Delegates wore their fatigue on their sleeves early Monday morning as legislators passed the last of several bills aimed at closing the the state's $1.7 billion budget shortfall.

Some leaned back in their leather chairs and slept, mouths agape, while others crashed in the lounge or meandered around the House floor, passing out licorice.

The 1 a.m. session opened up with a prayer from Del. Joseph J. "Sonny" Minnick, a Baltimore County Democrat.

"Thank God it's almost over," he said with a smile. "Amen."

When Minority Whip Christopher B. Shank of Washington County stood to urge fellow delegates to stand against the passage of $1.3 billion in tax increases, he drew heavy laughter when he mourned for "the working person, who enjoys a cigarette after a hard day's work."

Indeed, the unruly chamber was ready for the end, made more so by a spirited 1:46 a.m. defense of talk radio listeners from Del. Patrick L. McDonough, a Baltimore County Republican and radio host.

But lest they end with a whimper instead of a bang, the delegates stood for a rousing round of whoops and applause -- even a brief standing ovation -- as their part of the session came to an end.

And who was it for?

The legislative staff, and Maryland State Troopers.

Posted by Brad Olson at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
                    

The House of Delegates voted 71-44 to send a bill to the Senate outlining the details of a slot machine gambling program, contingent on approval by the voters in November 2008. The bill appears to remove the last remaining obstacle to the resolution of the current special legislative session. Leaders in both chambers are expected to come to a quick consensus on a tax and spending cuts package later today. The chambers must agree on some differences on the slots legislation as well, but they are expected to be easy to resolve.

Because some delegates did not record their votes before House Speaker Michael E. Busch took the call, the vote total will change, but not the outcome.

Voting for:

Saqib Ali, D, Montgomery County
Kumar P. Barve, D, Montgomery County
Pamela Beidle, D, Anne Arundel County
Talmadge Branch, D, Baltimore City
Eric M. Bromwell, D, Baltimore County
Michael E. Busch, D, Anne Arundel County
Jon S. Cardin, D, Baltimore County
Galen R. Clagett, D, Frederick County
Virginia P. Clagett, D, Anne Arundel County
Frank M. Conaway, Jr., D, Baltimore City
Norman H. Conway, D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
Robert A. Costa, R, Anne Arundel County
Dereck E. Davis, D, Prince George's County
Steven J. DeBoy, Sr., D, Baltimore County, Howard County
John P. Donoghue, D, Washington County
D. Page Elmore, R, Somerset & Wicomico Counties
Brian J. Feldman, D, Montgomery County
Barbara A. Frush, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Tawanna P. Gaines, D, Prince George's County
James W. Gilchrist, D, Montgomery County
Cheryl Glenn, D, Baltimore City
Ana Sol Gutierrez, D, Montgomery County
Guy Guzzone, D, Howard County
Peter A. Hammen, D, Baltimore City
Hattie N. Harrison, D, Baltimore City
Keith E. Haynes, D, Baltimore City
Anne Healey, D, Prince George's County
Sue Hecht, D, Frederick County
Henry B. Heller, D, Montgomery County
Sheila E. Hixson, D, Montgomery County
Tom Hucker, D, Montgomery County
Mary-Dulany James, D, Cecil & Harford Counties
Sally Y. Jameson, D, Charles County
Adrienne A. Jones, D, Baltimore County
Anne R. Kaiser, D, Montgomery County
Kevin Kelly, D, Allegany County
James King, R, Anne Arundel County
Ruth M. Kirk, D, Baltimore City
Carolyn J. Krysiak, D, Baltimore City
Sue Kullen, D, Calvert County
Stephen W. Lafferty, D, Baltimore County
Murray D. Levy, D, Charles County
Mary Ann Love, D, Anne Arundel County
James E. Malone, Jr., D, Baltimore County, Howard County
Roger Manno, D, Montgomery County
James N. Mathias, Jr., D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
Brian K. McHale, D, Baltimore City
Robert A. McKee, R, Washington County
Joseph J. Minnick, D, Baltimore County
Dan K. Morhaim, D, Baltimore County
Peter Murphy, D, Charles County
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, D, Baltimore County
Doyle L. Niemann, D, Prince George's County
Nathaniel T. Oaks, D, Baltimore City
John A. Olszewski, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Shane E. Pendergrass, D, Howard County
Kirill Reznik, D, Montgomery County
Craig L. Rice, D, Montgomery County
B. Daniel Riley, D, Cecil & Harford Counties
Barbara Robinson, D, Baltimore City
Samuel I. Rosenberg, D, Baltimore City
Justin D. Ross, D, Prince George's County
Todd Schuler, D, Baltimore County
Dana M. Stein, D, Baltimore County
Melvin L. Stukes, D, Baltimore City
Shawn Z. Tarrant, D, Baltimore City
Frank S. Turner, D, Howard County
Veronica L. Turner, D, Prince George's County
Joseph F. Vallario, Jr., D, Calvert & Prince George's Counties
Michael H. Weir, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Richard B. Weldon, Jr., R, Frederick & Washington Counties

Voting against:

Curtis S. Anderson, D, Baltimore City
Charles E. Barkley, D, Montgomery County
Joseph R. Bartlett, R, Frederick County
Wendell R. Beitzel, R, Garrett & Allegany Counties
Joanne C. Benson, D, Prince George's County
Elizabeth Bobo, D, Howard County
John L. Bohanan, Jr., D, St. Mary's County
Joseph C. Boteler III, R, Baltimore County
Aisha N. Braveboy, D, Prince George's County
Jill P. Carter, D, Baltimore City
Kathleen M. Dumais, D, Montgomery County
Adelaide C. Eckardt, R, Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties
Donald B. Elliott, R, Carroll & Frederick Counties
William J. Frank, R, Baltimore County
Ron George, R, Anne Arundel County
Barry Glassman, R, Harford County
Melony G. Griffith, D, Prince George's County
Jeannie Haddaway, R, Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties
James W. Hubbard, D, Prince George's County
Richard K. Impallaria, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
Jolene Ivey, D, Prince George's County
J. B. Jennings, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
A. Wade Kach, R, Baltimore County
Benjamin F. Kramer, D, Montgomery County
Susan W. Krebs, R, Carroll County
Jane E. Lawton, D, Montgomery County
Gerron S. Levi, D, Prince George's County
Susan K. McComas, R, Harford County
Tony McConkey, R, Anne Arundel County
Heather R. Mizeur, D, Montgomery County
Anthony J. O'Donnell, R, Calvert & St. Mary's Counties
Joseline Pena-Melnyk, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
James E. Proctor, Jr., D, Calvert & Prince George's Counties
Victor R. Ramirez, D, Prince George's County
Steve Schuh, R, Anne Arundel County
Christopher B. Shank, R, Washington County
Tanya Thornton Shewell, R, Carroll County
Luiz R. S. Simmons, D, Montgomery County
Michael D. Smigiel, Sr., R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Donna Stifler, R, Harford County
Nancy R. Stocksdale, R, Carroll County
Michael L. Vaughn, D, Prince George's County
Jeff Waldstreicher, D, Montgomery County
Mary Roe Walkup, R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties

Not voting:

Benjamin S. Barnes, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
William A. Bronrott, D, Montgomery County
Rudolph C. Cane, D, Dorchester & Wicomico Counties
Ann Marie Doory, D, Baltimore City
C. William Frick, D, Montgomery County
Marvin E. Holmes, Jr., D, Prince George's County
Nicholas R. Kipke, R, Anne Arundel County
Susan C. Lee, D, Montgomery County
Maggie McIntosh, D, Baltimore City
Warren E. Miller, R, Howard County
David D. Rudolph, D, Cecil County
Theodore J. Sophocleus, D, Anne Arundel County
Paul S. Stull, R, Frederick County
Herman L. Taylor, Jr., D, Montgomery County
John F. Wood, Jr., D, Charles & St. Mary's Counties

Excused:

Susan L. M. Aumann, R, Baltimore County
Gail H. Bates, R, Howard County
Emmett C. Burns, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Don Dwyer, R, Anne Arundel County
Carolyn J. B. Howard, D, Prince George's County
Patrick L. McDonough, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
Karen S. Montgomery, D, Montgomery County
LeRoy E. Myers, Jr., R, Allegany & Washington Counties
Richard A. Sossi, R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Kris Valderrama, D, Prince George's County
Jay Walker, D, Prince George's County

Posted by Andy Green at 2:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

When the Senate convened Saturday afternoon, President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. had some bad news.

Noting that the House didn't plan to go into session until Saturday night, Miller said the Senate would recess and then return at 6 p.m. Sunday.

The announcement was met with a low moan from senators who had hoped to wrap up the special session either late Saturday night or in the wee hours Sunday.

"I know this is very difficult," said Miller, a southern Maryland Democrat.

So difficult that Republican Sen. E.J. Pipkin, the Eastern Shore Republican, immediately stood up and made a motion to adjourn the special session "sine die," meaning it would all be over.

He also engaged in the tradition of the Senate bemoaning the swing-from-the-chandelier antics of the House of Delegates.

"Enough is enough, guys,'' said Pipkin. "This process, we watched our [Senate] bills go through in less than a week without the public hearing some parts of it. The public had a tough time participating, with the idea that we would get [the bills] across the other aisle and they would work on them.

"They have had it for over a week now. I wish I could say that more time across the aisle
means a better product. ... We have got a flawed product in front of us,'' Pipkin said.

The motion was defeated 31-13.

As for the late start Sunday, Miller noted that some senators have church obligations. Oh, and Miller noted, some senators planned to attend the 1 p.m. Ravens-Cleveland Browns game.

"We will try to take everyone's situation into consideration,'' Miller said.

No such luck for Redskins fans in the legislature. The 6 p.m. session will overlap with the broadcast of the Redskins-Cowboys game from Dallas.

Posted by Jim Drew at 8:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

After yesterday’s difficult debate in the House of Delegates on a bill to let voters decide in a referendum whether to legalize slot machines, legislators are slowly getting back to work this morning on another controversial bill that’s needed to implement and regulate a slots program.

Delegates on the Ways and Means Committee planned to meet at 11 a.m., but after similar delays with committees and floor debates all week, the panel got off to a late start. They are considering a companion bill to the referendum legislation, which would put a constitutional amendment to voters on the November 2008 ballot. That narrowly won approval in the House last night by a vote of 86 to 52.

The fate of expanded gambling in Maryland remains a question mark in Annapolis. While House Speaker Michael E. Busch was able to secure more than 85 votes, a supermajority of three-fifths of his chamber necessary for the referendum, it’s unclear if he could muster a simple majority of 71 votes to pass the companion bill.

Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, whose chamber passed both bills more than a week ago, has said that legislators on his side of the State House would not act on one slots bill without the other. That leaves any negotiation on a compromise referendum bill in limbo.

Posted by Laura Smitherman at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

The constitutional amendment to put slots on the ballot passed the House 86-52, one vote more than the minimum 3/5 majority.

Five Republicans voted in favor of the amendment, despite the opposition of their party's leadership. They were:

D. Page Elmore, R, Somerset & Wicomico Counties
Richard K. Impallaria, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
A. Wade Kach, R, Baltimore County
James King, R, Anne Arundel County
Richard B. Weldon Jr., R, Frederick & Washington Counties

Voting for the referendum:

Benjamin S. Barnes, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Kumar P. Barve, D, Montgomery County
Pamela Beidle, D, Anne Arundel County
John L. Bohanan Jr., D, St. Mary's County
Talmadge Branch, D, Baltimore City
Eric M. Bromwell, D, Baltimore County
William A. Bronrott, D, Montgomery County
Michael E. Busch, D, Anne Arundel County
Jon S. Cardin, D, Baltimore County
Galen R. Clagett, D, Frederick County
Virginia P. Clagett, D, Anne Arundel County
Frank M. Conaway, Jr., D, Baltimore City
Norman H. Conway, D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
Dereck E. Davis, D, Prince George's County
Steven J. DeBoy Sr., D, Baltimore County, Howard County
John P. Donoghue, D, Washington County
Ann Marie Doory, D, Baltimore City
Kathleen M. Dumais, D, Montgomery County
D. Page Elmore, R, Somerset & Wicomico Counties
Brian J. Feldman, D, Montgomery County
C. William Frick, D, Montgomery County
Barbara A. Frush, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Tawanna P. Gaines, D, Prince George's County
James W. Gilchrist, D, Montgomery County
Cheryl Glenn, D, Baltimore City
Melony G. Griffith, D, Prince George's County
Ana Sol Gutierrez, D, Montgomery County
Guy Guzzone, D, Howard County
Peter A. Hammen, D, Baltimore City
Hattie N. Harrison, D, Baltimore City
Keith E. Haynes, D, Baltimore City
Anne Healey, D, Prince George's County
Sue Hecht, D, Frederick County
Henry B. Heller, D, Montgomery County
Sheila E. Hixson, D, Montgomery County
James W. Hubbard, D, Prince George's County
Tom Hucker, D, Montgomery County
Richard K. Impallaria, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
Jolene Ivey, D, Prince George's County
Mary-Dulany James, D, Cecil & Harford Counties
Sally Y. Jameson, D, Charles County
Adrienne A. Jones, D, Baltimore County
A. Wade Kach, R, Baltimore County
Anne R. Kaiser, D, Montgomery County
James King, R, Anne Arundel County
Ruth M. Kirk, D, Baltimore City
Carolyn J. Krysiak, D, Baltimore City
Sue Kullen, D, Calvert County
Stephen W. Lafferty, D, Baltimore County
Jane E. Lawton, D, Montgomery County
Susan C. Lee, D, Montgomery County
Murray D. Levy, D, Charles County
Mary Ann Love, D, Anne Arundel County
James E. Malone, Jr., D, Baltimore County, Howard County
Roger Manno, D, Montgomery County
Brian K. McHale, D, Baltimore City
Maggie McIntosh, D, Baltimore City
Joseph J. Minnick, D, Baltimore County
Dan K. Morhaim, D, Baltimore County
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, D, Baltimore County
Doyle L. Niemann, D, Prince George's County
Nathaniel T. Oaks, D, Baltimore City
John A. Olszewski Jr., D, Baltimore County
Shane E. Pendergrass, D, Howard County
James E. Proctor Jr., D, Calvert & Prince George's Counties
Victor R. Ramirez, D, Prince George's County
Kirill Reznik, D, Montgomery County
Craig L. Rice, D, Montgomery County
B. Daniel Riley, D, Cecil & Harford Counties
Barbara Robinson, D, Baltimore City
Samuel I. Rosenberg, D, Baltimore City
Justin D. Ross, D, Prince George's County
David D. Rudolph, D, Cecil County
Todd Schuler, D, Baltimore County
Theodore J. Sophocleus, D, Anne Arundel County
Dana M. Stein, D, Baltimore County
Melvin L. Stukes, D, Baltimore City
Shawn Z. Tarrant, D, Baltimore City
Frank S. Turner, D, Howard County
Veronica L. Turner, D, Prince George's County
Kris Valderrama, D, Prince George's County
Joseph F. Vallario, Jr., D, Calvert & Prince George's Counties
Michael L. Vaughn, D, Prince George's County
Jay Walker, D, Prince George's County
Michael H. Weir, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Richard B. Weldon, Jr., R, Frederick & Washington Counties

Voting against:

Saqib Ali, D, Montgomery County
Curtis S. Anderson, D, Baltimore City
Susan L. M. Aumann, R, Baltimore County
Charles E. Barkley, D, Montgomery County
Joseph R. Bartlett, R, Frederick County
Gail H. Bates, R, Howard County
Wendell R. Beitzel, R, Garrett & Allegany Counties
Joanne C. Benson, D, Prince George's County
Elizabeth Bobo, D, Howard County
Joseph C. Boteler III, R, Baltimore County
Aisha N. Braveboy, D, Prince George's County
Emmett C. Burns, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Rudolph C. Cane, D, Dorchester & Wicomico Counties
Jill P. Carter, D, Baltimore City
Robert A. Costa, R, Anne Arundel County
Don Dwyer, R, Anne Arundel County
Adelaide C. Eckardt, R, Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties
Donald B. Elliott, R, Carroll & Frederick Counties
William J. Frank, R, Baltimore County
Ron George, R, Anne Arundel County
Barry Glassman, R, Harford County
Jeannie Haddaway, R, Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties
Marvin E. Holmes, Jr., D, Prince George's County
J. B. Jennings, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
Kevin Kelly, D, Allegany County
Nicholas R. Kipke, R, Anne Arundel County
Benjamin F. Kramer, D, Montgomery County
Susan W. Krebs, R, Carroll County
Gerron S. Levi, D, Prince George's County
James N. Mathias Jr., D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
Susan K. McComas, R, Harford County
Tony McConkey, R, Anne Arundel County
Patrick L. McDonough, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
Robert A. McKee, R, Washington County
Warren E. Miller, R, Howard County
Heather R. Mizeur, D, Montgomery County
Peter Murphy, D, Charles County
LeRoy E. Myers Jr., R, Allegany & Washington Counties
Anthony J. O'Donnell, R, Calvert & St. Mary's Counties
Joseline Pena-Melnyk, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Steve Schuh, R, Anne Arundel County
Christopher B. Shank, R, Washington County
Tanya Thornton Shewell, R, Carroll County
Luiz R. S. Simmons, D, Montgomery County
Michael D. Smigiel, Sr., R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Richard A. Sossi, R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Donna Stifler, R, Harford County
Nancy R. Stocksdale, R, Carroll County
Herman L. Taylor, Jr., D, Montgomery County
Jeff Waldstreicher, D, Montgomery County
Mary Roe Walkup, R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
John F. Wood, Jr., D, Charles & St. Mary's Counties

Excused:

Carolyn J. B. Howard, D, Prince George's County
Karen S. Montgomery, D, Montgomery County
Paul S. Stull, R, Frederick County

Posted by Andy Green at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

A hot-button topic among the naysayers of the General Assembly's special session -- those lawmakers and activists who believe it was premature to close a $1.7 billion budget gap without Gov. Martin O'Malley's next budget in hand -- is how much it's costing taxpayers.

But according to state analysts, that's not an easy number to pin down, largely because of the unusual nature of this session.

In the past, a good benchmark was $23,000 to $25,000 a day, according to Karl S. Aro, executive director of the Department of Legislative Services. That would put the total so far at nearly $400,000, but that number could be vastly overestimated because this session has had a very narrow focus, Aro said.

This go-round, neither the House of Delegates nor the Senate have convened on a daily basis, and much of the work of the session has taken place within a few select committees responsible for taxes, spending and revenues. For that reason, lawmakers' expenses -- usually most of the costs -- are harder to estimate, Aro said.

A better idea of the costs will be available once legislators submit those expenses after the session, he said, although it could take longer if lawmakers delay.

Posted by Brad Olson at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

The booming voice echoing through the halls of the State House this morning with the tune, "What a difference a day makes/twenty-four hours later..." belonged to none other than House Speaker Mike Busch. (Yes, I know those aren't the actual lyrics, but bear with the guy, it's been a long week.) Could this mean he's got the votes for slots? Was it 24 little hours, or did it have something to do with the rumor floating among legislators that Gov. O'Malley promised Montgomery County more money for school construction last night?

Posted by Andy Green at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

Senate President Mike Miller called his body back to Annapolis bright and early today so they could, as it turns out, do absolutely nothing.

(Well, not quite; they read one bill across the desk.)

This was not what Miller had in mind. He'd scheduled an 8:30 start on the belief that the House of Delegates would have passed a slots plan by then. But, owing to some byzantine strategy manipulations, long arm-twisting sessions and some wicked technical quirks, the House adjourned last night without taking it up. They're due back this morning to begin debate.

However, he appeared to have calmed down a bit from yesterday afternoon, when he accused the House of "lying, cheating and stealing" by considering a slots referendum but not taking up an underlying bill that provides the necessary details to implement expanded gambling.

"I know this is very frustrating for you," Miller told senators this morning. "The other side is trying very hard. We completed our work over a week ago today, and we really have nothing to do."

He assured his chamber that even if slots doesn't pass, the legislature can still take action on taxes and spending cuts to help balance next year's budget.

"The state is bigger and mroe important than any of us, the speaker, the governor or myself," Miller said.

Since yesterday, the president has also sharpened his metaphor for what passing a referendum but not an enabling bill would mean.

"It's like people buy a car, and they make payments on it for a year, and there's no engine in the car, it doesn't go," Miller said.

Though the prez said he remained optimistic that the session would work out, but perhaps not as quickly as he originally envisioned. He ordered the Senate back in at 11 a.m. tomorrow and said if the work can't be finished tomorrow night, the legislature might have to come back Sunday afternoon.

"Rev. Muse, you're going to have to cut one of your sermons short," he said to Sen. C. Anthony Muse, a Prince George's Democrat and pastor. "You're going to have to give the Catholic version, you read the gospel and you sit down."

Posted by Andy Green at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

It's not easy to stop a floor speech cold by Sen. Ulysses Currie, chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.

Currie was just getting warmed up this morning -- declaring to Republican smirks that a vote against a sales tax increase would be a vote against transportation projects in every district -- when Sen. J. Robert Hooper walked into the Senate chamber.

It set off a standing ovation by senators, staff, and observers in the balcony.

Hooper -- a Republican from Street who has battled colon cancer for the past few years and suffered a mild heart attack in December -- announced on Wednesday that he will resign, effective Dec. 31. Hooper, 71, said the rigors of the special session convinced him he could not continue representing the district that includes Harford County and much of Bel Air.

The Senate approved a resolution honoring Hooper's nine years of service in the Senate.
"We will miss your presence in the Senate chamber and your contribution to this body,'' the resolution said.

"I can't explain it in words, the honor and privilege of having my name up there with the folks who are here now and have been for the past eight years,'' Hooper said, referring to the Senate vote board. "It's been a privilege to represent Harford County. I'm not sure I deserve it, but that's where the good Lord put me for those years."

Hooper is known for high-fiving staff members and legislators in the statehouse.

"He brought some down-home country values to the Senate and we're not going to forget him very soon,'' said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller.

Posted by Jim Drew at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Republicans didn’t like the idea of returning to Annapolis for a special session, which is in its third week, to fix the state’s structural deficit. Now they’re saying it might violate the Maryland Constitution.

Del. Michael D. Smigiel Sr., a Republican whose district includes Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's and Caroline counties, raised a parliamentary question on the floor of the House of Delegates tonight. He pointed out that the state’s constitution reads as follows:

“Neither House shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, at any one time, nor adjourn to any other place, than that in which the House shall be sitting, without the concurrent vote of two-thirds of the members present.”

The Senate has been gone since last Friday after passing all of the bills that the House has yet to finish, and Republicans questioned whether such a long absence must be approved by a two-thirds vote of both chambers. Smigiel said all of the House’s hard work on tax and other bills “may be an exercise in futility” if the proceedings aren’t constitutional.

Not to worry, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler wrote in a letter to House Speaker Michael E. Busch dated Nov. 14. He said an absence only needs the consent of the other chamber, which Busch has given. Gansler contends that only a relocation of the proceedings requires the vote. Part of the confusion, he wrote, could be the punctuation of the neither/nor clause.

“The semi-colon previously appearing between the two clauses was replaced with a comma,” he wrote. “An examination of the history of the section shows that commas have been added and deleted, and the two clauses marked off with either a semi-colon or a comma, in an almost random manner through the various drafts and in the final versions throughout its history.”

On the House floor, the parliamentarian Del. Kathleen M. Dumais, a Montgomery County Democrat, concluded: “The House is proceeding properly.”

Posted by Laura Smitherman at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Gov. Martin O'Malley has a winning reputation as a phrase turner, but now and again, he has been known to meander.

Answering a reporter's question this morning about whether passage of a bill calling for a voter referendum on slot machine gambling in Maryland was "the linchpin" of the General Assembly's special session this month, he looked for a metaphor of his own.

"I wouldn't call it the linchpin," he said. "I would call it more, I mean, what's the architectural metaphor? I'd call it more the monkey wrench in the cogs of consensus and compromise. That's what it's been for the last four years. We hope that the House will be able to remove this monkey wrench from the legislature and give it to the people and let the people decide. If we're all public servants, there is no dishonor in letting the people decide this issue that we haven't been able to reconcile and resolve ourselves."

Posted by Brad Olson at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

The House slots subcommittee continued its deliberative consideration of relatively minor amendments to the governor's gambling legislation today, following up on a similarly slow-paced session last night. They've waded through some dozens of amendments dealing with the procurement process for the computer system to run slots, the precise split of local development funds generated by a hypothetical Laurel site, how slots parlors would handle payouts on progressive machines and other relatively technical details. The big decisions -- like, say, whether there should be a location in Frederick and how many machines should be allowed in the state -- haven't come up.

Del. Frank S. Turner, the subcommittee's chairman, said the panel will meet again sometime this afternoon and should then get to the major issues. After that, he said, the legislation should go to the full committee for consideration tonight.

One interesting wrinkle so far is that the City of Baltimore is not doing well in its efforts to amend the bill. Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration wanted the legislation to specify that 95 percent of the city's take would go to reducing property taxes or renovating schools, and to further restrict the possible location of a Baltimore site to city-owned land in a non-residential area between I-95 and Route 295. The subcommittee declined to adopt either of them. A third amendment, naming the Pimlico Community Development Authority as the entity designated to administer funds for that neighborhood, was adopted.

City lobbyist Demaune Millard argued that the location restriction was "the best way we could make sure we minimize the impact in terms of residents," but the delegates didn't budge.

Turner said the amendment about the use of city funds "should be a local issue," and that the one further restricting the location would eliminate any hope of competitive bidding for the sites.

Posted by Andy Green at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

The Senate last week rejected an attempt to substitute Rosecroft Raceway for the Ocean Downs site in O'Malley's slots bill, and House Speaker Michael E. Busch says the House isn't going to revive it.

"No. Absolutely not," Busch said. "There's been no interest from Prince George's (County) in having a facility there. With National Harbor where it is, I don't think it would be fair to the economic development plan they have there."

A House subcommittee tonight will begin debating amendments to the proposed slots referendum bill.

Busch was more amenable to the idea of a site in Frederick County. The House bill that passed in 2005 had a Frederick site (much to the consternation of many local officials there), and Busch said he thinks it makes sense, given the number of people who drive from Montgomery County to the Charles Town slots parlor/racetrack in West Virginia.

"I've always thought that if the purpose of this was to cut dollars from going out of state, Charles Town has more slot machines than any racino in the country, very profitable," he said.

Changes to the Cecil County site in O'Malley's bill are also possible, Busch said. The House bill specified a site in Harford County.

The question of how close a vote on the referendum would be is hotly debated in Annapolis. Word from Republicans is that perhaps eight or 10 of them have strayed from their party's position against the slots referendum, and others may follow them. Keeping Rosecroft out of the bill appears to have convinced several Prince George's Democrats (a generally anti-slots consituency) to vote for a referendum. But some pro-slots factions (a number of delegates from Baltimore County, for example) would vote for slots in a heartbeat but don't like the idea of a referendum.

Busch didn't give a direct answer today about whether the votes there. He said it will take time to build a consensus on slots, just like it did on the tax bills earlier this week.

"The revenue [bills] wouldn't have passed a day-and-a-half before we had a vote," Busch said.

Posted by Andy Green at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

The Ways and Means Revenue Subcommittee (aka, the slots subcommittee) is meeting tonight at 6 to discuss possible amendments to the gambling referendum.

Tomorrow, the full Ways and Means Committee is meeting at 1 to discuss the Senate's versions of tax legislation, and Appropriations is meeting at 2 to do the same for the Senate's budget cutting bill. The full House is scheduled to go in at 4 to debate/vote on a Chesapeake Bay restoration bill. Somewhere in there, the Ways and Means Committee is supposed to squeeze in a hearing on the slots bill and theoretically vote it out onto the floor.

The full House would then take up a slots debate/vote on Thursday and health care then or Friday. In the meantime, committee leaders will be meeting with their counterparts from the Senate (who are due back on Thursday) to iron out the differences in their approaches to the legislation.

If all goes well, the whole thing could theoretically be over on Friday, House Speaker Michael E. Busch said.

"That's an optimistic point of view from an Irishman, so you don't know," he said.

Given how things have been going, Busch might need a bit more than the luck of the Irish to get out of here before Saturday.

Posted by Andy Green at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

The House just voted in favor of its budget cutting bill, 103-36. Three Republicans joined most Democrats in supporting it. They were:

Susan L. M. Aumann, R, Baltimore County
Ron George, R, Anne Arundel County
Steve Schuh, R, Anne Arundel County

Aumann and Schuh serve on the Appropriations Committee, so they had a hand in helping decide what the cuts would be. George is on Ways and Means.

Two Democrats voted against the cuts:

Frank M. Conaway, Jr., D, Baltimore City
Kevin Kelly, D, Allegany County

The bill contains about $500 million in budget cuts, or recommendations to the governor for cuts, depending on how you look at it.

Voting yes:

Saqib Ali, D, Montgomery County
Curtis S. Anderson, D, Baltimore City
Susan L. M. Aumann, R, Baltimore County
Charles E. Barkley, D, Montgomery County
Benjamin S. Barnes, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Kumar P. Barve, D, Montgomery County
Pamela Beidle, D, Anne Arundel County
Joanne C. Benson, D, Prince George's County
Elizabeth Bobo, D, Howard County
John L. Bohanan, Jr., D, St. Mary's County
Talmadge Branch, D, Baltimore City
Aisha N. Braveboy, D, Prince George's County
Eric M. Bromwell, D, Baltimore County
William A. Bronrott, D, Montgomery County
Emmett C. Burns, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Michael E. Busch, D, Anne Arundel County
Rudolph C. Cane, D, Dorchester & Wicomico Counties
Jon S. Cardin, D, Baltimore County
Jill P. Carter, D, Baltimore City
Galen R. Clagett, D, Frederick County
Virginia P. Clagett, D, Anne Arundel County
Norman H. Conway, D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
Dereck E. Davis, D, Prince George's County
Steven J. DeBoy, Sr., D, Baltimore County, Howard County
John P. Donoghue, D, Washington County
Ann Marie Doory, D, Baltimore City
Kathleen M. Dumais, D, Montgomery County
Brian J. Feldman, D, Montgomery County
C. William Frick, D, Montgomery County
Barbara A. Frush, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Tawanna P. Gaines, D, Prince George's County
Ron George, R, Anne Arundel County
James W. Gilchrist, D, Montgomery County
Cheryl Glenn, D, Baltimore City
Melony G. Griffith, D, Prince George's County
Ana Sol Gutierrez, D, Montgomery County
Guy Guzzone, D, Howard County
Peter A. Hammen, D, Baltimore City
Hattie N. Harrison, D, Baltimore City
Keith E. Haynes, D, Baltimore City
Anne Healey, D, Prince George's County
Sue Hecht, D, Frederick County
Henry B. Heller, D, Montgomery County
Sheila E. Hixson, D, Montgomery County
Marvin E. Holmes, Jr., D, Prince George's County
Carolyn J. B. Howard, D, Prince George's County
James W. Hubbard, D, Prince George's County
Tom Hucker, D, Montgomery County
Jolene Ivey, D, Prince George's County
Mary-Dulany James, D, Cecil & Harford Counties
Sally Y. Jameson, D, Charles County
Adrienne A. Jones, D, Baltimore County
Anne R. Kaiser, D, Montgomery County
Ruth M. Kirk, D, Baltimore City
Benjamin F. Kramer, D, Montgomery County
Carolyn J. Krysiak, D, Baltimore City
Sue Kullen, D, Calvert County
Stephen W. Lafferty, D, Baltimore County
Jane E. Lawton, D, Montgomery County
Susan C. Lee, D, Montgomery County
Gerron S. Levi, D, Prince George's County
Murray D. Levy, D, Charles County
Mary Ann Love, D, Anne Arundel County
Roger Manno, D, Montgomery County
James N. Mathias, Jr., D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
Brian K. McHale, D, Baltimore City
Maggie McIntosh, D, Baltimore City
Joseph J. Minnick, D, Baltimore County
Heather R. Mizeur, D, Montgomery County
Dan K. Morhaim, D, Baltimore County
Peter Murphy, D, Charles County
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, D, Baltimore County
Doyle L. Niemann, D, Prince George's County
Nathaniel T. Oaks, D, Baltimore City
John A. Olszewski, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Joseline Pena-Melnyk, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Shane E. Pendergrass, D, Howard County
James E. Proctor, Jr., D, Calvert & Prince George's Counties
Victor R. Ramirez, D, Prince George's County
Kirill Reznik, D, Montgomery County
Craig L. Rice, D, Montgomery County
B. Daniel Riley, D, Cecil & Harford Counties
Barbara Robinson, D, Baltimore City
Samuel I. Rosenberg, D, Baltimore City
Justin D. Ross, D, Prince George's County
David D. Rudolph, D, Cecil County
Steve Schuh, R, Anne Arundel County
Todd Schuler, D, Baltimore County
Luiz R. S. Simmons, D, Montgomery County
Theodore J. Sophocleus, D, Anne Arundel County
Dana M. Stein, D, Baltimore County
Melvin L. Stukes, D, Baltimore City
Shawn Z. Tarrant, D, Baltimore City
Herman L. Taylor, Jr., D, Montgomery County
Frank S. Turner, D, Howard County
Veronica L. Turner, D, Prince George's County
Kris Valderrama, D, Prince George's County
Joseph F. Vallario, Jr., D, Calvert & Prince George's Counties
Michael L. Vaughn, D, Prince George's County
Jeff Waldstreicher, D, Montgomery County
Jay Walker, D, Prince George's County
Michael H. Weir, Jr., D, Baltimore County
John F. Wood, Jr., D, Charles & St. Mary's Counties


Voting no:

Joseph R. Bartlett, R, Frederick County
Gail H. Bates, R, Howard County
Wendell R. Beitzel, R, Garrett & Allegany Counties
Joseph C. Boteler III, R, Baltimore County
Frank M. Conaway, Jr., D, Baltimore City
Robert A. Costa, R, Anne Arundel County
Don Dwyer, R, Anne Arundel County
Adelaide C. Eckardt, R, Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties
Donald B. Elliott, R, Carroll & Frederick Counties
D. Page Elmore, R, Somerset & Wicomico Counties
William J. Frank, R, Baltimore County
Barry Glassman, R, Harford County
Jeannie Haddaway, R, Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties
Richard K. Impallaria, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
J. B. Jennings, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
A. Wade Kach, R, Baltimore County
Kevin Kelly, D, Allegany County
James King, R, Anne Arundel County
Nicholas R. Kipke, R, Anne Arundel County
Susan W. Krebs, R, Carroll County
Susan K. McComas, R, Harford County
Tony McConkey, R, Anne Arundel County
Patrick L. McDonough, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
Robert A. McKee, R, Washington County
Warren E. Miller, R, Howard County
LeRoy E. Myers, Jr., R, Allegany & Washington Counties
Anthony J. O'Donnell, R, Calvert & St. Mary's Counties
Christopher B. Shank, R, Washington County
Tanya Thornton Shewell, R, Carroll County
Michael D. Smigiel, Sr., R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Richard A. Sossi, R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Donna Stifler, R, Harford County
Nancy R. Stocksdale, R, Carroll County
Paul S. Stull, R, Frederick County
Mary Roe Walkup, R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Richard B. Weldon, Jr., R, Frederick & Washington Counties

Excused:

James E. Malone, Jr., D, Baltimore County, Howard County
Karen S. Montgomery, D, Montgomery County

Posted by Andy Green at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

In response to requests from a number of readers, here's the roll call for the House's votes on taxes from late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. (My apologies for not getting this up sooner; it was too late when the votes took place, and I only just now had time to type it all in. I'll try to be much quicker in the future.)

A few interesting notes: The GOP caucus, as promised, held firm against taxes. None of them voted for either House Bill 2, which contained the indvidual and corporate income tax provisions, or House Bill 5, which contained the increase in the sales tax, car titling tax and hotel tax.

Eight Democrats voted for the income tax/corporate tax provisions but not the sales tax. They were:

Jill P. Carter, D, Baltimore City
Frank M. Conaway, Jr., D, Baltimore City
Mary-Dulany James, D, Cecil & Harford Counties
James E. Malone, Jr., D, Baltimore County, Howard County
James N. Mathias, Jr., D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
John A. Olszewski, Jr., D, Baltimore County
David D. Rudolph, D, Cecil County
Dana M. Stein, D, Baltimore County

Six Democrats voted for the sales tax bill but not the income/corproate tax bill. They were:

Pamela Beidle, D, Anne Arundel County
Kathleen M. Dumais, D, Montgomery County
Brian J. Feldman, D, Montgomery County
Murray D. Levy, D, Charles County
Dan K. Morhaim, D, Baltimore County
Jay Walker, D, Prince George's County


People whose last names start with an S were particularly unkind to the sales tax bill. They voted 12-1 against it.

Voting yes on House Bill 2 were:

Saqib Ali, D, Montgomery County
Curtis S. Anderson, D, Baltimore City
Charles E. Barkley, D, Montgomery County
Benjamin S. Barnes, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Kumar P. Barve, D, Montgomery County
Joanne C. Benson, D, Prince George's County
Elizabeth Bobo, D, Howard County
John L. Bohanan, Jr., D, St. Mary's County
Talmadge Branch, D, Baltimore City
Aisha N. Braveboy, D, Prince George's County
William A. Bronrott, D, Montgomery County
Emmett C. Burns, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Michael E. Busch, D, Anne Arundel County
Rudolph C. Cane, D, Dorchester & Wicomico Counties
Jon S. Cardin, D, Baltimore County
Jill P. Carter, D, Baltimore City
Galen R. Clagett, D, Frederick County
Virginia P. Clagett, D, Anne Arundel County
Frank M. Conaway, Jr., D, Baltimore City
Norman H. Conway, D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
Dereck E. Davis, D, Prince George's County
John P. Donoghue, D, Washington County
Ann Marie Doory, D, Baltimore City
C. William Frick, D, Montgomery County
Barbara A. Frush, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Tawanna P. Gaines, D, Prince George's County
James W. Gilchrist, D, Montgomery County
Cheryl Glenn, D, Baltimore City
Melony G. Griffith, D, Prince George's County
Ana Sol Gutierrez, D, Montgomery County
Guy Guzzone, D, Howard County
Peter A. Hammen, D, Baltimore City
Hattie N. Harrison, D, Baltimore City
Keith E. Haynes, D, Baltimore City
Anne Healey, D, Prince George's County
Henry B. Heller, D, Montgomery County
Sheila E. Hixson, D, Montgomery County
Marvin E. Holmes, Jr., D, Prince George's County
Carolyn J. B. Howard, D, Prince George's County
James W. Hubbard, D, Prince George's County
Tom Hucker, D, Montgomery County
Jolene Ivey, D, Prince George's County
Mary-Dulany James, D, Cecil & Harford Counties
Adrienne A. Jones, D, Baltimore County
Anne R. Kaiser, D, Montgomery County
Ruth M. Kirk, D, Baltimore City
Carolyn J. Krysiak, D, Baltimore City
Sue Kullen, D, Calvert County
Jane E. Lawton, D, Montgomery County
Susan C. Lee, D, Montgomery County
Gerron S. Levi, D, Prince George's County
Mary Ann Love, D, Anne Arundel County
James E. Malone, Jr., D, Baltimore County, Howard County
Roger Manno, D, Montgomery County
James N. Mathias, Jr., D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
Brian K. McHale, D, Baltimore City
Maggie McIntosh, D, Baltimore City
Heather R. Mizeur, D, Montgomery County
Peter Murphy, D, Charles County
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, D, Baltimore County
Doyle L. Niemann, D, Prince George's County
Nathaniel T. Oaks, D, Baltimore City
John A. Olszewski, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Joseline Pena-Melnyk, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Shane E. Pendergrass, D, Howard County
James E. Proctor, Jr., D, Calvert & Prince George's Counties
Victor R. Ramirez, D, Prince George's County
Kirill Reznik, D, Montgomery County
Craig L. Rice, D, Montgomery County
Barbara Robinson, D, Baltimore City
Samuel I. Rosenberg, D, Baltimore City
Justin D. Ross, D, Prince George's County
David D. Rudolph, D, Cecil County
Dana M. Stein, D, Baltimore County
Melvin L. Stukes, D, Baltimore City
Shawn Z. Tarrant, D, Baltimore City
Herman L. Taylor, Jr., D, Montgomery County
Frank S. Turner, D, Howard County
Veronica L. Turner, D, Prince George's County
Kris Valderrama, D, Prince George's County
Joseph F. Vallario, Jr., D, Calvert & Prince George's Counties
Michael L. Vaughn, D, Prince George's County
Jeff Waldstreicher, D, Montgomery County

Voting no were:

Susan L. M. Aumann, R, Baltimore County
Joseph R. Bartlett, R, Frederick County
Gail H. Bates, R, Howard County
Pamela Beidle, D, Anne Arundel County
Wendell R. Beitzel, R, Garrett & Allegany Counties
Joseph C. Boteler III, R, Baltimore County
Eric M. Bromwell, D, Baltimore County
Robert A. Costa, R, Anne Arundel County
Steven J. DeBoy, Sr., D, Baltimore County, Howard County
Kathleen M. Dumais, D, Montgomery County
Don Dwyer, R, Anne Arundel County
Adelaide C. Eckardt, R, Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties
Donald B. Elliott, R, Carroll & Frederick Counties
D. Page Elmore, R, Somerset & Wicomico Counties
Brian J. Feldman, D, Montgomery County
William J. Frank, R, Baltimore County
Ron George, R, Anne Arundel County
Barry Glassman, R, Harford County
Jeannie Haddaway, R, Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot & Wicomico Counties
Richard K. Impallaria, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
J. B. Jennings, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
A. Wade Kach, R, Baltimore County
Kevin Kelly, D, Allegany County
James King, R, Anne Arundel County
Nicholas R. Kipke, R, Anne Arundel County
Benjamin F. Kramer, D, Montgomery County
Susan W. Krebs, R, Carroll County
Stephen W. Lafferty, D, Baltimore County
Murray D. Levy, D, Charles County
Susan K. McComas, R, Harford County
Tony McConkey, R, Anne Arundel County
Patrick L. McDonough, R, Baltimore & Harford Counties
Robert A. McKee, R, Washington County
Warren E. Miller, R, Howard County
Joseph J. Minnick, D, Baltimore County
Dan K. Morhaim, D, Baltimore County
LeRoy E. Myers, Jr., R, Allegany & Washington Counties
Anthony J. O'Donnell, R, Calvert & St. Mary's Counties
Steve Schuh, R, Anne Arundel County
Todd Schuler, D, Baltimore County
Christopher B. Shank, R, Washington County
Tanya Thornton Shewell, R, Carroll County
Luiz R. S. Simmons, D, Montgomery County
Michael D. Smigiel, Sr., R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Theodore J. Sophocleus, D, Anne Arundel County
Richard A. Sossi, R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Donna Stifler, R, Harford County
Nancy R. Stocksdale, R, Carroll County
Paul S. Stull, R, Frederick County
Jay Walker, D, Prince George's County
Mary Roe Walkup, R, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Queen Anne's Counties
Michael H. Weir, Jr., D, Baltimore County
Richard B. Weldon, Jr., R, Frederick & Washington Counties
John F. Wood, Jr., D, Charles & St. Mary's Counties

Excused:

Sue Hecht, D, Frederick County
Sally Y. Jameson, D, Charles County
Karen S. Montgomery, D, Montgomery County
B. Daniel Riley, D, Cecil & Harford Counties

Voting yes on House Bill 5:

Saqib Ali, D, Montgomery County
Curtis S. Anderson, D, Baltimore City
Charles E. Barkley, D, Montgomery County
Benjamin S. Barnes, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Kumar P. Barve, D, Montgomery County
Pamela Beidle, D, Anne Arundel County
Joanne C. Benson, D, Prince George's County
Elizabeth Bobo, D, Howard County
John L. Bohanan, Jr., D, St. Mary's County
Talmadge Branch, D, Baltimore City
Aisha N. Braveboy, D, Prince George's County
William A. Bronrott, D, Montgomery County
Michael E. Busch, D, Anne Arundel County
Rudolph C. Cane, D, Dorchester & Wicomico Counties
Jon S. Cardin, D, Baltimore County
Galen R. Clagett, D, Frederick County
Virginia P. Clagett, D, Anne Arundel County
Norman H. Conway, D, Wicomico & Worcester Counties
Dereck E. Davis, D, Prince George's County
John P. Donoghue, D, Washington County
Ann Marie Doory, D, Baltimore City
Kathleen M. Dumais, D, Montgomery County
Brian J. Feldman, D, Montgomery County
C. William Frick, D, Montgomery County
Barbara A. Frush, D, Anne Arundel & Prince George's Counties
Tawanna P. Gaines, D, Prince George's County
James W. Gilchrist, D, Montgomery County
Cheryl Glenn, D, Baltimore City
Melony G. Griffith, D, Prince George's County
Ana Sol Gutierrez, D, Montgomery County
Guy Guzzone, D, Howard County
Peter A. Hammen, D, Baltimore City
Hattie N. Harrison, D, Baltimore City
Keith E. Haynes, D, Baltimore City
Anne Healey, D, Prince George's County
Henry B. Heller, D, Montgomery County
Sheila E. Hixson, D, Montgomery County
Marvin E. Holmes, Jr., D, Prince George's County
Carolyn J. B. Howard, D, Prince George's County
James W. Hubba