Editorial: Maryland begs for a federal bailout

Originially published in the Washington Examiner

By Examiner Staff Writer
Published on Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Where will it end? First it was Bear Stearns, then Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Now the State of Maryland wants to get in line for a federal bailout. Maryland - so smart, so compassionate, so willing to increase taxes in order to provide a lavish smorgasbord of "free" government services - has finally hit the wall. The only surprise here is that anybody is surprised. Gov. Martin O'Malley promised all the usual special interests during his gubernatorial campaign that he would fix this and fund that. He called it "investing in our future." Members of the General Assembly were all too happy to join O'Malley's spend-athon. Now, less than a year after strapping a $1.4 billion tax hike on the backs of state residents, Maryland officials are drowning in a flood of red ink.

City seeking $190M in private financing to build new schools

Originally published in the Baltimore Business Journal

By Scott Dance, Staff Writer
Published on Friday, June 13, 2008
The Baltimore City school system needs private financing to fund $250 million in new school construction, a practice more states have turned to as building costs skyrocket and budgets stagnate. The city is hiring a financial consultant for $350,000 to look at public-private partnerships as a possibility to move forward a plan for seven to 10 new schools in the next decade. The school system is slated to get $40 million in state money and $20 million in city money for the projects, but it's not enough, leaders said.

Legislator, lobbyist: a delicate dance

Originally published in the Baltimore Sun

By Laura Smitherman, Sun Reporter
Published on Sunday, May 11, 2008
Maryland lawmaker Heather R. Mizeur shepherded a bill through the General Assembly this year to establish a new fund supporting the emerging field of nanobiotechnology. In the process, she also succeeded in securing a potential funding source for companies she had registered to represent on Capitol Hill.The Montgomery County Democratic delegate acknowledges working extensively for a nanobiotechnology company as a congressional lobbyist with the Washington law firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, but she says she got clearance from the state legislature's ethics counsel to sponsor and vote on the legislation.That company ended its contract with the law firm around the time she introduced the bill. On matters related to other companies, she says she gave "generic advice" to colleagues and was listed as a lobbyist out of an abundance of caution.

The cost of being rich

New tax bracket for Md. millionaires becomes law

By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun
Published on Wednesday, April 09, 2008
It's quite an exclusive club, Maryland's new millionaires' tax bracket. A little more than 6,000 households statewide qualify for the distinction - more than 40 percent of whom reside in Montgomery County.It's a group that includes a Fortune 500 executive in Potomac, an energy company CEO in Roland Park and wealthy retirees with bayside estates in St. Michaels. Throw in some developers in Howard County, a growing corps of black entrepreneurs in Prince George's County and certain small businesses statewide. The Ravens' star middle linebacker would appear to be among the 16 percent of the club that lives in Baltimore County, No. 2 in the state for resident millionaires.

Give consumers control over their electric bills

Originally published in the Baltimore Examiner

By Baltimore Examiner Editorial
Published on Friday, March 21, 2008
BALTIMORE - No one likes to open their Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. bill these days. The prices cause many people to gasp for air. But as Peter Van Doren of the Cato Institute and University of Maryland Baltimore County professor Timothy Brennan said at a Maryland Public Policy Institute forum Thursday, no simple solutions exist to lowering electricity prices in either a regulated market or a partially deregulated market like Maryland. We like to offer readers clear solutions. And the vast majority of the time, that means allowing the free market to work. But electricity markets may be "different" than other markets, largely because electricity must be used as it is generated. It's not a pair of jeans that can be stored in a warehouse and shipped to a store with low inventory. It must be used right away. And it can only go where lines provide it access.

Energy Administration powering up for Md.’s future

By Andy Rosen, Daily Record Business Writer
Published on Friday, March 21, 2008
ANNAPOLIS - Maryland has to be more conscious about the way it steers itself into a complicated energy future, says Malcolm D. Woolf. And the director of the Maryland Energy Administration has been thinking about exactly how to do that. Woolf, who took the helm at the agency last summer, is presiding over a change in direction for the MEA. The goal, he said, is to look more broadly at Maryland's energy system. "MEA traditionally administered narrow energy-efficiency and renewable-energy programs," said Woolf. "What I think Maryland has found is there has not been an entity that was looking out for the overall energy picture."

Lawmakers considering bills that would authorize a study of ‘zone pricing’ of gasoline in Maryland

Originally published in the Daily Record

By Danielle Ulman, Daily Record Business Writer
Published on Monday, March 17, 2008
If you have ever wondered why some Maryland gas stations charge astronomical prices and others skate by selling the same fuel for far less, you're not alone. In Annapolis, lawmakers are considering a bill that would create a task force to study the practice of "zone pricing," which allows wholesalers to sell gasoline at varying prices to retailers based on what each market will bear. Zone pricing is determined by geographic boundaries and competition, meaning that wholesalers charge dealers more where demand is high and competition is low.

More pain at the pump

Originally published in the Baltimore Sun

By Thomas A. Firey
Published on Thursday, March 13, 2008
The road to hell is paved with good intentions, says the old saw. It may soon be lined with higher-priced gas stations, too, thanks to Maryland's General Assembly. State lawmakers are considering legislation to ban motor fuel "zone pricing," under which fuel wholesalers charge higher prices to some retail gas stations than to others. Understandably, retailers oppose the practice, and legislators worry that it's unfair. But if lawmakers vote to prohibit zone pricing, consumers will end up paying higher gas prices, because low-price stations will end up charging more.

Howard considering trust fund for retiree benefits obligation

Originially published in the Baltimore Examiner

By Sara Michael, The Examiner
Published on Monday, February 25, 2008
BALTIMORE - Taking a page from Baltimore City's investment strategy, Howard County officials are considering a trust fund to tackle the looming burden of funding future retiree benefits. Establishing a trust fund would provide officials more flexibility to invest the money and ensure it couldn't be spent when budget times are tight."Any money we put in there has to be used for health care for retirees," said Howard Finance Director Sharon Greisz."It also makes it clear we are committing that money to this liability."

New Study Brings to Light Concerns on Medicaid Spending in Maryland

Published on Wednesday, January 09, 2008
ROCKVILLE, MD - Contrary to the main goal of a special session by the Maryland General Assembly to discuss the state's deficit, the Medicaid program was increased. This, according to a new study by the Maryland Public Policy Institute, is a growing fiscal concern that will continue to increase unless broad reform measures are pursued. In "A Growing Fiscal Concern: Medicaid Spending in Maryland," Maryland Public Policy Institute senior fellow Marc Kilmer finds that with Maryland's possibility of a slowing economy and increasing budget deficit, steps should be taken to find alternatives to Medicaid expansion. Kilmer identifies that Medicaid spending continues to grow in both good and bad economic times. "As noted, Medicaid spending declined in only two of the 15 years examined," writes Kilmer.