This was a long day!

Fifteen bills today in Ways and Means.  Hearings ran from 1 pm to 6:45 pm.  The primary focus this day was Education.  Several of the bills dealt with maintaining funding for libraries and our public education system and use of funds from the Education Trust Fund which will be established when the slots venues are up and running.

Another series of bills were on loan assistance to students training to be physicians and medical professionals.  In light of the shortages of medical personnel in our rural areas, we are seeing more bills that would encourage students to consider practicing in Maryland.

HB306 – Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children

In 2008 a bill was introduced to allow Maryland to join the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.  It did not pass, but a task force was established which looked into this issue and reported their findings in December 2008.  This administration bill, HB306 Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, recommends that Maryland join the compact to facilitate the transfer of children in military families among schools in different states.  Specifically, the compact has provisions to facilitate timely transfers of educational records, the continuation of schooling at the same grade level and in similar programs and courses, inclusion in extracurricular activities, on-time graduation, and the provision of comparable special educational services for students with disabilities.

I am a co-sponsor of this bill.  Children of military families have their school years disrupted by the transfer orders of their parents.  Many of you may remember how hard it was to fit in to your own school even if you had gone to school in the same county with the same children all of your life.  Imagine how difficult it is to have to move every two to four years and make new friends and try to play catch up in your classes.  We must do better for these children.

Bills are coming out of Committee and are scheduled for debate and vote in the House of Delegates.  Today the House voted on 14 bills; thirteen passed unanimously and proceeded to the Senate.  Most had to do with extensions of sunsets, cleaning up language in present law, and housekeeping issues for the State Departments dealing with monitoring insurance, birth and death certificates, and elimination of reports.

One bill generated considerable debate – HB67 Vehicle Laws – Rules of the Road – Use of Signals When Changing Lanes.  I don’t know about you, but I have been signaling when I change lanes in my car for years.  It seems that this provision was not in law; however, any teenager who recently took a driver’s test can tell you that if you don’t do it, you will not get your license.

The bill calls for mandatory signaling for a motor vehicle for at least 100 feet when moving to the right or left on a roadway.  HB67 passed the House of Delegates with a vote of 107 to 26 and will go to the Senate for review and vote.  For all of you who have wondered why drivers were not signaling, now you know – if this passes; all drivers will have to signal.

The Ways and Means Hearings today focused on Taxes and Election Law.  A bill was presented concerning Special Session Campaign Finance Reform.  Special Sessions were once a rarity; but in recent years, Governors have felt that some issues are so critical and deserve focus without any interruptions so more Special Sessions have been called.  This situation was not covered under present law.  Proposals were also heard to allow one county to require photo ID for voting; to review electioneering boundaries around polling places; review the deadline for change of party affiliation; and to change the way local Boards of Elections are compensated.   All of these issues will be studied in more detail by the Election Law Subcommittee.

The Committee gets many bills concerning Taxes and Exemptions.  Today there was a proposal to raise the motor fuel tax.  The Transportation Trust Fund has shown a drop in revenue due to both the high cost of fuel last year and the decrease in driving by Marylanders.  These funds have been used for the upkeep of our roads and bridges and this will severely impact the ability of Maryland to keep up with repairs to our highways.

We also heard a proposal to suspend the excise tax on new car and truck sales; provide incentives for wind energy; and provide for exemptions for solar energy equipment on property taxes.

When I got to work this morning, a rally was going on in Lawyer’s Mall concerning the state of health care in Maryland and why physicians are leaving Maryland.  This is a complex issue but the rural areas are being greatly affected.

Last fall I attended a conference in Annapolis held by Rural Maryland and was astounded to find that Southern Maryland was the most severely under represented of the five areas of Maryland.  In Southern Maryland there is a 83 percent shortage overall in the 30 physician categories that were surveyed.  Hospitals throughout Maryland have difficulty recruiting medical specialists to support their emergency departments.  Yet more and more patients are turning to crowded ERs for even minor ailments.

What is the health care situation like in your community?

Sixteen bills for hearings today in Ways and Means Committee. Chairman Hixson tries to group like issues together so that advocates can give testimony on several bills on one day.  Today’s bills were based on the educational system:  mandatory school uniforms; children’s allergies and allowing school personnel to give prescribed medicines; mandatory preschool for all; reporting requirements for middle and high schools; requirements for high school assessments; mandatory physical education facilities for elementary schools; and teacher identification numbers so that student progress can be tracked through the school system.  There were also several bills concerning boards of education, the number of members, student members, and whether the boards should be elected or not.