Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Sen. J.B. Jennings outlines how a stalking victim helped work to expand a state program that informs victims of an offender's status to cases that also took place in District Court.
With all of the political strife these days over partisan political agendas, it is easy to lose faith in our elected officials and in our government. But in the true American way, when all hope seems to be lost, a glimmering moment can pierce through the cynicism to restore our broken confidence. While the so-called leaders who are full of hot air have failed us, I have been inspired by an everyday Maryland citizen. This is her story: In 2010, a former constituent of mine, "Christine," appeared before the Baltimore County District Court as a crime victim. She was stalked and harassed by her neighbor, who had a 10-year criminal history that included drug possession and first and second degree assault convictions. The case was originally …
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Baltimore County will lose about $14 million in new budget, but several counties will lose much more.
The 2012 legislative session in Annapolis has drawn to a conclusion, at least for now. The main focus of every session, and the reason for uncertainty about whether or not there may be a special session in the coming weeks, deals with the state budget. The House of Delegates and the State Senate proposed significantly different versions of the state budget, neither of which reflected Gov. Martin O’Malley’s initial budget proposal. Under the House plan, income taxes would have been raised on those making over $100,000 individually and $150,000 jointly under adjusted gross income (calculated after taxes are taken). The Senate’s plan would have increased income tax rate by a quarter percent on almost everyone, as well as created a new, …
Monday, April 23, 2012
State Sen. Nancy Jacobs reflects on the role of stay-at-home moms following statements made by a CNN commentator that Ann Romney "never worked a day in her life."
Mitt Romney’s wife Ann is at the center of a renewed battle in the "Mommy Wars," which has raged since the end of the Ozzie and Harriett days. Should the leading Republican presidential candidate be consulting his wife, as he says he does, on issues about women? A CNN commentator and Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen created a firestorm by saying Ann Romney has never worked a day in her life, so how could she understand economic issues facing women today? Apologies for the comment were forthcoming and rightly so. Certainly raising five boys must be considered “working." A chorus of mothers would testify that raising children is hard, stressful, but joyful work that can send you crawling to the pillow, dead to the world by day’s end. …
Friday, April 13, 2012
Sen. J.B. Jennings said that the inability on the House of Delegates and state Senate to come to a consensus on a budget means no new taxes, for now.
Half a billion dollars in new tax proposals were left for dead by Sine Die on Monday night. Sine Die is what we call the last day of Annapolis’ 90-day legislative session; in Latin, it means “without a[nother] day.” As 11:59 p.m. wound around the clock on Monday evening, Gov. Martin O’Malley’s grand plan to further tax gas, apps, tobacco, clothes, furniture, music downloads, shoes, Easter baskets, and everything else under the sun died. It was an interesting scene in the Senate chamber. There was a lot of stress, a lot of last-minute desperate attempts by the Governor’s allies to push things through. Senate leadership wanted to increase slots and table gaming revenues to balance the budget, but House Speaker [Michael] Busch wanted to rely …
Friday, April 6, 2012
Del. John Olszewski Jr. outlines why Maryland needed to increase the fee in order to help fund upgrades to facilities like the Back River Wastewater Treatment.
It was recently announced that the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant would be the recipient of a $10 million grant to prepare for the engineering and design of an enhanced nutrient removal upgrade. The plant, one of the largest in Maryland, processes approximately 180,000 of the nearly 500,000 gallons of daily sewage that gets processed and released into Back River and the Chesapeake Bay. For years, we have had the technology to reduce and remove harmful nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus—but have lacked the resources necessary to continue restoring and protecting the health of Back River and the Bay. The final cost of such an upgrade will cost upwards of half a billion dollars. Over half of this cost ($265 million) will …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Del. John Olszewski outlines his objections to the Maryland budget proposals passed in the House of Delegates and the state Senate.
The two Houses of the Maryland General Assembly recently completed debate on their versions of the state budget. Not only are both versions very different that the one introduced by Governor O’Malley, but they also differ quite a bit from each other. Unfortunately, they all rely upon income tax increases to partially fund them. As introduced by the administration, the budget would have been partially balanced by capping income tax deductions at 90 percent for incomes above $100,000 and 80 percent for incomes above $200,000. His budget would have also reduced exemptions from $2,400 to $1,200 per person for singles who make between $100,000 and $125,000 and couples who make between $150,000 and $175,000. Exemptions would be eliminated for…
Friday, March 23, 2012
State Sen. J.B. Jennings outlines his concerns over "scare" tactics used by legislators to support tax increases.
I'd like to disclose some behind-the-scenes maneuvering of our beleaguered budget situation in Maryland. Last week, I shared a list of the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee’s “Doomsday” budget cuts. These were not cuts that I had proposed; however, I supported those cuts if they meant balancing our state’s budget without increasing taxes. Many politicians say “No” to any new taxes, but they turn around and also won’t support any cuts. I believe that we can’t have it both ways. In order to solve a red-ink problem, both sides have to move closer together in order to get to zero. I hope you agree that I acted responsibly by saying “No” to new taxes and also pressing for cuts. I did not agree with all of the committee recommendations; I …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Sen. J.B. Jennings said Maryland can balance its budget through cuts and not through a series of tax increases that are being proposed in Annapolis.
Recently, I wrote about “A Day in the Life of O’Malley’s Maryland,” sharing all of the ways our governor wants to tax you throughout your day. Aside from the White House in 2016, his sights are set on your wallet from the moment you wake up till the minute you rest. I was overwhelmed by the positive response from you to this “day-in-the-life” way of looking at taxes, but also received feedback asking what I propose as an alternative. In other words, you rightly demand that fiscally conservative legislators like me don’t just vote against these taxes; we must also provide a remedy to avoid them. I want you to know that every year, the conservative caucus in the Maryland General Assembly proposes an “alternative budget.” Every year, we …
Friday, March 9, 2012
Del John Olszewski believes offering state subsidies, not drastically raising fees for boaters is the answer for supporting DNR waterway improvement efforts.
When asked about some of the best things in District 6 and eastern Baltimore County, residents would surely be quick to note our abundant waterfront access and boating-related activities. In recent years, however, the long-term vitality of the industry has come under attack. It is no secret that the state’s Waterway Improvement Fund, which is funded entirely by user fees on boaters and is used to pay for hundreds of public navigation channels and thousands of water-borne markers, is depleted. Under current projections, the $15 million expected to be brought into the fund this year is woefully below the amount needed to keep our waterways clear and accessible. In recent years, the response has been scaling back on the amount of dredging …
Monday, March 5, 2012
Del. John Olszewski Jr. reflects on the words on the nation's first president in hopes of keeping partisan politics in check.
Last week, I had the great opportunity to present the Washington Day address to members of the Maryland House of Delegates. Through the course of the address, I had the opportunity to reflect upon Washington’s “farewell address” to the nation, and specifically the ways in which the first President called us to be reminded of our collective spirit of unity and to avoid splintering along factions and party lines. In the Sixth District, we can all be proud of the many ways in which our residents consistently heed Washington’s call toward our collective spirit. We see this through the Dundalk 4th of July parade and the Heritage Fair, the Essex Day Festival, and the Edge-Stock music event, among many others. And, given the partisan divide in …
amdactivist
8:04 pm on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
sue the millionaires are leaving md.. They are our employers.. Try to remember that and do you know how many illegal aliens are on welfare using no id to get it other then maybe a matricula card which is nothing worth sharing. Md spends $2billion a year for illegals who work our jobs yet eat up our welfare and benefits. They making out like a rich bandito.. they opening business's everywhere and … more ›