ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The first day back in Annapolis is like a school reunion, with lawmakers on opposite sides of the political aisle greeting each other warmly, asking about kids and family.
And on Wednesday, that bipartisan backslapping was on full display as Republican Governor-elect Larry Hogan greeted returning lawmakers with the man he beat in the race for the governor’s office, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown. The two chatted up familiar faces and the many freshmen lawmakers who filed into the State House for the first day of the 90-day session.
But now, it’s down to work, and lawmakers, local leaders and lobbyists are getting set to push their agendas.
For Sen. Ron Young, a Democrat from Frederick County, there’s a concern that fiscal restraint could affect education and the environment.
“We’re certainly going to see a governor that’s going to be cutting, and we need to protect the important things,” Young says. “I don’t want to see them take major hits, we can’t afford to do that.”
Montgomery County School Superintendent Dr. Joshua Starr said he wanted to protect the Geographic Cost of Education Index, a funding formula that gives counties such as his additional money because of their higher cost of living.
“Montgomery County is dealing with an explosion in the number of students; we need help from the state,” Starr says.
Cutting the GCEI would cost the county $34 million, Starr says.
But others, including Democrats such as Sen. James Brochin, of Baltimore County, say they look forward to easing the burden on taxpayers. Tops on Brochin’s agenda: “Tax relief for my constituents, lower tolls on the bridges, a lower threshold for where the highest income-tax bracket starts … and I’m a Democrat telling you those things.”
Brochin says when it came to taxes, outgoing Gov. Martin O’Malley “really piled it on good and I think we need to start facing reality and start serving the people.”
Brochin said O’Malley made strides on the environment and education, but said there had been a “callous disregard” when it came to the tax burden on families.
“People want to keep some of the money they earn,” Brochin says.
Senate President Mike Miller — like Brochin, a Democrat — said lawmakers will have to deal with the state’s $750 million shortfall and work with Hogan. The Republican governor-elect deserved his victory, Miller told reporters, because “the Democratic party did not deliver for working men and women. It’s as simple as that.”
Hogan will be sworn in Jan. 21 and will deliver his budget proposals by the end of that week.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
