Legislative Update - January 15, 2010

Dear Friends,

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season. With the beginning of the legislative session I am in Annapolis working hard on the budget and other issues affecting our State and communities.

I want to make sure that you all know how to reach me to let me know how you feel about bills that are important to you.  The Annapolis contact information is as follows:

                        Email: mary.dulany.james@house.state.md.us
                        Phone: (410) 841-3331
                        Fax: (410) 841-3002
                        Mailing:  Delegate Mary-Dulany James
                                        6 Bladen Street, Rm 404
                                        Annapolis, MD 21041

In addition to contacting me you may wish to follow my bill progress online. As I submit bills for consideration you can see what I am sponsoring by following this link:

http://mlis.state.md.us/2010rs/sponsors/james.htm

My colleagues, Delegates Dan Riley and Dave Rudolph, and I are looking forward to a productive session. While we know it will be filled with many challenges due to the budget shortfalls, I am confident that we can get a lot done this year. Below are the key themes that I think we will see throughout this 427^th session of the Maryland General Assembly:

• Maryland as a leader –  
  • Even in the toughest of times, we protected our priorities:
    • Maryland ranks first in the nation for our K-12 education system.
    • Maryland has moved from 6th most expensive to 20th in the nation for higher education tuition, as a result of four consecutive years of a tuition freeze, started by the legislature in 2006.
    • Maryland is now 16th in the nation for providing healthcare coverage to adults, down from 44th in the nation in 2007.
    • Maryland continues to be one of seven states with a triple-A bond rating
    • Unemployment rate is below the national average (7.4% in MD v. 10% US)
• Budget –
  • In light of the global recession, the State’s budget will continue to be a priority this year.
  • Last month, a legislative committee encouraged the Governor to craft a budget with zero growth for the coming year, which will mean continued cuts in State spending.  
  • We have made $4.6 billion in cuts to State government over the past three years, including eliminating 3,300 State positions, bringing spending down below 2007 levels. 
  • Fitch Ratings highlighted that Maryland has “financial operations [that] are conservative”.
  • Revenue declines appear to be slowing: revenue collections were 9.2% below last year in October and are 6.1% below last year, just before Christmas

• Job Creation –
  • Although Maryland continues to have an unemployment rate below the national average, we need to get people back into the workplace.
  • The State will continue to have a healthy capital budget in order to generate jobs in the construction sector. Over this fiscal year and next (FY10 and FY11), capital budget spending will provide 45,000 direct jobs.
  • The legislature will also consider a Job Creation & Recovery Tax Credit, which could provide a $3,000 tax credit for every unemployed worker that a business hires and a loan guaranty program for small businesses. 

• Public Safety –
  • Gangs – We hosted a series of meetings to craft legislation that would allow school systems and law enforcement to share information regarding criminal gang activity in schools. Currently, there is recorded gang activity in every county in the state of Maryland and studies show that the average recruitment age is between 12 and 14 years old. New legislation will focus on reducing communication barriers to better enable our schools to be safe havens for students, as well as strengthening the current criminal gang statute to prosecute criminal gang offenders. (Delegate Riley and I also have another gang bill prepared for consideration)
  • Sex Offenders - In 2007, Maryland passed Jessica’s Law, requiring every child sex offender convicted to serve 25 year mandatory minimum, without the possibility of parole.  We need to continue our vigilance and ensure that the criminal justice system has the tools they need to protect our children from child sex offenders.

I am happy to announce a new look on its way for www.marydulanyjames.com! Please bookmark the site and check in often in the coming weeks and months as I will be posting updates, calendar events and items of interest in your communities. If you have any suggestions for events that should be listed please let me know!

Please add me on facebook! I recently started my page and I am looking forward to interacting closely with my constituents. To find my facebook page go to :

http://www.facebook.com/marydulanyjames.

As always, I hope to hear from you soon and that you will take the time to share with me the issues that are important to you. If you are ever in Annapolis, please do stop by.

Very Truly Yours,