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When Martin O'Malley pushed the state's electric utility BGE into the hands of what is becoming a national energy corporation that is listed on the stock exchange----Exelon------Exelon immediately asked for a rate hike that was huge and Maryland citizens shouted NO. So, O'Malley simply allowed Exelon to come back over and over for the same rate hike but in smaller increments. O'Malley is a Clinton Wall Street global corporate pol so he stacked our Maryland Public Services Commission with corporate people who simply approval every move toward corporate profit that comes along. Now, for people not knowing the history of privatizing Maryland's public energy utility-----when it was sold to private investors there was a Trust of a billion dollars created as the public wealth from selling a public utility. Then there are a few decades of consumers paying their BGE bills with no infrastructure improvements----all BGE earnings went to profit. So, Maryland is in the state of infrastructure upgrades because the money paid by consumers was never reinvested into maintenance. SOUND FAMILIAR? Fast forward to today and now we see super-sized rate increases coming for energy upgrades meaning the consumers are paying a second time for infrastructure upgrades and heaven knows if that billion dollar Public Trust even exists from the sale of Maryland public energy.
Exelon is a Chicago-based Obama campaign supporter that won this deal because O'Malley wants to run for President with the hope of being a Vice Presidential candidate. Exelon has expanded from the Illinois region and each time gets these deals where consumers are soaked with rate increases to pay for its operating and infrastructure maintenance.
The last time I spoke with a People's Counsel about this corporate bias at a public forum that People's Counsel lamented that he was there simply because he was assigned to do this job.
CLINTON WALL STREET GLOBAL CORPORATE NEO-LIBERALS HAVE TAKEN ALL THE COSTS OF DOING BUSINESS AWAY FROM CORPORATIONS AND NOW THE CITIZENS ARE FOOTING THESE COSTS.
BGE CAP T 6 2% 43 : Fourth BGE rate hike in four years approved
12/05/2014 | 01:13pm US/Eastern Dec. 05--
A Maryland Public Service Commission judge approved a settlement agreement Thursday that would increase rates for residential Baltimore Gas and Electric customers for the fourth time in four years.
For the average customer with both electric and gas service, the hike would add about $4 to their monthly bills -- a significantly smaller increase than the utility sought earlier this year. The new rates will take effect in the middle of this month.
"We know that every dollar of increase can have an impact, particularly for households of fixed or low incomes," said Paula Carmody, who heads the Maryland Office of People's Counsel, an agency that represents residential utility customers and a party to the settlement. "But in this instance we had a full evaluation of the company's documents and data in front of us and believe that this was a reasonable settlement in light of all the information."
BGE has not used a settlement agreement -- in this case signed by BGE, PSC staff and other stakeholders -- for a rate hike request in at least three decades, utility officials have said. The agreement, which was filed in October, represented a hike that was less than a third of what the utility sought in July.
BGE, Maryland's largest utility provider with more than 1.2 million electric and 655,000 gas customers, is in the midst of a multi-year upgrade to its infrastructure that it says will reduce the frequency and length of power outages. It is allowed by law to recoup its costs through rate increases. The utility provider said it has invested $3 billion in infrastructure upgrades in the last five years and plans to invest $3 billion more through 2018.
BGE officials have not ruled out the possibility that they will seek another rate increase next year. The utility has argued that since electricity and gas commodity costs have fallen in recent years and since it has launched new programs to increase energy efficiency, customers' bills have decreased despite the rate hikes.
The average residential electric consumer, with a monthly bill of about $135 a month, would pay an additional 96 cents a month. The average residential gas consumer, with a bill of about $71 a month, would see an increase of $3.41. Customers with both services would pay less than the sum of the two increases, about $4 a month.
In July, BGE requested a hike in rates that would have added about $6.50 to the average residential electric bill and about $8.50 to the average residential gas bill, or about $15 a month for customers getting both services.
Terry J. Romine, the chief public utility law judge for the PSC, wrote in approving the settlement that she found the increases "reasonable" and that approval was "in the public interest."
The order will become final on Dec. 12 unless any party files an appeal, but Carmody said such an appeal was unlikely because the parties had already found agreement in the settlement proposal.
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This is indeed what Maryland citizens are plagued with as all that was public sector has been handed to private non-profits funded by corporate 'donations' and which then write public policy that is implemented by a selected head of this private non-profit.
So, instead of paying corporate taxes and allowing communities to have their own public policy, these private non-profits which are really just national business chains taking over all public sector policy allowed to act as though a charitable contribution.....which of course is yet another tax deduction.....are allowed to choose what area of public policy they want to influence and write policy. They then choose these national chains to come in and implement. So, if you are an education corporation you would 'donate' to an education non-profit that then allows you to write the policy you want them to implement in schools.
MARYLAND HAS NO PUBLIC SECTOR AND CITIZENS HAVE NO PUBLIC VOICE BECAUSE INDEED, THESE HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO GROW FOR A DECADE OR MORE. THEY ARE NOW ON STEROIDS AS THE PUBLIC IS CARTED OUT OF PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR ACTUALLY TRYING TO TALK.
RUN FROM THIS POLICY!!!!!
Human services departments are looking for new and creative ways to fund programs.
by Jonathan Walters | January 14, 2014
Pay for success: These are the three words that you’ll hear much more often in the human services world this year as governments look for new and creative ways to fund successful programs. You’ve most likely already heard these words in the context of “social impact bonds,” which both my Governing colleague J.B. Wogan and I have written about in the last year or so.
But there are more pay for success (PFS) models than just social impact bonds. Currently I’m working on a paper for the Annie E. Casey Foundation on other forms of PFS programs. In fact, PFS in general is a concept that has been around for nearly a decade--Maryland started experimenting with a PFS model known as “opportunity compacts” back in the mid-2000s.
All PFS models have two things in common: They involve a third party intermediary who brokers a deal involving upfront investment in some preventative program or another. And they involve closely monitoring and measuring program performance to assess whether the upfront investment is actually achieving hoped-for down-the-road savings.
Where PFS models differ is in the structure of the financing. Social impact bonds involve a third party financier who funds a program hoping to reap a return on that investment later on. The only social impact bond programs that have been road tested so far are ones involving recidivism among prisoners. Goldman Sachs and Bloomberg Philanthropies, for example, are investing $9.6 million in a program aimed at reducing recidivism among 16- to 18-year olds coming out of New York City’s main jail, Rikers Island.
If successful, Goldman Sachs could make a little more than $2 million on the investment. To do that, the program will need to reduce recidivism by 20 percent or more over four years (the bank’s break-even point is at around a 10 percent reduction).
Opportunity compacts, on the other hand, involve governments themselves striking a reinvestment bargain through a third party intermediary. That is, governments essentially structure a deal whereby a department of social or children and family services, for instance, commits to a specific level of performance for a certain program. That commitment includes identifying savings achieved by upfront investment and then, through a third party non-governmental organizations, a contract with their department of management and budget that guarantees savings will be plowed back into the program instead of returned to the general fund.
School is still out on whether any one of these approaches is better than another. What they both offer by way of positives is a clear requirement that governments get serious about costing out services, measuring program impacts and doing the kind of hard, complicated longitudinal analyses required to ensure that the numbers being bandied about are actually real.
The main question around both social impact bond and other PFS schemes is how widely they might be applied. Recidivism, as complicated as measuring that can be, is relatively simple compared to measuring the impacts of investing in things like early childhood education, domestic violence prevention, adult mental health interventions or job training.
And to piggyback off that question: Is there really the money and willingness out there in the private sector to invest billions -- or even mere millions -- in social programs with such uncertain payoff potential? With social impact bonds, investors stand to lose everything if the prevention program they’re backing doesn’t perform well.
The good news, though, is that there are now robust experiments in a variety of PFS efforts, which ought to at least lead to a more sophisticated approach overall to investing in human services, including -- one hopes -- a much more serious approach to doing high-quality, long-range program evaluation.
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THE REASON MARYLAND AND NEW YORK ARE TOPS IN THE NATION REGARDING HOMELAND SECURITY IS THAT THESE TWO STATES WILL BE PRIORITY TARGETS FOR ATTACKS....NEW YORK BEING THE SITE OF A GLOBAL CRIMINAL CARTEL AND MARYLAND BEING THE SITE OF ALL OF THE AGENCIES ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THIS CARTEL. AS PEOPLE ASK WHY MARYLAND SEEMS SO HAWKISH ON ALL THAT REQUIRES SURVEILLANCE......THIS IS WHY.
IMPORTANTLY, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE BIDDING PROCESS THAT AGAIN CHOOSES A VERY COSTLY CONTRACT OVER OTHERS THAT COMPLY WITH CONDITIONS. WHILE WE WANT TO QUESTION THE FEDERAL MANDATE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN RASHLY IMPLEMENTED, WE ALSO WANT TO ASK OUR MARYLAND INCUMBENTS WHY THEY ARE FIRST IN LINE TO COMPLY WITH WHAT WILL BE ONEROUS TO THE MIDDLE/LOWER CLASS CITIZENS. WE KNOW THE COSTS WILL BE REFLECTED IN DRIVER LICENSE FEES.
Maryland, other states face problems with new driver's licenses
The Associated Press 10:57 a.m. EST, November 25, 2012
It was a popular idea five years ago: make sure every state had high-security driver's licenses to thwart terrorism at airports.
But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Real ID system faces opposition from states still reeling from recession.
The deadline for compliance has been extended twice, until Jan. 15, and may be extended again. If a state hasn't complied, its residents won't be able to use their driver's licenses to get on planes, into federal facilities or places like nuclear power plants.
Today, 17 states have enacted laws opposing compliance with Real ID, eight more approved resolutions opposing it, and two had one house of its legislature oppose the federal mandate, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most states aren't expected to comply by the deadline.
In New York and Maryland, officials are being forced to choose between a high-cost material that would require a switch to black-and-white photos, and a cheaper material that better matches strapped resources. Both are regarded as secure, though the former is favored by some in the security field.
A study by NCSL, the National Governors Association and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators estimated the Real ID program will cost states $11 billion over five years. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimated the cost at no more than $3.9 billion.
“NCSL urges Congress and the administration to continue to work with NCSL and its members on alternatives to the Real ID,” the group stated in a position paper.
Real ID places numerous requirements on states, from setting standards on which paperwork drivers must present to mandating tamper-prevention features so that IDs cannot be counterfeited.
Two kinds of plastic used to make licenses are at the heart of the latest disputes, in New York and Maryland.
Teslin, a longtime standard, is made to have information printed onto it, like paper. Polycarbonate can be etched, but only accommodates black-and-white photos.
The industry regards both materials as secure, but polycarbonate is rated higher by some in the field, though at a higher price. Some government officials also don't like the idea of having only black-and-white photos on ID cards; Virginia is the only state to have them.
In May, the Maryland State Board of Contract Appeal upheld a complaint against the initial bidding process and required a re-evaluation. In Maryland, polycarbonate was 25 percent higher than the low bidder.
In New York, the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo chose what it believes to be the most secure card offered, made of polycarbonate and offered by a Canadian company, CBN Secure Technologies. Its bid was also the most expensive: $38 million above the current cost and 40 percent above the lowest bidder, which also met the state's specifications.
The apparent losing bidders are protesting the decision, saying CBN appeared to have some unfair advantage or that the decision was botched by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV denies both allegations, saying its ranking of bids gave greater weight to security than cost.
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is investigating to see if DMV chose the best deal.
The losing bidders want a rebid, saying they could produce a polycarbonate version for less.
Newspaper editorials and state legislators called for a thorough evaluation of New York's choice, which was first reported by The Associated Press. The state convenience stores lobbyist said black-and-white photos will hinder the detection of underage drinkers and smokers, but it and a state senator backed off their original overall opposition after a stern rebuke by the Cuomo administration.
“Was it $38 million better?” the Glens Falls Post-Star asked in an editorial. “State bids should be awarded to the lowest bidder that meets the standards. We do not need the Rolls Royce of driver's licenses.”
The state's lengthy and technical “request for proposal” obtained by the AP tells bidders they must be compatible with the machinery that produces the state's cards. But New York doesn't require the cards be made of Teslin if a bidder can make a case for another material.
The specifications also make several references to “photo quality” images that can be copied in color and the need to make “color portraits for subpoenas and other authorized requests.” But they don't specifically prohibit black-and-white photos.
The state told bidders they “must provide … color options for demographic data and information tags,” which the losing bidders say can't be done on the polycarbonate card.
DMV spokeswoman Jackie McGinnis said the color requirements are for writing and other markings on the license, not the photo. She also said DMV won't have to change its system for polycarbonate cards.
DMV also noted that while “cost is a significant factor in this procurement … DMV has a special interest in incorporating advanced, innovative, dependable, and cost effective security technology into the documents it issues.”
That could favor a polycarbonate card, although other statements in the bidding document extol the virtues of the current Teslin card and “will give preference” to proposals that don't impose “a significant impact on current DMV processes” unless a new material “warrant the cost and effort to make the changes.”
“CBN Secure Technology Inc. will provide these features as needed,” she said.
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Hmmmm....a gaming commission filled with people working for corporations and members of the Baltimore Development Corporation----
WE SEE YET ANOTHER GOVERNMENT COMMISSION WITH APPOINTEES BY A GOVERNOR WHO IS VERY CORPORATE. HOW DO YOU THINK THEY WILL MOVE REGULATIONS AND PROFIT RATIOS?
O'Malley names seven to new gaming commission
Baltimore Business Journal by Gary Haber, Staff Reporter Date: Saturday, October 20, 2012, 8:34am EDT - Last Modified: Monday, October 22, 2012, 9:00am EDT Enlarge Image Jack Lambert | Staff
The chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, who also headed the group that advised Gov. Martin O’Malley on an expansion of gaming in the state, is among those O’Malley named Friday to a new commission to oversee casino gaming and the Maryland lottery.
John Morton III will be one of seven members of the new State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission. The group was created as part of legislation O’Malley signed earlier this year. The seven-member panel replaces the nine-member State Lottery Agency.
Joining Morton on the panel are:
• Bert Hash Jr., CEO of MECU credit union in Baltimore.
• Kirby Fowler Jr., president of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.
• F. Vernon Boozer, an attorney with Covahey, Boozer, Devan & Dore.
• E. Randolph Marriner, CEO of Marriner Enterprises and owner of Victoria Restaurant Group.
• Diane Lee McGraw, a retired computer scientist and program manager with the National Security Agency.
• Kimberly Robertson Pannell, senior partner at Raffa PC, a CPA firm.
Fowler, Boozer, Marriner, McGraw and Pannell were all members of the State Lottery Agency. Fowler chaired the group.
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YOU SEE THE COMMERCIALS ON TV REGARDING EXPANDED GAMBLING. O'MALLEY ASSURES US THERE WILL BE OVERSIGHT AND THE CASINO COMMISSION WILL BE TRANSPARENT. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT A STATE RANKED AT THE BOTTOM OF 50 STATES FOR CORRUPTION, FRAUD, AND LACK OF TRANSPARENCY WILL HAVE AN OPEN, HONEST GAMBLING COMMISSION?
GAMBLING IS ORGANIZED CRIME...............YOUR STATE GOVERNMENT IS ORGANIZED CRIME. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE ARE THE PREY!
VOTE YOUR INCUMBENT OUT OF OFFICE!!!
Look at the post above to see what happened with this Baltimore casino.
Lottery commission discusses potential casino deal in closed session
Posted: 1:08 pm Thu, September 27, 2012
By Alexander Pyles
Daily Record Business Writer
The Maryland State Lottery Commission discussed a potential transaction involving two state casino operators in the closed portion of its monthly public meeting Thursday.
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YOU SEE HERE 2 MARYLAND ASSEMBLY PERSONS PROPOSING THAT THE STATE CENTRALIZE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS INTO THE HANDS OF THE VERY PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR GUTTING THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND AND FOR HEAVY HANDED POLITICS IN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT. RAWLINGS-BLAKE IN BALTIMORE IS DIRECTED ON DEVELOPMENT FROM THESE VERY DISTRICTS....MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND POTOMAC. THEY SAY 'LET'S JUST MAKE IT OFFICIAL'. WE KNOW THAT THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST IS PLENTY HEALTHY WITH THE SYSTEM OF TAX CONTRIBUTIONS IT HAS. THE PROBLEM LIES WITH THE 'CORRUPTION AND TRANSPARENCY' SHORTFALLS FOR WHICH THE STATE IS FAMOUS......THE MONEY IS SECRETED AWAY FOR OTHER PROJECTS. MONTGOMERY COUNTY JUST FINISHED AN UPGRADE OF ITS ENTIRE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM WITH PUBLIC MONEY AND HANDED IT OFF TO PRIVATE COMPANY VEOLA.....AS THEY ARE DOING IN BALTIMORE. WHEN ASKED TO AUDIT AND ACCOUNT FOR THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST'S ACCOUNTS, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DECLINED.
AS A FORMER SEATTLE RESIDENT I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THEY ARE PROPOSING. GOING TO REFERENDUM FOR FUNDING FOR REGIONAL PROJECTS HAS LEFT SEATTLE WITH A TRANSPORTATION NIGHTMARE BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD ALWAYS VOTE AGAINST RAISING THE TAXES NEEDED FOR ALL PROPOSED PROJECTS.
THE SHORTFALLS IN TRANSPORTATION FUNDING COME FROM THE MOVEMENT OF MANY, ESPECIALLY IN A WEALTHY STATE LIKE MARYLAND TO HYBRID/ELECTRIC CARS AND THE RELIANCE ON GAS TAXES FOR THE FUND. THE STATE IS DELIBERATELY LEAVING THESE HIGH END CAR OWNERS OUT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE REVENUE LOOP AND THEY MUST CHANGE THAT TO BOOST REVENUE. THE STATE ALSO REFUSES TO TAX GAS COMPANIES PROGRESSIVELY, ALLOWING THOSE WITH THE MOST NEED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PAY MORE FOR IT.
DO NOT ALLOW THE STATE ASSEMBLY TO CENTRALIZE ANY MORE OF THE DEVELOPMENT RESPONSIBILITIES.......WE SHOULD BE GOING IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.
Proposal gives Maryland voters say on transportation projects
Originally Published on Gazette.Net Gas Tax/Infrastructure
by Daniel Leaderman, Staff Writer
MPPI IN THE NEWS
SEPTEMBER 7, 2012
Transportation funding is likely to be a hot topic in next year’s General Assembly session, and a pair of lawmakers plan to reintroduce what could be a game-changing proposal.
A constitutional amendment drafted by Sen. James C. Rosapepe (D-Dist. 21) of College Park and Del. Brian J. Feldman (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac would allow the governor and lawmakers to piece together specific plans to fund transportation projects and put them to referendum for voter approval.
“Lots of states, lots of communities, lots of cities do this all the time,” Rosapepe said. “It’s pretty normal.”
Voters in 18 states have approved more than 70 such projects during the past three years, Rosapepe said. He and Feldman introduced their amendment during the August special session, but lawmakers focused only on gambling and pit bull-related issues, and the proposal did not advance.
Transportation advocates point to success stories in places such as Denver and Seattle, where voters approved sales-tax increases to fund rail systems in 2004 and 2008, respectively.
But a statewide vote in Georgia this summer illustrates the potential difficulties of such a process, said David Goldberg, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Transportation for America.
Legislation passed in Georgia in 2010 divided the state into 12 regions, each of which had its own set of predetermined road improvement and public transportation projects. Georgians went to the polls in July to vote on a penny increase in the sales tax, which was projected to raise more than $18 billion for transportation by 2022.
But the referendum passed in only three regions, where the tax is expected to raise about $1.5 billion for 871 projects, according to the state’s Department of Transportation.
Goldberg says the number of projects in Georgia might have been too large and varied to appeal to voters.
“It looked like a big grab bag,” he said.
With such referendums, the more local, the better, Goldberg said. “People see transportation through a local and pretty personal prism” and need some sense of the benefit to them, he said.
The Seattle plan passed because voters could clearly see the purpose — bringing rail to an area that didn’t have it — and saw it as transformative, Goldberg said.
“Voters have to be a bit inspired,” he said, adding routine maintenance to bridges and roads was a tougher sell. An earlier, mixed plan that included highways, as well as transit, was rejected by Seattle voters, he said.
But major, new projects aren’t the only ones voters are willing to support. Michigan voters agreed in August to continue paying local millage taxes — tied to property values — to fund various public transportation initiatives. Projects ranged from small, local bus service for senior citizens to full bus operations in cities like Ann Arbor, said Megan Owens, executive director of the Detroit-based nonprofit Transportation Riders United.
In Maine, residents routinely vote on bond packages for highway improvement, as often as every two years, according to Maria Fuentes, executive director of the Maine Better Transportation Association. A $51 million bond will be on the ballot in November, she said.
Similar referendums could prove to be a useful tool in Maryland, Rosapepe said. “[But] under the Maryland Constitution, we don’t have the authority to do it.”
The amendment allows for the practice, which could include issuing bonds or creating new revenue sources, but puts no stipulations on the size or scope of the projects in question.
As prices at the pump rose during the 2012 regular session, lawmakers did not act on a proposal by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) to apply the state’s 6 percent sales tax to gasoline, which was projected to raise about $613 million for transportation infrastructure. The state’s flat, 23.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax has not been increased since 1992.
Since 1984, hundreds of millions of dollars have been taken from the state’s Transportation Trust Fund to balance the state’s budget.
More than $500 million in Maryland Department of Transportation funds have been repaid, but $947.5 million in Highway User Revenues — intended to pay for local road repairs — have not, according to the state’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding.
The amendment also would restrict such transfers to emergency situations like urgent public health threats or invasion by a foreign army, as long as there is a plan to pay back the money within five years.
But past transfers are one reason why the referendum proposal is a bad idea, according to Christopher Summers, president of the conservative Maryland Public Policy Institute.
“Motorists have already paid for these projects,” Summers said, adding lawmakers should explore other ways to find the funding, such as privatization or making unpopular cuts in other areas of government.
Rosapepe said he believed the governor and legislative leaders want to pass a transportation funding package in the next session, and he hoped the amendment would pass regardless, so it can be a tool available for future use.
“I think it’s a very interesting proposal, very worthy of consideration,” said Mahlon “Lon” G. Anderson, managing director of public affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic and a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission.
Like many new and different proposals, it might take time to pass, but it’s worth trying a new approach after years of “abject failure” to adequately fund transportation in Maryland, Anderson said.
Anderson also has called for the state to dedicate a nearly $500 million surplus from fiscal 2012 to the trust fund.
Another commission member, former state senator Donald C. Fry, also spoke favorably of the proposed amendment.
In additon to protecting the fund against future transfers, putting the projects to vote could restore public trust, said Fry, who is now president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee.
“Now, there’s a lack of confidence that the money will be used for transportation projects,” he said.
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THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GET INVOLVED IN THESE PUBLIC MEETINGS........MARYLAND LOST ITS PUBLIC UTILITY BGE TO O'MALLEY'S DRIVE FOR POLITICAL PAY TO PLAY. EXELON'S HOME IN OBAMA'S CHICAGO? I'M JUST SAYING FOLKS!
Approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is perhaps the most important federal regulatory hurdle for the expected March 1997 formation of Constellation Energy Corp., a $15.1 billion power concern that would be the nation's ninth-largest utility.
STATE SECRETARY OF STATE
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN
THE REGULATION-MAKING PROCESS
Maryland citizens and other interested persons may participate in the process by which administrative regulations are adopted, amended, or repealed, and may also initiate the process by which the validity and applicability of regulations is determined. Listed below are some of the ways in which citizens may participate (references are to State Government Article (SG),
Annotated Code of Maryland):
• By submitting data or views on proposed regulations either orally or in writing, to the proposing agency (see ‘‘Opportunity for Public Comment’’ at the beginning of all regulations appearing in the Proposed Action on Regulations section of the Maryland Register). (See SG, §10-112)
• By petitioning an agency to adopt, amend, or repeal regulations. The agency must respond to the petition. (See SG §10-123)
• By petitioning an agency to issue a declaratory ruling with respect to how any regulation, order, or statute enforced by the agency applies. (SG, Title 10, Subtitle 3)
• By petitioning the circuit court for a declaratory judgment
on the validity of a regulation when it appears that the regulation interferes with or impairs the legal rights or privileges of the petitioner. (SG, §10-125)
• By inspecting a certified copy of any document filed with the Division of State Documents for publication in the Maryland Register. (See SG, §7-213)
THIS IS THE TIMELINE FOR REGULATORY PROCEDURES TO BE ADOPTED
PERTINENT DATES FOR EACH ISSUE
Finals Effective* Date can Adopt May 4, 2012
30-Day Comment (10 days after date (on the 46th day June 4, 2012
Issue Date Period Ends of publication) after publication) 2012 May 14, 2012 June 19, 2012
Problem Solver|Maryland.gov|Online Services|State Agencies|Phone Directory Office of the Secretary of State: Reg Review & Evaluation Links What We Do
(AGENCY/DEPARTMENT NAME)
WORK PLAN FOR EVALUATION REPORT ON
COMAR ___.___.___
SCHEDULED
RESPONSIBLE COMPLETION
OBJECTIVES ACTION STEPS PERSON DATE
I. Evaluate COMAR 1. Inventory affected regulations.
for the purpose of
satisfying the requirement 2. Procedures and methods to be used to ensure comments from public /
of State Government stakeholders / other affected units.
Article, §§10-130—10-139,
Annotated Code of Maryland A. To invite public comment on these regulations, the following procedures
and methods will be used: (CHOOSE WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WILL
BE USED AND DELETE THE OTHERS)
(1) Publication of notice in the Maryland Register;
(2) Publication of notice in newspapers of general circulation in the State;
(3) Posting of notice on the unit's website;
(4) Posting notice on Division of State Document's website;
(5) Mailing of notice; and
(6) Holding of public hearings at various locations around the State.
B. To ensure the participation of stakeholders in the review process, the
following procedures will be used: (EXPLAIN IN PARAGRAPH OR
OUTLINE FORM)
C. To ensure the participation in the review process of other units affected
by the regulations, the following procedures will be used: (EXPLAIN IN
PARAGRAPH OR OUTLINE FORM)
3. Procedures for gathering and reviewing of: A. Any recent scientific information
related to the regulations being reviewed, if applicable; B. Similar regulations
adopted or repealed by other states or the federal government; and C. Other
appropriate information, are as follows: (EXPLAIN IN PARAGRAPH OR
OUTLINE FORM)
4. Evaluate the need to retain, amend, or repeal each existing regulation based on
the following criteria:
A. Continue to be necessary for public interest;
B. Continue to be supported by statutory authority and judicial opinions;
C. Are obsolete or otherwise appropriate for amendment or repeal;
D. Continue to be effective in accomplishing the intended purpose of the regulations; and
E. The information gathered under Action Steps 1—3.
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I JUST MARCHED WITH THE WORKERS UNITED, A LABOR ORGANIZATION WITH MOSTLY HISPANIC WORKERS. WE MARCHED 4 MILES TO SHOUT OUT AGAINST THE EXPLOITATION OF HISPANIC WORKERS IN BALTIMORE AND MARYLAND. THE EXPLOITATION IS ACROSS THE BOARD.....CONSTRUCTION, HOSPITALITY, LANDSCAPE, HEALTHCARE............................THE STATE OF MARYLAND INVITES THESE FAMILIES TO THE STATE, OFFERS ALL KINDS OF SUPPORT IN GETTING THEM READY TO WORK...................AND THEN EXPLOITS THEM IN THE WORKPLACE!
DID THIS COMMISSION EVEN SPEAK TO THESE LABORS ISSUES.......I DON'T SEE ANY CLUES THAT THERE ARE CONCERNS!
Immigrant Impact / By Walter Ewing 1 COMMENT
New Research Shows Many Ways Immigrants Benefit Maryland's Economy
The report reaches a number of conclusions not only about the benefits of immigration to Maryland, but about which policies maximize those benefits and which policies stifle them. February 15, 2012 |
A new report from the Commission to Study the Impact of Immigrants in Maryland concludes that immigrants bring a plethora of economic, social, and cultural contributions to the state of Maryland. The commission, which was created by the Maryland General Assembly, also warns against attempts to deal with unauthorized immigration through enforcement-only policies that needlessly sow fear and distrust in immigrant communities. Rather, the commission admonishes, “Maryland must remain welcoming to immigrants, and the state and its local jurisdictions should further strengthen its efforts to integrate immigrants into the economy and the community.”
The commission’s report, entitled The Impact of Immigrants in Maryland, begins with a survey of the available literature on the economics of immigration and concludes that, “in general, immigration leads to higher economic growth and greater levels of income per capita not only for the immigrants themselves, but, on average, for the U.S.-born persons as well.” As the report notes, immigrants don’t steal jobs from the native-born because immigrants and native-born workers tend to have different, “complementary” sets of skills. Moreover, immigrants fuel entrepreneurship and innovation. The report also finds that “in aggregate and over the long term, immigrants pay more in taxes (federal, state, and local) than they use in government services.”
With regard to the economy of Maryland in particular, the report emphasizes that “immigrants have made considerable contributions to Maryland’s leading industries in the information, science, and medical fields.” In addition, “Maryland’s growth in construction, travel, retail, transportation, farming and fishing sectors was greatly supported through immigration.” According to the report, “it is doubtful that without immigration, the State could have lured enough U.S.-born workers from slower growing parts of the country to fill these positions.”
The report reaches a number of conclusions not only about the benefits of immigration to Maryland, but about which policies maximize those benefits and which policies stifle them. For instance:
Exelon is a Chicago-based Obama campaign supporter that won this deal because O'Malley wants to run for President with the hope of being a Vice Presidential candidate. Exelon has expanded from the Illinois region and each time gets these deals where consumers are soaked with rate increases to pay for its operating and infrastructure maintenance.
The last time I spoke with a People's Counsel about this corporate bias at a public forum that People's Counsel lamented that he was there simply because he was assigned to do this job.
CLINTON WALL STREET GLOBAL CORPORATE NEO-LIBERALS HAVE TAKEN ALL THE COSTS OF DOING BUSINESS AWAY FROM CORPORATIONS AND NOW THE CITIZENS ARE FOOTING THESE COSTS.
BGE CAP T 6 2% 43 : Fourth BGE rate hike in four years approved
12/05/2014 | 01:13pm US/Eastern Dec. 05--
A Maryland Public Service Commission judge approved a settlement agreement Thursday that would increase rates for residential Baltimore Gas and Electric customers for the fourth time in four years.
For the average customer with both electric and gas service, the hike would add about $4 to their monthly bills -- a significantly smaller increase than the utility sought earlier this year. The new rates will take effect in the middle of this month.
"We know that every dollar of increase can have an impact, particularly for households of fixed or low incomes," said Paula Carmody, who heads the Maryland Office of People's Counsel, an agency that represents residential utility customers and a party to the settlement. "But in this instance we had a full evaluation of the company's documents and data in front of us and believe that this was a reasonable settlement in light of all the information."
BGE has not used a settlement agreement -- in this case signed by BGE, PSC staff and other stakeholders -- for a rate hike request in at least three decades, utility officials have said. The agreement, which was filed in October, represented a hike that was less than a third of what the utility sought in July.
BGE, Maryland's largest utility provider with more than 1.2 million electric and 655,000 gas customers, is in the midst of a multi-year upgrade to its infrastructure that it says will reduce the frequency and length of power outages. It is allowed by law to recoup its costs through rate increases. The utility provider said it has invested $3 billion in infrastructure upgrades in the last five years and plans to invest $3 billion more through 2018.
BGE officials have not ruled out the possibility that they will seek another rate increase next year. The utility has argued that since electricity and gas commodity costs have fallen in recent years and since it has launched new programs to increase energy efficiency, customers' bills have decreased despite the rate hikes.
The average residential electric consumer, with a monthly bill of about $135 a month, would pay an additional 96 cents a month. The average residential gas consumer, with a bill of about $71 a month, would see an increase of $3.41. Customers with both services would pay less than the sum of the two increases, about $4 a month.
In July, BGE requested a hike in rates that would have added about $6.50 to the average residential electric bill and about $8.50 to the average residential gas bill, or about $15 a month for customers getting both services.
Terry J. Romine, the chief public utility law judge for the PSC, wrote in approving the settlement that she found the increases "reasonable" and that approval was "in the public interest."
The order will become final on Dec. 12 unless any party files an appeal, but Carmody said such an appeal was unlikely because the parties had already found agreement in the settlement proposal.
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This is indeed what Maryland citizens are plagued with as all that was public sector has been handed to private non-profits funded by corporate 'donations' and which then write public policy that is implemented by a selected head of this private non-profit.
So, instead of paying corporate taxes and allowing communities to have their own public policy, these private non-profits which are really just national business chains taking over all public sector policy allowed to act as though a charitable contribution.....which of course is yet another tax deduction.....are allowed to choose what area of public policy they want to influence and write policy. They then choose these national chains to come in and implement. So, if you are an education corporation you would 'donate' to an education non-profit that then allows you to write the policy you want them to implement in schools.
MARYLAND HAS NO PUBLIC SECTOR AND CITIZENS HAVE NO PUBLIC VOICE BECAUSE INDEED, THESE HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO GROW FOR A DECADE OR MORE. THEY ARE NOW ON STEROIDS AS THE PUBLIC IS CARTED OUT OF PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR ACTUALLY TRYING TO TALK.
RUN FROM THIS POLICY!!!!!
Human services departments are looking for new and creative ways to fund programs.
by Jonathan Walters | January 14, 2014
Pay for success: These are the three words that you’ll hear much more often in the human services world this year as governments look for new and creative ways to fund successful programs. You’ve most likely already heard these words in the context of “social impact bonds,” which both my Governing colleague J.B. Wogan and I have written about in the last year or so.
But there are more pay for success (PFS) models than just social impact bonds. Currently I’m working on a paper for the Annie E. Casey Foundation on other forms of PFS programs. In fact, PFS in general is a concept that has been around for nearly a decade--Maryland started experimenting with a PFS model known as “opportunity compacts” back in the mid-2000s.
All PFS models have two things in common: They involve a third party intermediary who brokers a deal involving upfront investment in some preventative program or another. And they involve closely monitoring and measuring program performance to assess whether the upfront investment is actually achieving hoped-for down-the-road savings.
Where PFS models differ is in the structure of the financing. Social impact bonds involve a third party financier who funds a program hoping to reap a return on that investment later on. The only social impact bond programs that have been road tested so far are ones involving recidivism among prisoners. Goldman Sachs and Bloomberg Philanthropies, for example, are investing $9.6 million in a program aimed at reducing recidivism among 16- to 18-year olds coming out of New York City’s main jail, Rikers Island.
If successful, Goldman Sachs could make a little more than $2 million on the investment. To do that, the program will need to reduce recidivism by 20 percent or more over four years (the bank’s break-even point is at around a 10 percent reduction).
Opportunity compacts, on the other hand, involve governments themselves striking a reinvestment bargain through a third party intermediary. That is, governments essentially structure a deal whereby a department of social or children and family services, for instance, commits to a specific level of performance for a certain program. That commitment includes identifying savings achieved by upfront investment and then, through a third party non-governmental organizations, a contract with their department of management and budget that guarantees savings will be plowed back into the program instead of returned to the general fund.
School is still out on whether any one of these approaches is better than another. What they both offer by way of positives is a clear requirement that governments get serious about costing out services, measuring program impacts and doing the kind of hard, complicated longitudinal analyses required to ensure that the numbers being bandied about are actually real.
The main question around both social impact bond and other PFS schemes is how widely they might be applied. Recidivism, as complicated as measuring that can be, is relatively simple compared to measuring the impacts of investing in things like early childhood education, domestic violence prevention, adult mental health interventions or job training.
And to piggyback off that question: Is there really the money and willingness out there in the private sector to invest billions -- or even mere millions -- in social programs with such uncertain payoff potential? With social impact bonds, investors stand to lose everything if the prevention program they’re backing doesn’t perform well.
The good news, though, is that there are now robust experiments in a variety of PFS efforts, which ought to at least lead to a more sophisticated approach overall to investing in human services, including -- one hopes -- a much more serious approach to doing high-quality, long-range program evaluation.
____________________________________________________________________
THE REASON MARYLAND AND NEW YORK ARE TOPS IN THE NATION REGARDING HOMELAND SECURITY IS THAT THESE TWO STATES WILL BE PRIORITY TARGETS FOR ATTACKS....NEW YORK BEING THE SITE OF A GLOBAL CRIMINAL CARTEL AND MARYLAND BEING THE SITE OF ALL OF THE AGENCIES ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THIS CARTEL. AS PEOPLE ASK WHY MARYLAND SEEMS SO HAWKISH ON ALL THAT REQUIRES SURVEILLANCE......THIS IS WHY.
IMPORTANTLY, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE BIDDING PROCESS THAT AGAIN CHOOSES A VERY COSTLY CONTRACT OVER OTHERS THAT COMPLY WITH CONDITIONS. WHILE WE WANT TO QUESTION THE FEDERAL MANDATE THAT MAY HAVE BEEN RASHLY IMPLEMENTED, WE ALSO WANT TO ASK OUR MARYLAND INCUMBENTS WHY THEY ARE FIRST IN LINE TO COMPLY WITH WHAT WILL BE ONEROUS TO THE MIDDLE/LOWER CLASS CITIZENS. WE KNOW THE COSTS WILL BE REFLECTED IN DRIVER LICENSE FEES.
Maryland, other states face problems with new driver's licenses
The Associated Press 10:57 a.m. EST, November 25, 2012
It was a popular idea five years ago: make sure every state had high-security driver's licenses to thwart terrorism at airports.
But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Real ID system faces opposition from states still reeling from recession.
The deadline for compliance has been extended twice, until Jan. 15, and may be extended again. If a state hasn't complied, its residents won't be able to use their driver's licenses to get on planes, into federal facilities or places like nuclear power plants.
Today, 17 states have enacted laws opposing compliance with Real ID, eight more approved resolutions opposing it, and two had one house of its legislature oppose the federal mandate, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most states aren't expected to comply by the deadline.
In New York and Maryland, officials are being forced to choose between a high-cost material that would require a switch to black-and-white photos, and a cheaper material that better matches strapped resources. Both are regarded as secure, though the former is favored by some in the security field.
A study by NCSL, the National Governors Association and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators estimated the Real ID program will cost states $11 billion over five years. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimated the cost at no more than $3.9 billion.
“NCSL urges Congress and the administration to continue to work with NCSL and its members on alternatives to the Real ID,” the group stated in a position paper.
Real ID places numerous requirements on states, from setting standards on which paperwork drivers must present to mandating tamper-prevention features so that IDs cannot be counterfeited.
Two kinds of plastic used to make licenses are at the heart of the latest disputes, in New York and Maryland.
Teslin, a longtime standard, is made to have information printed onto it, like paper. Polycarbonate can be etched, but only accommodates black-and-white photos.
The industry regards both materials as secure, but polycarbonate is rated higher by some in the field, though at a higher price. Some government officials also don't like the idea of having only black-and-white photos on ID cards; Virginia is the only state to have them.
In May, the Maryland State Board of Contract Appeal upheld a complaint against the initial bidding process and required a re-evaluation. In Maryland, polycarbonate was 25 percent higher than the low bidder.
In New York, the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo chose what it believes to be the most secure card offered, made of polycarbonate and offered by a Canadian company, CBN Secure Technologies. Its bid was also the most expensive: $38 million above the current cost and 40 percent above the lowest bidder, which also met the state's specifications.
The apparent losing bidders are protesting the decision, saying CBN appeared to have some unfair advantage or that the decision was botched by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV denies both allegations, saying its ranking of bids gave greater weight to security than cost.
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is investigating to see if DMV chose the best deal.
The losing bidders want a rebid, saying they could produce a polycarbonate version for less.
Newspaper editorials and state legislators called for a thorough evaluation of New York's choice, which was first reported by The Associated Press. The state convenience stores lobbyist said black-and-white photos will hinder the detection of underage drinkers and smokers, but it and a state senator backed off their original overall opposition after a stern rebuke by the Cuomo administration.
“Was it $38 million better?” the Glens Falls Post-Star asked in an editorial. “State bids should be awarded to the lowest bidder that meets the standards. We do not need the Rolls Royce of driver's licenses.”
The state's lengthy and technical “request for proposal” obtained by the AP tells bidders they must be compatible with the machinery that produces the state's cards. But New York doesn't require the cards be made of Teslin if a bidder can make a case for another material.
The specifications also make several references to “photo quality” images that can be copied in color and the need to make “color portraits for subpoenas and other authorized requests.” But they don't specifically prohibit black-and-white photos.
The state told bidders they “must provide … color options for demographic data and information tags,” which the losing bidders say can't be done on the polycarbonate card.
DMV spokeswoman Jackie McGinnis said the color requirements are for writing and other markings on the license, not the photo. She also said DMV won't have to change its system for polycarbonate cards.
DMV also noted that while “cost is a significant factor in this procurement … DMV has a special interest in incorporating advanced, innovative, dependable, and cost effective security technology into the documents it issues.”
That could favor a polycarbonate card, although other statements in the bidding document extol the virtues of the current Teslin card and “will give preference” to proposals that don't impose “a significant impact on current DMV processes” unless a new material “warrant the cost and effort to make the changes.”
“CBN Secure Technology Inc. will provide these features as needed,” she said.
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Hmmmm....a gaming commission filled with people working for corporations and members of the Baltimore Development Corporation----
WE SEE YET ANOTHER GOVERNMENT COMMISSION WITH APPOINTEES BY A GOVERNOR WHO IS VERY CORPORATE. HOW DO YOU THINK THEY WILL MOVE REGULATIONS AND PROFIT RATIOS?
O'Malley names seven to new gaming commission
Baltimore Business Journal by Gary Haber, Staff Reporter Date: Saturday, October 20, 2012, 8:34am EDT - Last Modified: Monday, October 22, 2012, 9:00am EDT Enlarge Image Jack Lambert | Staff
The chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, who also headed the group that advised Gov. Martin O’Malley on an expansion of gaming in the state, is among those O’Malley named Friday to a new commission to oversee casino gaming and the Maryland lottery.
John Morton III will be one of seven members of the new State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission. The group was created as part of legislation O’Malley signed earlier this year. The seven-member panel replaces the nine-member State Lottery Agency.
Joining Morton on the panel are:
• Bert Hash Jr., CEO of MECU credit union in Baltimore.
• Kirby Fowler Jr., president of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.
• F. Vernon Boozer, an attorney with Covahey, Boozer, Devan & Dore.
• E. Randolph Marriner, CEO of Marriner Enterprises and owner of Victoria Restaurant Group.
• Diane Lee McGraw, a retired computer scientist and program manager with the National Security Agency.
• Kimberly Robertson Pannell, senior partner at Raffa PC, a CPA firm.
Fowler, Boozer, Marriner, McGraw and Pannell were all members of the State Lottery Agency. Fowler chaired the group.
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YOU SEE THE COMMERCIALS ON TV REGARDING EXPANDED GAMBLING. O'MALLEY ASSURES US THERE WILL BE OVERSIGHT AND THE CASINO COMMISSION WILL BE TRANSPARENT. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT A STATE RANKED AT THE BOTTOM OF 50 STATES FOR CORRUPTION, FRAUD, AND LACK OF TRANSPARENCY WILL HAVE AN OPEN, HONEST GAMBLING COMMISSION?
GAMBLING IS ORGANIZED CRIME...............YOUR STATE GOVERNMENT IS ORGANIZED CRIME. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE ARE THE PREY!
VOTE YOUR INCUMBENT OUT OF OFFICE!!!
Look at the post above to see what happened with this Baltimore casino.
Lottery commission discusses potential casino deal in closed session
Posted: 1:08 pm Thu, September 27, 2012
By Alexander Pyles
Daily Record Business Writer
The Maryland State Lottery Commission discussed a potential transaction involving two state casino operators in the closed portion of its monthly public meeting Thursday.
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YOU SEE HERE 2 MARYLAND ASSEMBLY PERSONS PROPOSING THAT THE STATE CENTRALIZE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS INTO THE HANDS OF THE VERY PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR GUTTING THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND AND FOR HEAVY HANDED POLITICS IN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT. RAWLINGS-BLAKE IN BALTIMORE IS DIRECTED ON DEVELOPMENT FROM THESE VERY DISTRICTS....MONTGOMERY COUNTY AND POTOMAC. THEY SAY 'LET'S JUST MAKE IT OFFICIAL'. WE KNOW THAT THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST IS PLENTY HEALTHY WITH THE SYSTEM OF TAX CONTRIBUTIONS IT HAS. THE PROBLEM LIES WITH THE 'CORRUPTION AND TRANSPARENCY' SHORTFALLS FOR WHICH THE STATE IS FAMOUS......THE MONEY IS SECRETED AWAY FOR OTHER PROJECTS. MONTGOMERY COUNTY JUST FINISHED AN UPGRADE OF ITS ENTIRE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM WITH PUBLIC MONEY AND HANDED IT OFF TO PRIVATE COMPANY VEOLA.....AS THEY ARE DOING IN BALTIMORE. WHEN ASKED TO AUDIT AND ACCOUNT FOR THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST'S ACCOUNTS, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DECLINED.
AS A FORMER SEATTLE RESIDENT I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THEY ARE PROPOSING. GOING TO REFERENDUM FOR FUNDING FOR REGIONAL PROJECTS HAS LEFT SEATTLE WITH A TRANSPORTATION NIGHTMARE BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD ALWAYS VOTE AGAINST RAISING THE TAXES NEEDED FOR ALL PROPOSED PROJECTS.
THE SHORTFALLS IN TRANSPORTATION FUNDING COME FROM THE MOVEMENT OF MANY, ESPECIALLY IN A WEALTHY STATE LIKE MARYLAND TO HYBRID/ELECTRIC CARS AND THE RELIANCE ON GAS TAXES FOR THE FUND. THE STATE IS DELIBERATELY LEAVING THESE HIGH END CAR OWNERS OUT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE REVENUE LOOP AND THEY MUST CHANGE THAT TO BOOST REVENUE. THE STATE ALSO REFUSES TO TAX GAS COMPANIES PROGRESSIVELY, ALLOWING THOSE WITH THE MOST NEED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PAY MORE FOR IT.
DO NOT ALLOW THE STATE ASSEMBLY TO CENTRALIZE ANY MORE OF THE DEVELOPMENT RESPONSIBILITIES.......WE SHOULD BE GOING IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.
Proposal gives Maryland voters say on transportation projects
Originally Published on Gazette.Net Gas Tax/Infrastructure
by Daniel Leaderman, Staff Writer
MPPI IN THE NEWS
SEPTEMBER 7, 2012
Transportation funding is likely to be a hot topic in next year’s General Assembly session, and a pair of lawmakers plan to reintroduce what could be a game-changing proposal.
A constitutional amendment drafted by Sen. James C. Rosapepe (D-Dist. 21) of College Park and Del. Brian J. Feldman (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac would allow the governor and lawmakers to piece together specific plans to fund transportation projects and put them to referendum for voter approval.
“Lots of states, lots of communities, lots of cities do this all the time,” Rosapepe said. “It’s pretty normal.”
Voters in 18 states have approved more than 70 such projects during the past three years, Rosapepe said. He and Feldman introduced their amendment during the August special session, but lawmakers focused only on gambling and pit bull-related issues, and the proposal did not advance.
Transportation advocates point to success stories in places such as Denver and Seattle, where voters approved sales-tax increases to fund rail systems in 2004 and 2008, respectively.
But a statewide vote in Georgia this summer illustrates the potential difficulties of such a process, said David Goldberg, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Transportation for America.
Legislation passed in Georgia in 2010 divided the state into 12 regions, each of which had its own set of predetermined road improvement and public transportation projects. Georgians went to the polls in July to vote on a penny increase in the sales tax, which was projected to raise more than $18 billion for transportation by 2022.
But the referendum passed in only three regions, where the tax is expected to raise about $1.5 billion for 871 projects, according to the state’s Department of Transportation.
Goldberg says the number of projects in Georgia might have been too large and varied to appeal to voters.
“It looked like a big grab bag,” he said.
With such referendums, the more local, the better, Goldberg said. “People see transportation through a local and pretty personal prism” and need some sense of the benefit to them, he said.
The Seattle plan passed because voters could clearly see the purpose — bringing rail to an area that didn’t have it — and saw it as transformative, Goldberg said.
“Voters have to be a bit inspired,” he said, adding routine maintenance to bridges and roads was a tougher sell. An earlier, mixed plan that included highways, as well as transit, was rejected by Seattle voters, he said.
But major, new projects aren’t the only ones voters are willing to support. Michigan voters agreed in August to continue paying local millage taxes — tied to property values — to fund various public transportation initiatives. Projects ranged from small, local bus service for senior citizens to full bus operations in cities like Ann Arbor, said Megan Owens, executive director of the Detroit-based nonprofit Transportation Riders United.
In Maine, residents routinely vote on bond packages for highway improvement, as often as every two years, according to Maria Fuentes, executive director of the Maine Better Transportation Association. A $51 million bond will be on the ballot in November, she said.
Similar referendums could prove to be a useful tool in Maryland, Rosapepe said. “[But] under the Maryland Constitution, we don’t have the authority to do it.”
The amendment allows for the practice, which could include issuing bonds or creating new revenue sources, but puts no stipulations on the size or scope of the projects in question.
As prices at the pump rose during the 2012 regular session, lawmakers did not act on a proposal by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) to apply the state’s 6 percent sales tax to gasoline, which was projected to raise about $613 million for transportation infrastructure. The state’s flat, 23.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax has not been increased since 1992.
Since 1984, hundreds of millions of dollars have been taken from the state’s Transportation Trust Fund to balance the state’s budget.
More than $500 million in Maryland Department of Transportation funds have been repaid, but $947.5 million in Highway User Revenues — intended to pay for local road repairs — have not, according to the state’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding.
The amendment also would restrict such transfers to emergency situations like urgent public health threats or invasion by a foreign army, as long as there is a plan to pay back the money within five years.
But past transfers are one reason why the referendum proposal is a bad idea, according to Christopher Summers, president of the conservative Maryland Public Policy Institute.
“Motorists have already paid for these projects,” Summers said, adding lawmakers should explore other ways to find the funding, such as privatization or making unpopular cuts in other areas of government.
Rosapepe said he believed the governor and legislative leaders want to pass a transportation funding package in the next session, and he hoped the amendment would pass regardless, so it can be a tool available for future use.
“I think it’s a very interesting proposal, very worthy of consideration,” said Mahlon “Lon” G. Anderson, managing director of public affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic and a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission.
Like many new and different proposals, it might take time to pass, but it’s worth trying a new approach after years of “abject failure” to adequately fund transportation in Maryland, Anderson said.
Anderson also has called for the state to dedicate a nearly $500 million surplus from fiscal 2012 to the trust fund.
Another commission member, former state senator Donald C. Fry, also spoke favorably of the proposed amendment.
In additon to protecting the fund against future transfers, putting the projects to vote could restore public trust, said Fry, who is now president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee.
“Now, there’s a lack of confidence that the money will be used for transportation projects,” he said.
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THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GET INVOLVED IN THESE PUBLIC MEETINGS........MARYLAND LOST ITS PUBLIC UTILITY BGE TO O'MALLEY'S DRIVE FOR POLITICAL PAY TO PLAY. EXELON'S HOME IN OBAMA'S CHICAGO? I'M JUST SAYING FOLKS!
Approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is perhaps the most important federal regulatory hurdle for the expected March 1997 formation of Constellation Energy Corp., a $15.1 billion power concern that would be the nation's ninth-largest utility.
STATE SECRETARY OF STATE
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN
THE REGULATION-MAKING PROCESS
Maryland citizens and other interested persons may participate in the process by which administrative regulations are adopted, amended, or repealed, and may also initiate the process by which the validity and applicability of regulations is determined. Listed below are some of the ways in which citizens may participate (references are to State Government Article (SG),
Annotated Code of Maryland):
• By submitting data or views on proposed regulations either orally or in writing, to the proposing agency (see ‘‘Opportunity for Public Comment’’ at the beginning of all regulations appearing in the Proposed Action on Regulations section of the Maryland Register). (See SG, §10-112)
• By petitioning an agency to adopt, amend, or repeal regulations. The agency must respond to the petition. (See SG §10-123)
• By petitioning an agency to issue a declaratory ruling with respect to how any regulation, order, or statute enforced by the agency applies. (SG, Title 10, Subtitle 3)
• By petitioning the circuit court for a declaratory judgment
on the validity of a regulation when it appears that the regulation interferes with or impairs the legal rights or privileges of the petitioner. (SG, §10-125)
• By inspecting a certified copy of any document filed with the Division of State Documents for publication in the Maryland Register. (See SG, §7-213)
THIS IS THE TIMELINE FOR REGULATORY PROCEDURES TO BE ADOPTED
PERTINENT DATES FOR EACH ISSUE
Finals Effective* Date can Adopt May 4, 2012
30-Day Comment (10 days after date (on the 46th day June 4, 2012
Issue Date Period Ends of publication) after publication) 2012 May 14, 2012 June 19, 2012
Problem Solver|Maryland.gov|Online Services|State Agencies|Phone Directory Office of the Secretary of State: Reg Review & Evaluation Links What We Do
(AGENCY/DEPARTMENT NAME)
WORK PLAN FOR EVALUATION REPORT ON
COMAR ___.___.___
SCHEDULED
RESPONSIBLE COMPLETION
OBJECTIVES ACTION STEPS PERSON DATE
I. Evaluate COMAR 1. Inventory affected regulations.
for the purpose of
satisfying the requirement 2. Procedures and methods to be used to ensure comments from public /
of State Government stakeholders / other affected units.
Article, §§10-130—10-139,
Annotated Code of Maryland A. To invite public comment on these regulations, the following procedures
and methods will be used: (CHOOSE WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WILL
BE USED AND DELETE THE OTHERS)
(1) Publication of notice in the Maryland Register;
(2) Publication of notice in newspapers of general circulation in the State;
(3) Posting of notice on the unit's website;
(4) Posting notice on Division of State Document's website;
(5) Mailing of notice; and
(6) Holding of public hearings at various locations around the State.
B. To ensure the participation of stakeholders in the review process, the
following procedures will be used: (EXPLAIN IN PARAGRAPH OR
OUTLINE FORM)
C. To ensure the participation in the review process of other units affected
by the regulations, the following procedures will be used: (EXPLAIN IN
PARAGRAPH OR OUTLINE FORM)
3. Procedures for gathering and reviewing of: A. Any recent scientific information
related to the regulations being reviewed, if applicable; B. Similar regulations
adopted or repealed by other states or the federal government; and C. Other
appropriate information, are as follows: (EXPLAIN IN PARAGRAPH OR
OUTLINE FORM)
4. Evaluate the need to retain, amend, or repeal each existing regulation based on
the following criteria:
A. Continue to be necessary for public interest;
B. Continue to be supported by statutory authority and judicial opinions;
C. Are obsolete or otherwise appropriate for amendment or repeal;
D. Continue to be effective in accomplishing the intended purpose of the regulations; and
E. The information gathered under Action Steps 1—3.
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I JUST MARCHED WITH THE WORKERS UNITED, A LABOR ORGANIZATION WITH MOSTLY HISPANIC WORKERS. WE MARCHED 4 MILES TO SHOUT OUT AGAINST THE EXPLOITATION OF HISPANIC WORKERS IN BALTIMORE AND MARYLAND. THE EXPLOITATION IS ACROSS THE BOARD.....CONSTRUCTION, HOSPITALITY, LANDSCAPE, HEALTHCARE............................THE STATE OF MARYLAND INVITES THESE FAMILIES TO THE STATE, OFFERS ALL KINDS OF SUPPORT IN GETTING THEM READY TO WORK...................AND THEN EXPLOITS THEM IN THE WORKPLACE!
DID THIS COMMISSION EVEN SPEAK TO THESE LABORS ISSUES.......I DON'T SEE ANY CLUES THAT THERE ARE CONCERNS!
Immigrant Impact / By Walter Ewing 1 COMMENT
New Research Shows Many Ways Immigrants Benefit Maryland's Economy
The report reaches a number of conclusions not only about the benefits of immigration to Maryland, but about which policies maximize those benefits and which policies stifle them. February 15, 2012 |
A new report from the Commission to Study the Impact of Immigrants in Maryland concludes that immigrants bring a plethora of economic, social, and cultural contributions to the state of Maryland. The commission, which was created by the Maryland General Assembly, also warns against attempts to deal with unauthorized immigration through enforcement-only policies that needlessly sow fear and distrust in immigrant communities. Rather, the commission admonishes, “Maryland must remain welcoming to immigrants, and the state and its local jurisdictions should further strengthen its efforts to integrate immigrants into the economy and the community.”
The commission’s report, entitled The Impact of Immigrants in Maryland, begins with a survey of the available literature on the economics of immigration and concludes that, “in general, immigration leads to higher economic growth and greater levels of income per capita not only for the immigrants themselves, but, on average, for the U.S.-born persons as well.” As the report notes, immigrants don’t steal jobs from the native-born because immigrants and native-born workers tend to have different, “complementary” sets of skills. Moreover, immigrants fuel entrepreneurship and innovation. The report also finds that “in aggregate and over the long term, immigrants pay more in taxes (federal, state, and local) than they use in government services.”
With regard to the economy of Maryland in particular, the report emphasizes that “immigrants have made considerable contributions to Maryland’s leading industries in the information, science, and medical fields.” In addition, “Maryland’s growth in construction, travel, retail, transportation, farming and fishing sectors was greatly supported through immigration.” According to the report, “it is doubtful that without immigration, the State could have lured enough U.S.-born workers from slower growing parts of the country to fill these positions.”
The report reaches a number of conclusions not only about the benefits of immigration to Maryland, but about which policies maximize those benefits and which policies stifle them. For instance:
- “A systematic and bipartisan approach to federal immigration reform is essential for a healthy nation and for Maryland.” In other words, the federal government needs to act soon; there is only so much that any state government can do in the absence of immigration reform at the national level.
- “A healthy and growing economy needs immigrants of all types.” Maryland’s economy needs, and will continue to need, ready access to both highly skilled and less-skilled immigrants in a wide range of occupations and industries.
- “Programs that enroll local law agencies in enforcing immigration law can work against the interests of Maryland’s communities.” In particular, the report “found several important problems common to the Secure Communities and 287(g) programs.” Secure Communities is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program to identify immigrants in U.S. prisons who are deportable. Under 287(g) agreements, DHS delegates immigration-enforcement powers to local police. Most of the immigrants deported under both Secure Communities and 287(g) have no serious criminal history, which runs contrary to the stated aims of the programs themselves. The report recommends that police departments in Maryland steer clear of 287(g).
- “To ensure Maryland’s continued global economic and technical leadership, the state must redouble its efforts to provide superior education at every level to all young residents, including the foreign-born, regardless of immigration status.” The reason is simple: “a more educated person is good for our society. They earn more money and are more engaged in the community. They are better informed workers, consumers and voters.” Needless to say, the report opposes any policy which would deny access to education to children who are unauthorized immigrants
