LAST YEAR, MONTGOMERY COUNTY became the first jurisdiction in Maryland to deploy speed cameras on its roadways as a traffic safety measure. Now, lawmakers in Annapolis will soon consider legislation that would expand their use.
As The Post's Philip Rucker reports, the administration of Gov. Martin O'Malley is preparing a bill that would authorize the use of traffic cameras in construction zones. The Maryland Association of Counties and some lawmakers are pushing for speed cameras near schools and in residential areas. But critics say the use of such automated traffic enforcement infringes on civil liberties and is simply a covert way to raise revenue.
» "Lawmakers May Open the Way for Cameras to Watch for Speeding" [WaPo]
GET READY TO PAY a little more for items and services purchased in Maryland.
As The Sun reminds readers today, a 20-percent sales-tax increase, the first such hike since 1977, will take effect on Thursday:
Consider a pack of gum.Business owners across the state have been adjusting their cash registers to account for the new sales tax rules.If your favorite chicle-based confection costs from 41 cents to 60 cents, the tax to be applied under the old formula was 3 cents. Starting tomorrow, the 3-cent levy applies to gum that costs 34 cents to 50 cents. Chewing gum between 51 cents and 66 cents will now take a 4-cent tax.
IT MIGHT SEEM STRANGE that the first CD of cover tunes by Grammy Award-winning R&B singer-songwriter Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds is a foray into mellow 1970s rock. But reports of "Playlist's" oddness are greatly exaggerated.
First, most of Edmonds' many hit songs transcend stylistic boundaries. And most of the artists he covers, such as James Taylor, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, were influenced by soul music. (Taylor, in fact, charted four major hits with R&B covers.)
"It's not a stretch, because James Taylor is soulful music to begin with," Edmonds notes. "But the other things, from [Dan Fogelberg's] 'Longer,' to Bob Dylan's 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door,' are soulful. And I think that's the whole key. These weren't arranged in an R&B way; they were arranged in a soulful way."
HAVE YOU EVER wanted to take a tour of Maryland's State House in Annapolis, the oldest such building still in use? You'd better get there soon. The building, constructed between 1772 and 1779, will close in the spring for major repairs.
The Sun reports today that the state is preparing to shutter the building in April for an overhaul of a pipe system that's in danger of failing:
More than 60 state employees and elected officials will move out temporarily, including the governor, Senate president and House speaker, and preservationists will take careful steps to safeguard the artifacts and trappings that make the State House one of the most visited tourist attractions in Maryland.The State House is expected reopen in time for the 2009 General Assembly session.
Continue Reading "Md.'s Historic Capitol Building Closing for Repairs" »
IT'S PRETTY EASY to figure out who represents the District's disenfranchised voters on Capitol Hill — non-voting Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (or, perhaps Texas Republican Louie Gohmert). For residents in Silver Spring and Takoma Park, however, the congressional borders are drawn so oddly that representation is anybody's guess.
The map at right, though, has the answers. The three members of the Maryland delegation that represent the area are Steny Hoyer (in blue), Chris Van Hollen (in red) and Albert Wynn (in green). It's easy enough to find your street on there, right?
A recent comment at Silver Spring Penguin addresses the confusion:
I voted in the wrong district last year (whoops) because who would have thought moving from Georgian Towers to Twin Towers would change your congressional district!!?? I mean, come on! I realize "Silver Spring" and "Downtown Silver Spring" are [unincorporated] areas ... names with no legal bearing — but you'd think these things would follow SOME sort of logical path! And yes, I realize the reason is that the partisans (uhm.. that'd be the entire [C]ongress) somehow have the authority to move the lines back and forth all day long until they get the balance of power they're looking for — in the process, effectively making some people's votes more or less significant ... but that shouldn't bother us, we're not a democracy or anything.So how exactly can you figure who represents you in Congress, or, for that matter, in Annapolis? Just use this mapping tool. It has overlays that show district boundaries and an address lookup feature so you can find where your home fits in the mix.
» RELATED: "The Race to Gerrymander" [Washington Monthly]
AS MARYLAND GOV. MARTIN O'MALLEY presses forwarded with a proposed plan to overhaul the state's income tax structure to close a looming $1.7 billion shortfall, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has introduced an alternative that would cushion the tax burden on the county's richest residents, who are facing a hefty bill under O'Malley's plan.
Continue Reading "Leggett: O'Malley's Tax Plan Too Tough on the Rich" »
HE SAID HE'D DO IT, and on Monday he did. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley called a special session of the state legislature starting Oct. 29. What's on the agenda? The governor's budget plan, which includes a major restructuring of the tax code — an effort intended to close a projected $1.7 billion budget gap.
As The Post's John Wagner notes, O'Malley, a Democrat, is pushing ahead with the special session despite opposition that exists within his own party, which controls both chambers of the legislature. "I counseled him not to call a special session until he has the votes, but he's determined to go forward anyway," Senate President Mike Miller told reporters on Monday.
» "O'Malley Summons Special Session" [WaPo]
» EARLIER: "By the Numbers: Montgomery's Potential Tax Rate" [Free Ride/Express]
Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post
MARYLAND GOV. MARTIN O'MALLEY, pictured at right, has been touring the state recently to promote his plan to restructure taxes and close a looming $1.7 million budget shortfall. If the governor were to host a town hall meeting in Redskins owner Dan Snyder's neck of the woods in the western end of Montgomery County, he might not get a very good reception. That's because upper-income residents in Maryland's wealthiest county would be taxed at a much higher rate, as The Post's Ann E. Marimow and John Wagner report.
Let's look at the potential tax burden by the numbers ...
» $500,000: The base income level residents of Maryland have to make annually in order to be assessed a higher tax rate, as stipulated by the governor's plan.
» 6.5: The percent rate those higher-income residents would be taxed at.
» 9.7: The combined tax rate those higher-income residents who reside in Montgomery County would be taxed at when combined with the county's 3.2 percent income tax. The top rate for District residents is 8.5 percent; the top rate for Virginia residents is 5.75 percent.
» 80: The percent of the $163 million O'Malley expects to be raised from his restructured tax plan that would come from Montgomery County taxpayers.
» "Montgomery Legislators Struggle to Serve Two Masters" [WaPo]
Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post
MARYLAND GOV. MARTIN O'MALLEY says the longer state lawmakers wait to debate the details of his plan to improve the state's financial picture — including controversial provisions to raise the state sales tax and OK the introduction of slot machines to help the state's ailing horse-racing industry — the higher the state's budget deficit will climb.
As O'Malley threatens to call the state legislature into a special session to address Maryland's fiscal woes, he's also trekking across the state to drum up support. He'll need it. Back in Annapolis, he's facing opposition from Republicans and members within his own Democratic Party.
Continue Reading "Md. Gov. Rallies Support for Budget Plan" »
IS THIS BIT OF POLITICS PERSONAL? Maryland's lieutenant governor, Democrat Anthony Brown, has announced that he will support New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in her bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Here's the kicker: Brown and Clinton's archrival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, were law school classmates at Harvard back in the day.
Does Brown know something about Obama from his law school days that we don't know? Or is the lieutenant governor just stepping in line with Gov. Martin O'Malley, who has already thrown his support to Clinton?
» "Lt. Governor to Back Clinton's Candidacy" [WaPo]
Addison Road