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Email Newsletter of April 3, 2006
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News Update from Senator Nancy Jacobs
District 34: Harford and Cecil Counties
April 12, 2006
In this Issue...
* The Politics Behind the Baltimore City School Take Over
* BGE- We're Not Done Yet
* The Lack of Eminent Domain Laws
* The Teachers New Retirement Plan
* My Opinion on the 2006 Session
* News You Can Use
* I Want to Hear from You
We are not going to forget this session for quite some time. The
BGE rate hike is still undecided and there has been no change to
eminent domain laws. The Democrats have made it easier to tamper
with the election process in this state, but when it comes to the
education of students, the Democrats sided with the Mayor of
Baltimore to block the state from taking control of 11 Baltimore
schools that are in dire need of help. This was an unusual session
and I am sure it will be followed by an unusual election especially
since the Democrats passed early voting laws for precincts in
heavily Democratic areas. |
The Politics Behind the Baltimore City School Take Over
On Monday the Maryland State Senate voted on the future of
the Baltimore City school students and the outlook isn’t good. Both
the house and senate voted to overturn the Governor's veto of HB
1215.
The General Assembly blocked the state from taking control of 11
schools in Baltimore City that are in dire need of help. The
following Washington Post editorial illustrates the unacceptable
situation the students have faced because of the city’s lack of
leadership. Allowing the city to maintain the status quo is
unacceptable. The students of Baltimore City deserve better and the
state was prepared to give them the leadership and hope for their
future that the city has failed to do.
The Washington Post editorial article:
Baltimore's Disgrace
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BGE- We're Not Done Yet
The BGE issue has been with us these past 90 days, and Mike
Miller, the President of the Senate, failed to allow the senate to
vote on a bill to bring about a resolution to limit the electric
price hike. In the final minutes of session on Monday night, a bill
was presented to the senate that would have reduced energy rates for
a million BGE customers, something the citizens of Maryland have
been looking for the past three months.
There is plenty of criticism to go around. But the real hindrance to
passing the piece of legislation to help the citizens of Maryland
was Senate President, Mike Miller. He couldn’t bring himself to put
policy before politics. In fact, Mike Miller pulled out of
negotiations with the Governor, Constellation Energy, Speaker Bush
and other key legislators because he couldn’t get what he wanted,
which is a new Public Service Commission with his handpicked choices
on the payroll.
The General Assembly knew the BGE rate hike was going to be the most
important issue facing us this year, yet we were not able to come to
an agreement in the senate. When the leader of the senate doesn’t
bring the bill to the senate floor until twenty minutes before our
90 day legislative session ends, one has to wonder about his
motives. He had a copy of the bill for hours and yet he chose not to
bring it to the senate floor to be voted on until 11:40 pm. The
General Assembly can resolve legislation about the closing of
failing Baltimore Schools in 72 hours but when it comes to something
as political as energy rates, we cannot find a solution in 90 days.
Mike Miller has made this issue partisan and political when there
was no need for it to be either. When are people going to realize
that there are consequences for such blatant actions? We are not
elected to the senate to play politics with the most important
legislation and issue of this term. We are here to do the people’s
work. Unfortunately, we were not given the opportunity to do so.
I only hope that the Governor can find a way around Mike Miller’s
partisanship to fix our energy situation. If not, a special session
will be next on the agenda.
BGE Customers Face 21 Percent Rate Raise
Power Rate Relief in Md. Squelched in Final Minutes
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The Lack of Eminent Domain Laws
I am sad to say that during this session, the General
Assembly failed to protect the residents of Maryland from the
consequences of unfair eminent domain laws. Both of the bills that I
co-sponsored, SB173-Property Protection Act of 2006 and
SB155- Harford County- Eminent Domain- Limitation on Condemnation
Authority to correct this problem, failed to get out of
committee.
I, like many of my constituents, wanted something done about this
important issue. However, the majority party has once again put
politics before policy. The leadership made this session partisan to
the point of hurting the people that voted us into office. Even when
Marylanders make it evident that they want something done about this
issue, the democrat leadership finds a way to not pass legislation
to correct the situation. Now they are trying to blame the
Republicans and Governor for the demise of the bills they killed.
I promise that next year I will sponsor another bill that will
protect my constituents from overreaching government. My only hope
is that next year we can find a way to put what our constituents
want first and leave politics out of it. |
The Teachers New Retirement Plan
I am happy to announce that we passed a bill that will help
thousands of our teachers. The result is very similar to SB 1019,
which I co- sponsored. The senate bill contained the provision of
retroactivity back to 1998, whereas the house bill didn't offer this
long over due and needed benefit. If Maryland hopes to keep our
teachers from leaving the state then we need to start providing our
teachers with better benefits. We’re on the right track with this
bill.
The multiplier will also increase in the new teachers plan from 1.4%
to 1.8%. Teachers in this pension plan will also be putting in a 5%
contribution phased in over a three-year period. This bill has the
backing of the Maryland State Teachers Association.
Teachers play such a vital role in our children's lives that it is
only right that we give them a way to better prepare for life when
they retire. With the passage of this bill, Harford and Cecil
Counties will be able to not only persuade teachers to enter our
school system but will also keep the wonderful teachers that we
already have.
I have received hundreds of emails, letters, phone calls and
petitions from teachers and I am truly happy that we were able to
pass a bill to help them.
MD Lawmakers Approve Pension Overhaul |
My Opinion on the 2006 Session
This past session has truly been one of the hardest sessions
in recent memory. Right from the start with the overriding of the
Governor’s vetoes in the first two weeks of session right up to
Monday at midnight, partisanship has ruled this session.
It is clear that the Democrats are afraid that the Governor will win
reelection. Never before have bills been submitted to directly
weaken a governor’s legislative authority. Whether it’s a bill that
forces one member of the Board of Regents to resign if he continues
helping the governor to raise money for his campaign or a bill that
would make the Governor’s departmental appointees go through another
round of confirmation hearings, the democratic legislators had only
one purpose- to thwart our republican governor.
The Democrats continually pushed their bills through and then held
up bills sponsored by the Republicans. The Democrats can conjure up
a bill and pass it in 72 hours but they cannot pass a bill to help
Maryland residents with electric rates in 90 days. The Democrats
fail to realize that their actions have consequences.
In one session the Democrats can defend a dysfunctional school
system that effects thousands of children and the next minute pass
voting laws that will give them a distinct advantage at the polls by
opening early election polls in heavily Democratic areas with no
paper trail, leaving the election process open to fraud.
During this session we were happy to see the morning after pill
legislation fail again however, stem cell research pass without
limits on the testing of embryonic stem cells.
This session has been purely about politics. Party came before
constituents, party came before good policy, and party came before
the education of thousands of Baltimore City school children.
This session has been tough but there is a way to fix that problem.
We need to elect representatives that represent us, not those that
only follow the party lines and the party leadership.
This session has been very difficult but my spirits are not down. We
have issues that need to be addressed, and I will work hard to see
that those issues are resolved next session if not before.
I thought you may be interested in seeing the Republican
Party's take on this session. Here is their review of the
session.
End of the 2006 Session—Miller and Busch are the leaders of the
"Do Nothing Good Party"
The 2006 General Assembly session wrapped up this week. After the
confetti fell in the Assembly chambers, and partisan Democrats
slapping each others backs for their litany of petty legislation,
Marylander's woke up to the fact that their elected officials failed
to accomplish some of the biggest issues facing the state. The House
and Senate, led by Busch and Miller, failed to provide relief for
Maryland's electricity rate payers. They failed to pass legislation
to protect children from child sexual predators. They failed to pass
a veterans tax credit. Nothing was done on eminent domain. But,
guess what folks, you can now carry an unfinished bottle of wine out
of a restaurant! Oh, joy! And pets can have trust funds. Isn't that
crucial?
The deal with BG&E fell apart in the waning hours of the session.
The deal fell apart because of Senate President Mike Miller. You
know, Dr. Deregulation, himself. The man who has accepted more than
$100,000 in energy money. The man who pushed for deregulation in
1997, 1998 and was finally successful in 1999. Then he appointed
himself to the conference committee to tailor the legislation to his
own liking, all the while ignoring the pain he knew the legislation
caused Maryland's rate payers down the road. But it's all about
Mike, right? Even House Speaker Mike Busch railed against Miller,
saying "You left $600 million on the table," Mr. Busch said of the
senators in an interview after the legislature adjourned for the
year. "People who voted against this voted against $600 million to
bring home to their constituents," (BGE rate deal short circuits,
special session up next?, Annapolis Capital, April 11, 2006.)
Here's another delegate who's frustration lead to calling out
Miller's failure: "But a furious Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince
George's) said he could not believe the Senate balked at the deal
just before midnight. On a procedural motion, it failed by one vote.
'They're rolling the dice with people's pocketbooks,' he said.
'That's one thing you just do not do.'" (Legislators in MD stay
partisan to session's end, Washington Post, April 11, 2006.)
The legislature had time to draft petty partisan legislation aimed
at the governor's cabinet secretaries, members of the University
System's Board of Regents, former Insurance Commissioner, and
stripping the governor's constitutional powers, yet DID NOT do the
job they are sent to Annapolis to do: work on behalf of the people
of the state. Instead of putting the people first, the Democrat-led
General Assembly put themselves and their re- elections before
Maryland. The people once again come in a distant second to the
political agendas of the Democratic monopoly.
Governor Ehrlich will now finish the job the legislature failed to
do. Governor Ehrlich has always put Marylanders first. He will clean
up this mess created by Mike Miller and the monopoly and he will
protect Maryland's electricity rate payers. Governor Ehrlich is
leading while the out-of-touch Democratic legislators go back to
their districts and pat themselves on the back. |
News You Can Use
Property Tax Bill is Signed
General Assembly Fails to Resolve Electric Rate Debacle; Governor
Looks into Solving the Problem on His Own
Governor Calls Assembly Session Extremely Partisan
Let Marylanders Protect Themselves
Lawmakers push tighter sex offender measures
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I Want to Hear from You
If these issues or others are of concern to you please
contact me. I represent you and your interests in Annapolis.
Click here to access our contact page. |
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