From Del. Mary Ann Lisanti:
Happy Maryland Day!
Update from the 2015 Regular Session in Annapolis
Well if you didn’t already know today is Maryland Day! It is an official state holiday where we commemorate the state’s history and heritage. Today commemorates the landing of the first colonists on St. Clement’s Island including Lord Baltimore. The colonists arrived on two ships, the Ark and the Dove. On March 25, 1634 the new Maryland colonists held a ceremony to give thanks for their safe arrival.
The colony was founded two years earlier on June 20th, 1632 under the 2nd Lord Baltimore, Cecil Calvert, granted by King Charles I of England. The grant was first given to the father of Cecil Calvert, Sir George Calvert the first Lord Baltimore. They wanted to establish a colony for Roman Catholics where they could practice their religion freely, a freedom which was extended to all in the colony.
The Colony was a gift by the King to the Calvert family under certain conditions. One of those conditions being that the colony be named after his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. It was named “Mary-Land” or Maryland as we call our great State today.
Bi- Partisan Budget Passed
Working late into the evening during Session. With a few double Sessions last week, the House of Delegates passed a truly bi-partisan budget. HB 70 – Budget Bill (Fiscal Year 2016) passed on 3rd reader with 129 votes for and only 10 votes against. It’s not every day that 129 Delegates from both parties agree on anything.
In this budget we were able to keep our commitment to Education, those in need and our first responders, by restoring some funding. Also maintaining our commitment to the State pension fund. We did this without raising taxes and still cutting wasteful spending from the budget, including cutting the deficit by 74%.
Aside from passing a budget it is “Crossover” week. On the 69th day of Session, bills from the opposite Chambers crossover. This week we passed along the last of the House of Delegate’s bills and we are starting our work on many of nearly a thousand bills introduced by the Senate. We will continue with the same process of hearings, amendments and voting on many of these bills on the House floor before they are sent to the Governor.
Have a great rest of your Maryland Day!
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Lisanti
Delegate, District 34A
Congratulations to the House of Delegates. With one exception I see that Harford County’s representatives chose to support the bi-partisan measure. Has Mr. Impallaria explained the nature of his nay vote, one of the ten out of 50 Republicans?
So where are all of these millions of dollars being raked in by the several casino’s littered throughout the State?
Wasn’t their big plan to “help fund education, police and firefighters?” At least that is what was on the campaign signs all over the road???
You have to understand that when they said the money will go to education, you were supposed to believe it was in addition to, not to replace it. The money did go to education, but they took the money they used to put into education and used it on pet projects to get themselves re-elected. It was meant to free up the education money so they wouldn’t have to tell you where the money was going to be used.
There is too much money being spent on the schools now for what they produce. Cops get a take home vehicle they can drive their family around in. The local fire department has plenty of money. How else would they be able to drive from Joppa to Bel Air over a facebook post.
I have to agree… I see at least 6 cars for the Hatem bridge when I pass the parking lot. That’s a 1.5 mile bridge that gets at least 2 officers patrolling it – WAY past what should be their limits. I might add that I think it would be humiliating to be pulled over by a mall cop like that. I especially like the road signs that tell us how many DUI’s they nabbed last year… That’s great. I’m glad and I’d like to see DUI’s have their cars crushed… but to spend our money to put up a sign that tells us you’re doing the job we pay you to do? Really? Do you think a boss in the private sector would want you spending company money to put up a sign to tell him you’re doing your job? The HdG police lot has like 20 cars parked on the lot… all the time. I wonder it they all even start? Someone over there commutes a marked car all the way to Rising Sun.
HCPS employees, Monday, 365 rolls out-
Based on my minimal research, Microsoft Office 365 costs about a hundred dollars a year per subscription. The county probably gets some kind of deal as an organization but who knows.
There are approximately 4,000 people employed by HCPS.
If my math is correct, that’s $400,000 a year, 2 million over 5 years, not including any extra costs.
Why, ummm… why?? To make things easier? I’m good now, keep your easier, and give me my long-deserved steps!
Perhaps if she would stop steering tax dollars into her personal pet projects, and useless non profits that she draws a salary from, there would be more money for what she is requesting. What a joke.
Ok lets see… so the key work here is “non-profit” I think that means they make profit right? They don’t hence the use of non before profit. Then there’s the part about the County Excutive, not the council, purchasing land for public use, to be turned into a park to be exact. Which the organization request donations to pay for the construction of a park. hmmm again not seeing where any money is being made. But the public gets land and waterfront for their use, drawing money into their businesses. You know cuz that indutrail property was drawing a lot of business to the city. Oh wait I got! They’re gonna put a toll at the park, that must be how she’s gonna make money off of it. She can’t be just doing her job which was not make profit but give back to the public in the form of maintaining parks. That couldn’t be it could it. I mean who does their job I mean really. Or reads the dictionary. Or maybe checks their facts cuz all these things are public record. Naaa thats too much work its more fun to make things up. 😉