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2010 Session
Report
From Delegate Brian J. Feldman
Chair, Montgomery County House Delegation
Member, Economic Matters Committee
House
Chair, Joint Information Technology and
Biotechnology Committee
Chair, House Banking, Economic Development,
Science and Technology Subcommittee
Dear Friend,
The Maryland General Assembly's 2010 Legislative
Session concluded on April 12, 2010. The
following is a summary of several important
issues with which I was involved. I appreciate
you taking the time to read this report and if
you have any questions or comments, please do
not hesitate to contact my office at
Brian.Feldman@house.state.md.us.
Budget Highlights
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Budget discussions
were complex and exhaustive. The State
Constitution requires the General Assembly to
pass a balanced budget each year. This year,
the emphasis was to protect funding for crucial
priorities, such as public education, while
crafting an extremely lean Budget and not
raising taxes. The General Assembly passed a
balanced FY 2011 Budget in the amount of $31.9
billion. To achieve a balanced budget without
raising any taxes, the General Assembly had to
make tough choices. We cut $525 million in
spending and brought the General Fund
spending below 2007 levels.
This
decrease will make our State government smaller
and more efficient. We have eliminated 4,000
State government positions over the past four
years.
Furthermore, the General Assembly was able to
leave nearly $830 million in cash reserves,
including the State's Rainy Day Fund, while we
retained the State's AAA bond rating, one of
only seven states in the Nation to have such
a rating.
The
independent Fitch Rating Agency reviewed the
State's finances and reported that Maryland's
"financial operations are conservative."
Education
The State was able to maintain its strong
commitment to K-12 education by providing $5.7
billion to education in the form of aid to
teachers, textbooks and other educational
needs. I am proud of Maryland's designation
from Education Week, the Nation's leading
education newspaper, which ranked Maryland's
public schools first in the Nation for a second
year in a row. This distinction is reflective
of the significant investment the State has made
in K-12 education over the last decade.
Additionally, the State continues its commitment
to higher education by providing $1.2 billion to
Maryland universities and colleges.
Feldman Bills
Mindful of budgetary constraints this year, I
sponsored bills that were intentionally designed
to have no impact on the Budget. In the area of
corporate law, I introduced and gained passage
of three bills that will update, clarify and
modernize our corporate laws. These updates
will allow Maryland corporations to compete more
effectively with businesses incorporated in
other states.
Additionally, in collaboration with Sen. Raskin
(D-20), I introduced and gained passage of
innovative legislation to create a new corporate
status called a "Benefit" or "B Corporation."
This corporate structure will encourage green
businesses and socially-conscious corporations
to settle and register in Maryland. As the
first State to enact such legislation, Maryland
will allow companies to officially incorporate a
public welfare ethic into their charter.
Hundreds of companies from around the Country,
seeking to take advantage of this unique
elective status, may choose to incorporate in
Maryland.
Technology
As
the House Chair of the Joint Information
Technology and Biotechnology Committee, I
continue to focus my attention on issues
relating to our technology sector. I am pleased
to announce that $8 million has been allocated
for the Biotechnology Tax Credit program, an
increase of $2 million from last year. The
Biotechnology Tax Credit program serves as a
model for the rest of the United States. As the
author and lead sponsor of the legislation which
created the program, I am confident that this
added investment will directly lead to the
creation of additional high paying jobs in
Maryland's emerging biotechnology sector. Also,
this Session, I introduced and gained passage of
legislation that authorizes the Montgomery
County Department of Economic Development to
make an equity investment in companies that do
business in Montgomery County, in accordance
with certain investment guidelines and other
restrictions. The legislation will provide an
important additional economic development tool
for Montgomery County as it competes with other
jurisdictions and seeks to attract and retain
companies, particularly small early stage
biotechnology companies.
Cell
Phone Bill
Last year, the General Assembly banned the use
of texting while driving. This year, the
General Assembly passed a law to ban the use of
hand held cell phones while driving. Effective
October 1, 2010, Maryland will join six other
States and the District of Columbia to prohibit
hand held cell phone use while driving. Drivers
will be able to use blue tooth technology and
other technology that does not require the use
of the driver's hands to speak. They will be
able to use their hands to turn their phone on
and off. This will be a secondary offense.
Drivers will only be cited if they commit
another offense, such as failing to stop at a
red light. They cannot be stopped solely for
violating the provisions of the new law. The
fine for the first violation will be $40.
Montgomery County
As
the Chair of the Montgomery County House
Delegation, I have enjoyed the challenge of
leading the State's largest delegation. Early
in the Session, one of the most pressing issues
was a potential $23.4 million penalty that the
State was threatening to levy against Montgomery
County and its school system due to an
interpretation of an existing State law
regarding education funding requirements for FY
2010. I worked with my Delegation colleagues on
behalf of the County to bring a resolution to
the "Maintenance of Effort" (MOE) penalty, by
co-sponsoring legislation that waived the
penalty. The legislation passed the General
Assembly and was signed into law by Governor
O'Malley on April 13th. Additionally, FY 2011
State funding for K-12 education in Montgomery
County increased by $53 million over FY 2010.
The question of shifting the cost of teachers'
pensions from the State to the counties was
brought before the General Assembly. The
Montgomery County House Delegation was unified
in opposition despite passage of a Senate bill
that would have shifted 50% of such costs to the
counties. Any such shifting of the pension
costs would have disproportionately hurt
Montgomery County and its school system relative
to other jurisdictions. As a direct result of
the House Delegation's position, the Senate bill
was soundly defeated in the House. After much
debate, the legislature agreed to establish an
interim study to take a comprehensive look at
the State's retirement system and make
recommendations to the General Assembly by
December, 2010. The retirement system review
will encompass State employees, current retirees
and teachers.
Finally, the Delegation was successful again
this year in obtaining a significant amount of
capital funds for Montgomery County projects.
To date, we have secured $20 million for K-12
school construction projects and I am optimistic
that we will receive an additional $10 to $20
million when the allocations are finalized.
Overall, the Delegation secured more than $44
million in State capital funds for a variety of
health, recreational and cultural organizations
in Montgomery County.
In
closing, thank you for putting your trust in me
by allowing me to represent you in Annapolis.
It is an honor to serve you, Montgomery County
and the State of Maryland.
Sincerely,
What do you think? Contact Us
6 Bladen St. Room 223
Annapolis, MD 21401
301-858-3186
Brian.Feldman@house.state.md.us
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