Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The state comptroller told PTA officials they had been violating tax law by not collecting sales tax.
Local chapters of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in Maryland will now have to start collecting sales tax during fundraisers after the state comptroller's office told officials that PTAs had been violating tax law. Whenever a local school’s PTA hosted a bake sale or magazine fundraiser in the past, the organization usually charged a flat fee since the hosts usually already paid retail tax on the items. However, that is now going to change due to the comptroller’s interpretation of Maryland tax law, said Maryland PTA president-elect Ray Leone. Do you believe PTAs should be required to collect sales tax? Tell us in comments. Following the comptroller’s announcement, the more than 900 PTAs in Maryland will need to start collecting sales …
Friday, May 4, 2012
State Senator Joe Getty questioned the ethics and fiscal responsibility of a lawsuit Carroll County commissioners and delegates filed against the state over legislative redistricting.
At a special joint meeting Thursday between Carroll County's state representatives and the Carroll County commissioners, Sen. Joe Getty said the county can't sue the state and then questioned use of county tax dollars to do so. Carroll County recently filed a lawsuit against the state of Maryland, citing that parts of Carroll County won't be properly represented in the state under Gov. Martin O'Malley's legislative redistricting plan. Under the new plan, Sykesville and part of Eldersburg would be represented by a Howard County delegate and portions of Mount Airy would be represented by a Frederick County delegate. A portion of the lawsuit reads, "The cross-jurisdictional districts created by the Governor's plan was unnecesary and arbitrary…
Thursday, April 19, 2012
"A budget that increases by $700 million instead of $1.1 billion is NOT doomsday budget." --Delegate Justin Ready
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Thursday, April 19, 2012
By TOM MCPARLAND Capital News Service Several Maryland groups on Wednesday pressured lawmakers to reconvene for a special session and prevent more than $500 million in cuts under the "doomsday" budget, rejecting Republican claims that the current budget is sufficient. Representatives from education, public safety and health groups said in a press conference that the reductions would spell disaster for services run largely through local governments, including funding for libraries, schools and law enforcement agencies. "Our message is clear: It is time for Gov. (Martin) O'Malley, legislative leaders, the Senate, the House and the members of the bodies to come back and go back to work," said Henry Bogdan, director of public policy and…
Friday, April 13, 2012
Legislators continue to explore energy options.
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Friday, April 13, 2012
By ELLEN STODOLA Capital News Service Republicans and Democrats are at odds in the General Assembly over whether Maryland should pursue offshore wind or natural gas fracking as a way to improve the state's energy output. Neither option has been approved, with offshore wind failing to pass in the General Assembly for the second year in a row, and fracking on hold while a commission studies environmental and health concerns. The debate ultimately breaks down to many Republicans pushing for the cheaper, more immediate drilling solution, while many Democrats argue for the greener, more long-term answer to the question of what Maryland's energy future will look like. It's a Maryland-sized version of the national battle, between those who favor…
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The House and Senate did address marijuana issues in this legislative session but the results may not be what some had hoped for.
Marijuana was a topic of conversation in the General Assembly this session, although some were hoping for a different outcome, like legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. What legislators did accomplish this session? Anyone arrested for possession of a small amount of marijuana will likely see a reduced fine. Current law stipulates that a person in possession of marijuana can serve a maximum of one year in prison, but a new law will reduce the penalty for a person in possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana to a maximum of 90 days in prison, or a fine of $500. Patch user Ross Dangel commented on a blog about medical marijuana, It's a pity legalization is not being considered for any of the logical medical (science based) reasons …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The Student Health and Fitness Act died in the House during this legislative session.
Attempts to combat childhood obesity in schools were not successful during this legislative session in Annapolis. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 28.8 percent of children aged 10-17 in Maryland are overweight or obese. The Student Health and Fitness Act, which would have required 150 minutes of physical activity time weekly, and another bill requiring calorie counts on school menus, both died in the House. According to the Carroll County Public Schools website, every elementary student participates in developmentally appropriate physical education class for ninety minutes per week. What do you think? Should more exercise be built into our children's school day?
Monday, April 9, 2012
Maryland's General Assembly is poised to approve a bill to increase the state's minimum dropout age from 16 to 17, and gradually to 18.
Should Maryland require high school students to be 18 years old in order to drop out? The General Assembly is expected to pass a bill proposing to increase Maryland's minimum school dropout age from 16 to 18 years old, according to a report by WTOP. Express your opinion on the topic in the comments section below. The change will align Maryland with Virginia and D.C., where the dropout age is already set at 18. "Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to sign the bill, which is on its third and final reading in the House," the report states. The change — according to the bill — is gradual, with the minimum age first increasing to 17 on July 1, 2015, and to 18 two years later. The bill provides some exceptions for students to dropout early, …
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The amended version of the Maryland budget passed through the House of Delegates Tuesday.
The Maryland House of Delegates passed an amended version of Gov. O'Malley's proposed budget package Tuesday, which increases state spending by more than $1 billion. Carroll County Del. Susan Krebs, District 9B, voted against the budget legislation. "State spending has continued to increase under our governor even though the average Marylander is struggling to make ends meet," Krebs said. Under the governor's proposal, the total operating budget of Maryland for 2013 would be $35.9 billion and the House of Delegates version of the bill is approximately $35.78 billion. "To pay for this massive increase in spending, there are many new taxes that will affect all aspects of our lives," Krebs said. The legislation passed in the House of …
Monday, March 19, 2012
Maryland is one of 25 states in which sales for human consumption are illegal.
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Monday, March 19, 2012
By JOSH COOPER Capital News Service Some Maryland residents see drinking raw milk as a normal part of a healthy diet. The federal government, however, does not. The feds have cut off a supply of raw milk for Maryland residents from Pennsylvania. 'The move outraged some Marylanders who are forced to go out of state for raw milk because Maryland is one of 25 states in which sales for human consumption are illegal. Last month, a federal district judge banned an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania from selling raw milk to Marylanders who were members of a local food club. 'The ruling followed a two-year undercover investigation of the online club, Grassfed on the Hill, by the Food and Drug Administration. An FDA agent used an alias to become a member…
Friday, March 16, 2012
The Senate recommends a four-year plan to gradually shift teacher pension costs to counties.
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Friday, March 16, 2012
By MIKE BOCK Capital News Service ANNAPOLIS- Breaking with Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposal for an immediate $239 million teacher pension shift from the state to counties, the Senate recommended a gradual, four-year plan in a budget vote Thursday. The debate over the pension shift now moves to the House, where members such as Delegate Heather R. Mizeur, D-Montgomery, and Delegate Aisha N. Braveboy, D-Prince George's, said a decision is not likely to be made right away. Mizeur said the Education and Economic Development subcommittee, of which she is the vice chair, will discuss the Senate plan on Friday. Currently, the state pays all of the pension funds for public school teachers. In January, O'Malley proposed a 50-50 cost split …
Judy robinson
10:36 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
Go look at the roles of people who don't owe back taxes -- multimillionaires who really dont' care and they want to stack more gas taxes on top of the 23.5 state and 19.5 federal we already pay. I have a nice house I'll sell you so I can move! more ›