I am concerned that the budget passed by the legislature does not provide the fiscal discipline that Maryland taxpayers expect and deserve, and raids teacher and state employee pensions to pay for temporary needs, I firmly believe we have changed the debate in Annapolis and will be able to take steps address our concerns on spending in the future.”