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April 21, 2010
Dear Constituents:
This is the second part of a two-part end-of-session newsletter providing a recap of the important bills that were passed in this year’s General Assembly session. You should have received the first newsletter last week.
Gang Laws – Though we are fortunate in our district to have minimal gang activity, we must be vigilant to the gang activity that is escalating in other parts of the state. It was reported to the Judiciary Committee last year that some form of gang activity is present in virtually every public high school in Maryland. Legislation, which I supported, passed to require mandatory and consecutive sentences for crimes related to gang activity. While we cannot legislate crime away, we can provide prosecutors with the tools they need to crack down on criminal gang activity.
Health Care Reform – With the passage of the massive health care legislation in Washington, states now face unprecedented mandates, including requiring all citizens to purchase health insurance. With this unprecedented attempt to impose a national health care system on the American people, more than one dozen state Attorneys General have already filed suit challenging the constitutionality of the mandate. In fact, never before has Congress required the American people to buy anything.
Since it is highly unlikely that our Attorney General will defend the state against this unconstitutional mandate, Maryland citizens must act through their elected representatives in order to retain the autonomy and level of health care we currently enjoy. I co-sponsored legislation that would safeguard Marylanders from this burden. Unfortunately, the Healthcare Freedom Act was voted down in the Health and Government Operations Committee.
HB 825 - Insurance – This bill, which passed both the House and Senate and will likely be signed into law by the Governor, increases the minimum security required on a motor vehicle liability insurance policy from $20,000 to $30,000, and for more than one individual from $40,000 to $60,000. These increases in mandated coverage will increase insurance premiums at a time of great economic uncertainty and , I believe, will have the unintended consequence of forcing motorists to drop their coverage altogether, thereby increasing the risks and threats to the driving public. I voted against the bill for that reason.
Liquor Licenses for Towson – Working with my legislative colleagues in the 42nd district, we were successful in passing a bill to provide up to three new liquor licenses for the Towson commercial district. This will greatly enhance Towson’s restaurant offerings and improve economic activity in Towson’s core.
Tax Credit for Job Creation – I supported an O’Malley Administration proposal which provides up to $20 million for tax credits to businesses which hire unemployed workers. Under the plan, signed by the Governor on March 26, 2010, a company would receive a $5,000 income tax credit for each formerly unemployed worker that the company hires. Under the plan, as many as 4,000 workers could potentially be hired.
Obviously, this proposal is a step in the right direction but will have a relatively limited impact on the overall economy. If it does spur some additional hiring, that will be a benefit to all of us in Maryland.
University of Maryland Law School Controversy – A great deal of debate centered on whether students at the Environmental Law Clinic at the UM School of Law should be able to provide pro bono work for an environmental group that is suing a small poultry operation over allegations involving runoff pollution on the Eastern Shore.
Legislators from the Eastern Shore threatened to withhold up to $500,000 in funding from the law school to protest what they consider a zealous and aggressive attempt to pursue legal action in the state’s important poultry industry. They feared negative fallout, the loss of jobs, and a continuing perception about Maryland’s anti-business climate as the end result. Proponents of the law school clinic’s approach cited the issue of academic freedom as paramount, and cautioned that withholding funds would have a chilling effect on the law clinic. In the end, the budget provision stripping the $500,000 was deleted.
These are tricky issues. We must strive to strike the right balance among academic freedom, enforcing our anti-pollution laws, and maintaining a strong, growing economy that is producing jobs for our citizens.
Stormwater Regulations – This was also a highly contentious issue this session, with the environmental community, developers and local governments wrestling with the best way to control pollution while not discouraging reasonable and appropriate development.
Poorly controlled and untreated stormwater is a major source of nitrogen and sediment pollution in the streams and rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. According to state and federal environmental officials, it is the only source of pollution that is increasing.
In the end, a compromise was reached among the major stakeholders which provides more stringent control on storm runoff while not being overly onerous to the development community. This compromise preserves critical jobs in our still struggling economy.
Delegates Aumann and Frank Scholarships – My colleague, Delegate Susan Aumann and I, appoint a nonpartisan committee each year to determine which students receive scholarship funds for college. Monies are available to students who attend college in Maryland, whether the school is public or private. Although the deadline has passed for this year, if you would like to apply for the 2011/2012 school year, please call our office, 410-841-3793 or send an e-mail to William.Frank@house.state.md.us after January 17, 2011.
As always, I welcome your phone calls, e-mails or letters on an issue that is important to you.
Sincerely,
Delegate Bill Frank
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