This past Tuesday, I took over as host of Capital Caucus on WNAV (1430AM) in Annapolis. Joining me for my first show is House Speaker Michael Busch (D-Dist. 30) and Len Lazarick from MarylandReporter.com. I also speak with Senate Minority Leader Allan Kittleman (R-Dist. 9) and House Minority Leader Anthony O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) in regards to the joint hearing held by the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee to hear budget ideas from the GOP.
The House GOP Caucus presented it’s ideas to a joint committee between the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and the House Appropriations Committee. The presentation was 45 minutes and proposed a number of ideas on how to save over $800 million dollars.
The House Appropriations Committee with join the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on Tuesday as they listen to ideas on how to cut the budget.
While the House GOP Caucus said that they welcome the opportunity to participate; the Senate GOP Caucus said they would not.
Also in my radio report for WNAV (1430AM) and WTTR (1470AM), House Minority Leader Anthony O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) gives an example of what’s on the GOP’s idea list.
Governor Martin O’Malley (D) and U.S. Rep Elijah Cummings (D-7th)went before the House Environmental Committee to push legislation aimed at stemming the tide of foreclosures.
Catching up on stories from last week that I didn’t get to because of the double shot snow storms that occured.
U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-5th) paid a visit to the chamber that he was once apart of during the 70s. He first visited the House to talk about the economy; then he visited the Senate to talking about partisanship.
Governor Martin O’Malley in his legislative plan includes a proposal to deal with sex offenders. Cecil County legislators, Senator Nancy Jacobs (R-Dist. 34) and Delegate Michael Smigiel (R-Dist. 36) have been working on this issue for a long time in their respective chambers and they commented on the Governor’s initiative.
Catching up on radio feeds from last week, which you can hear on WNAV (1430AM) and WTTR (1470AM), The House Judiciary hearing room was packed as the committee heard testimony on House Bill 90, which would ban the recognition of same-sex marriages from outside of the State of Maryland.
This afternoon, two bills you will probably hear about at some point will be heard by the judiciary committee this afternoon.
The first bill is HB 164 sponsored by Prince George’s Delegate Marvin Holmes (D-Dist. 29C) which will require people with three or more DUI violations to have distinct yellow tags on their vehicles for five years.
The second bill, which you will probably hear a lot about in the coming days as evidenced by yesterday’s edition of The Marc Steiner Show on WEAA (88.9FM), is HB 90 sponsored by Baltimore County Del. Emmett Burns Jr. (D-Dist. 10) which will keep Maryland from recognizing out of state same sex nuptials (domestic or abroad.)
Legislators on State Circle are starting to weigh in on the Governor’s legislative agenda which was released earlier this week. Bills in the Governor’s agenda will address renewable energy, foreclosure, education, healthcare, sex offenders and job creation.
The house judiciary committee will hear a bill proposing that those who have had numerous DUI violations be issued yellow tags. Prince George’s Del. Marvin Holmes (D-Dist 29C) got the idea while visiting his native Ohio, when he saw people avoiding one car that had bright yellow plates with red lettering. Holmes later found out from his mother that those tags were to identify repeat DUI offenders.
The proposed legislation (HB 164) that would require the MVA to issue similar looking yellow tags to someone convicted of three or more DUI violations, the violator must surrender his regular registration tags for the yellow tags within 30 days of receiving a notice for each vehicle they own for a $500 fee.
The tags must be displayed for five years. Holmes says that the yellow tags are designed to get similar reaction to that of the ‘Rookie Driver’ program, in that drivers take extra caution around that particular driver.
This will be Holmes second time proposing the idea, with the first attempt being in 2008. A hearing is scheduled for the House Judiciary Committee Next Thursday at 1 p.m.. Del. Holmes says that anyone seeking more information should contact his office.
