Report on 2014 Maryland Legislative Session The 2014 legislative session ended with the state budget balanced and much important legislation passed. With too many of our neighbors struggling in the current economy, we focused on job creation, raising incomes, and protecting public services which working and retired families rely on.
Key budget priorities included:
The 2014 budget boosts state funds for Prince George's schools and Anne Arundel schools by $60 million. And it protects the 3 percent cap on college tuition hikes, continues to expand health insurance for working people and investment in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay.
After 3 years of negotiation, the legislature passed a compromise bill to modify the Maryland court ruling that pit bulls are “inherently dangerous” and owners are strictly liable for any injury caused by their dog. The unintended consequence of this ruling was an ineffective dog bite policy that treated dog bite victims differently depending on the type of dog that caused their injuries. A fair compromise was reached for both dog owners and victims.
We worked hard to make sure funds raised in the state transportation package we passed last year are budgeted this year for important improvements to our communities:
To help fill the many potholes created by this winter's weather, we won $1.5 million in new state aid to Prince George's and Anne Arundel to fix local roads.
In Laurel, we secured state funds to improve the Armory Anderson Murphy recreation center and the Laurel Park Path System. These investments will preserve our local history and improve recreation for our families.
And in College Park, we got the law changed to permanently allow the University and the City to provide UMCP shuttle buses to city residents.
We worked together on all these initiatives:
Please let us know if there are other issues you have questions or thoughts about. And, of course, feel free to be in touch if we can be of help to you.
|
|
|