From Del. Kathy Szeliga:
There was just too much to share in one email about the 90-day legislative session! Here is part 2 of 2.
April 9th was Delegate Sue Aumann’s last day serving on the floor of the House of Delegates. Delegate Aumann has served the people of Maryland with integrity and honor for the last 16 years. Sue is an exemplary public servant who has earned the respect of her constituents and her colleagues. On a personal note, Sue Aumann has been a true friend and mentor and I will miss her positive influence on our entire House of Delegates and me. Delegate Sue Aumann is remarkable woman who has chosen to retire from the House to spend more time with her family.
Legislative Session Review – Part 2:
EDUCATION ISSUES
As a parent, grandparent, and former teacher, I am committed to ensuring access to a world-class education for every child, regardless of their zip code. Governor Hogan is also committed to education and has funded PK-12 public education at the highest level in the history of the state. The chart below illustrates the current spending per pupil. These amounts do not include the funds spent on capital projects (buildings, air-conditioning, fields, etc.).
#1. Worcester Co – $18,312 per pupil
#2. Somerset Co – $17,945 per pupil
#3. Baltimore City – $17,211 per pupil
#11. Baltimore Co – $14,798 per pupil
#23. Harford Co – $13,498 per pupil
#24. Talbot Co – $13,414 per pupil
It is interesting to note that Parkville’s St. Ursula parochial school tuition for K-8 is about $5,100 per pupil and they also serve students from low-income neighborhoods. Funding education is important, but we need to ensure we are using tax dollars effectively and efficiently.
I cosponsored Governor Hogan’s bill to create an Inspector General for all 24 public school systems. The IG is an independent unit in the State to investigate, analyze, and report on educational standards and investigate fraud, abuse, and waste in our schools. Our education funding levels are some of the highest in the nation, yet our students perform in the middle of the pack. We need more efficient use of dollars to get more resources to the classroom. Unfortunately, that bill did not pass. Hopefully, we will get it through next year.
The liberal leadership in Annapolis pushed through a bad education bill to transfer the accountability for construction of public schools from Governor Hogan, Comptroller Franchot, and State Treasurer Nancy Kopp to an unelected and unaccountable bureaucratic commission. I voted against this and I am concerned about the coming large expansion of funds into a system without an Inspector General or elected officials’ oversight. The veto was overridden. All but one Republican stood with Governor Hogan on this veto override. Every major media outlet opposed the veto override and shared concerns about petty partisan election year political moves like this.
AG BRIAN FROSH AND HIS ENDLESS LAWSUITS
AG Frosh continues to waster taxpayer money as he has filed more than 25 lawsuits against President Trump’s policies. The latest suit he joined is to stop the US Census from asking if a respondent is a US citizen. There is not a follow-up question for those who are not citizens to include legal status. All information gathered by the US Census is protected for confidentiality. The census is a data driven tool used for, among other things, the creation of political election districts. If the federal government is going to do their job and address immigration policies, having information about citizenship is important.
I voted to transfer the $1 million in the AG budget from Frosh’s petty partisan political lawsuits and invest that in additional school safety. It failed on a party-line vote.
REDISTRICTING
I have been a cosponsor of Governor Hogan’s redistricting reform bills. We need to implement a non-partisan panel to draw our state and federal districts. Maryland has some of the most gerrymandered districts in the nation. The Supreme Court is reviewing Maryland’s congressional districts now.
Governor Hogan’s redistricting bill was voted down again this year on a party-line vote. Hopefully, Governor Hogan will get a chance to lead redistricting in 2021 after the 2020 census is complete and all 50 states undertake this decennial charge. The current process deprives Marylanders of real choices and a fair political debate. Voters should choose their representatives instead of politicians choosing their voters.
HEALTH CARE
The predicted demise of Obamacare has caused skyrocketing health insurance rates and the destabilization of the individual market. The Affordable Care Act has become unaffordable as we were facing another huge insurance premium increase of 50% this fall. Without action from Washington D.C., states are forced into repairing the ACA. As a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee, I worked with Governor Hogan, and Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer to create a bipartisan one-year fix for next year. A reinsurance program, also being considered at the national level and passed in other states, will stabilize the individual insurance market and may even bring reduced premiums.
I also introduced a bill to offer lower premium plans in the individual market. This value plan, the Copper Plan, offered a higher deductible and covered the ten essential benefits mandated in the ACA. The Copper Plan reduced monthly premium costs significantly. There are too many people who would like to have health insurance but cannot afford it. The health committee liked the plan and we may get it passed next year.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
The program is finally up and running. A couple of tweaks were necessary this year, increasing the number of growers by about 5 and expanding processor licenses. Patients will have better access to medical marijuana going forward.
VICTIMS OF CRIME
For many years, victims advocacy groups and prosecutors have tried to pass a law to allow a criminal’s history of prior sex offenses be used during the prosecution of a subsequent sex offense. This year Governor Hogan called it the Repeat Sexual Predator Prevention Act. After languishing in the Judiciary Committee, Leader Nic Kipke and I, on behalf of the House Republican Caucus, threatened to petition that bill out of the committee and force a vote on it. The bill was then released out of committee and passed into law. I also supported a bill to terminate parental rights of rapists. We increased penalties for witness intimidation from 5 to 10 years, protecting those who are working to clean up their neighborhoods.
CRIME
The violent crime and murder rate in Baltimore City has garnered national attention. I joined Governor Hogan and others in calling for tougher penalties on repeat violent offenders who are terrorizing our communities. Criminals convicted of drug trafficking while using an illegal gun will be subjected to a mandatory minimum 5-year sentence on top of their other sentences. Violent offenders will face at least ten years in jail. We made it easier to prosecute high-volume drug dealers and increased penalties for dealers selling deadly fentanyl. We took action this year.
It is truly my honor and privilege to represent you in the Maryland House of Delegates. Your thoughts and views are very important to me. I’m grateful for the many people who take the time to call, email, and talk to me out in the community. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can ever be of assistance to you and your family.
Thank You!
Thanks for your interest in the important issues facing Maryland today. Please be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for the most up to date information.
God bless you and your family!
Where is the republican healthcare plan they have been promising for the last 8 years that will be a better plan than ACA and cheaper? And where is the $4000 tax cut trump promised me?
In all fairness, a Republican HealthCare overhaul was promised only by Trump and since he has been in office for little more than a year, the whole 8 year thing is moot. Republicans promised to repeal ObamaCare and that just didn’t happen. Certain Republicans did promise a new health system, but I don’t recall it being a Republican promise until Trump came into the picture. Trump’s tax laws don’t go into effect until next year so look for whatever promise he made next year. In all reality, socialized medicine can only work on a single payer system and that means you have to get insurance companies out of the equation altogether. You probably won’t get a $4,000 tax cut either, but Trump may have made it easier for businesses to startup or return to the US and that could mean more jobs and a better economy. The reality is we are still declining and are doomed until we produce and use our own goods again while not relying on foreign interests to provide us our needs.
In all fairness Republicans have followed Trump like a puppy dog passing legislation they know is bad. Nobody forced them to vote on these measures. The Republican president made these promises and all the republicans got on the band wagon. We are here because of lousy republican legislation. The promise to get rid of Obamacare and have a new healthcare in the same day was always a lie. No wonder so many republicans are jumping ship. They want to save face from getting voted out Anyone that voted for these bills is responsible.
The whole reason Dems were only in power for 2 years after Obummers election was because they passed ACA and the republicans promised something better and cheaper. Do you not remember the slogan if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor used in every republicans campaign to repeal and replaceObama care? Your claim that didn’t exist prior to trump is laughable. You are entitled to your own opinion SC but please try to not mistake them for true history. The drugs screwed up your mind son, focus.
After doing a little research it seems that Sen. McConnell coined the phrase “repeal and replace” as soon as ObamaCare became law. However, this was done because Republican strategists thought that an appeal without a replacement might backfire on them. Most Republicans didn’t want to replace it, they wanted to repeal it. I would hardly say that McConnell’s words spoke for the entire Republican Party at the time and if anyone actually though the Republicans would agree to a replacement they were kidding themselves. I think the drugs screwed up your brain if you think McConnell’s words, adopted by a few, actually spoke for the entire Republican Party. I still think “replacement” became a true Republican running point only when Trump became the candidate for the Republican Party, but to each his own. I’m sure there were some that did adopt this strategy and followed McConnell’s lead, but talk to members of the “Tea Party” and they will firmly tell you they were only interested in “repeal” and didn’t care about a “replace”.
http://observer.com/2017/09/why-republicans-failed-to-repeal-and-replace-obamacare/
Yea you are probably right the republicans wanted to repeal it with nothing to replace it. That entire election cycle was just vote for us we aren’t liberals….LOL
You are delusional
Oh and you tried to support your claim with an opinion piece from the Observer….. Gimme a break.
It specifically references the NY Times as the source for when McConnell coined the phrase. The only one who is delusional is you if you think the Republican Party would’ve actually replaced the ACA before Trump started running on the claim. Furthermore, Barrack would’ve never signed it, so who is being delusional? That entire election cycle was run on “repeal” and the Democrats lost a lot of seats because of it, then they lost the Senate. Consequently, after all the lies and BS of prior elections, the Republican Party did not “repeal” or “replace” the ACA and it still stands to this day. What does that tell you? Never mind, because you’re out of your mind…..
You idiot… you just saw a reference to the NYT and figured it justified your claim. Hahahaha…. go back and reread it dumbass, it explains the phrase “repeal and REPLACE” which was coined the day before ACA was signed by OBummer. You really aren’t too bright.
I already typed that on April 26, 2018 at 6:40 pm. It was coined by McConnell and adopted by several Republicans, but was not a promised mission of the Republican Party. It plainly states the phrase was coined the day after the ACA was passed. What can’t you comprehend? Are we having issues? Do you need to adjust the meds? We have gone full circle and you still can’t get the facts right. You’ve got the nerve to call someone else an idiot while you just type in circles repeating the info I already have given. I’m sorry that you lack the proper education to understand the topic we are talking about….
The republican head of the Senate doesn’t represent the republican party but an unelected candidate running for office does. Laughable.
Soul Crusher it has become abundantly clear from your posts here why someone dropped a dime on you, why the prosecutor nailed you to the wall and why your own attorney had more important cases and most importantly why the judge sent you to prison. You just can’t help being a dick.
At the time, McConnell was the Senate Minority Leader and I don’t recall that position being the spokesperson for the entire party they represent. As a rule of thumb, any winner of the candidacy from either party’s National Convention is in fact the leader of the party they represent. I don’t know how you can look at it any other way. Now, for your second comment that was completely unrelated to what we were talking about, none of what you say matters because they are all guilty of Treason against the United States. Any assemblage of men who levy war against the United States, regardless of that assemblage’s intent, are in fact traitors and any scumbag, such as yourself, that condones such hostilities is a traitor as well. My past has nothing to do with what we are talking about and I have no shame for anything that your corrupt courts say I did, nor will I ever apologize for growing and using a substance that made me happy. I had depression that manifested into panic attacks and marijuana got rid of those panic attacks so I had a legitimate defense for using it. When authorities arrest and imprison someone for using a plant that makes that person happy, I consider those same authorities the criminals and I will never think otherwise.
Hey Soul Crusher since you are a bounty of useless information, now that grass cutting season is here is it illegal in Harford county to mow your grass into the road? I know it is in mos places but can’t find it here.
I don’t know. It is definitely illegal in Carroll County, but Harford County I’m unsure of. I don’t step foot in Harford County and would probably drive completely around your county to avoid it. Why don’t you ask your mother? I hear she’s been getting her lawn mowed by most of the yard workers in your area……
My mother’s dead asshole.
She still has a lawn. It’s just on top of her…..
Here’s what Trump and the GOP promised.
http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2017/06/26/president-trump-health-care-promises.cnnmoney/index.html
Uh huh and that differs from what I’m saying in what way? Trump is the one who made “replace” a Republican promise by the Republican Party. Before Trump there was no unilateral promise or policy to “replace” the ACA by the Republican Party. Now, Mitt Romney’s campaign did utter the “repeal and replace” slogan, but he did NOT have unilateral support because no one could reason with the Tea Party. We could go on for days and none of this will ever change the fact that the Republican Party had every intention to “repeal” the ACA and not “replace” the ACA. Paul Ryan’s feeble attempt to write a new HealthCare bill was even coined “ObamaCare Lite”. That says it all. They just wanted to get rid of any legacy Obama created and put their own name on something they didn’t have the guts to try because they didn’t want a black man’s name on this Country’s health care system. Man, I’m glad I’m not a R or a D because you guys will spin anything into what your gangs want it to mean.
I have spent the past three hours combing this Web Site. You posted nothing of the sort. Your claims are specious. It is typical for liberals to lie.
I don’t know what you’re talking about. I guess we’ll call it selective reading and recall. Whatever, I don’t think I’ve been misleading at any point in this thread, but it is typical for a pathological liar to claim someone else is lying.
Who could have predicted this? Oh right, anyone with half a brain.
What an idiot. Comparing St. Ursula’s to a public system is like comparing apples and oranges. I know a teacher at St. Ursula’s and her salary and benefits are not is not even close to what it should be. No person could be the breadwinner and work at that school.
This is not to take away from St. Ursula’s as my wife went there, but let’s get real. They can’t even come close to offering the programs such as special education and electives that are offered in public schools.
Not to mention the money the Arch dioceses kicks in and shorter school year as well as money saved by having the public school system provide special ed services. Surprised she didn’t cite Saint Stephens were her grand children went.
The fact of the matter is that the federal gummint had no business, whatsoever, getting into the health care business. The day that the feds start fixing something is the last day that that particular something has a prayer of ever working again.
What ever could go wrong with a for profit healthcare system?
All the same as the myriad of problems with all of the greedy capitalist businesses that function just great with no or limited interference from some asshole who decided to work from the public trough. All of the socialist programs in Venezuela are a perfect examples of how great it gets once the gummint gets their nose into one’s tent.