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.

The “Structural” Tax Increases

By William L. Anderson, Ph.D.
Published on Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The state of Maryland, after running budget surpluses and maintaining a rather ordered fiscal house in the past few years, faced a $1.5 "structural deficit." In response, the governor and legislators decided to take provide an extra $1.3 billion from taxpayers to fund promises made by Gov. Martin O'Malley during his gubernatorial campaign. (The legislature claimed to have "cut" $550 million from the budget to make this plan work. Of course, these "cuts" really are nothing more than reductions in the planned increase of government spending.)

A Growing Fiscal Concern: Medicaid Spending In Maryland

By Marc Kilmer
Published on Wednesday, January 09, 2008
In a special session in late 2007, Maryland's General Assembly expanded the state's Medicaid program. Given that this special session was convened to deal with the state's deficit, expanding a program that has caused financial challenges for the state seems an odd decision. Over the past 15 years, this program has strained state budgets, especially during times of economic recession. A different approach is needed.Maryland contends with a long-term budget deficit and faces the possibility of a slowing economy. In this economic and fiscal climate, state policymakers should seek alternatives to Medicaid expansion. Steps to make health insurance more affordable for Marylanders and fundamental reform of the structure of Medicaid would benefit Marylanders more than expanding an expensive program.Anyone considering Medicaid expansion should keep in mind the state's recent experience with Medicaid and the Maryland Children's Health Program (MCHP). Looking at spending patterns in the years since 1992 gives a good snapshot of how Medicaid and MCHP work in both good economic times and bad. Medicaid occupies a significant share of the state budget and squeezes out spending on other programs during economic hard times. Although Medicaid is known as a program that is needed to help people who are in difficult economic circumstances, only during 1998 did spending actually decrease despite many years of high economic growth.