O'Malley Announces 60-Day Review of Business Regulations
Focus turns to job creation plan that is likely to couple tax increases with growth in capital budget spending.
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State agencies will begin a 60-day review of business regulations with an eye toward creating and retaining jobs in the state, Gov. Martin O'Malley said Monday.
O'Malley announced his executive order just prior to the opening of a special session in which legislators will take up the issue of redrawing the state's eight congressional districts. The legislature will not take up a jobs bill or other related efforts between now and Wednesday when the the House and Senate are expected to recess.
"The intent is to bring a package of things to the General Assembly" in January, O'Malley said.
Part of that package is likely to include increased spending on capital budget items with a focus on transportation and school construction projects.
"We suffer in this nation from an investment deficit," O'Malley said, highlighting a backlog of transportation projects and $6 billion in school construction needs.
"There's no easy button," O'Malley said. "There's no quick fix to any of these things."
The state is close to its borrowing limit this year, but O'Malley said that limit is dependent on "the revenue we set."
When asked if that meant he supported the idea of raising revenues, possibly in the form of an increased gas tax, O'Malley said: "Yes."
Legislators will hear about a proposal from a blue ribbon commission that would phase in a 15-cent increase in the gas tax.
Turning his attention to the reason behind the special session that began Monday, O'Malley said he believes the congressional redistricting maps he has proposed are fair and legal.
JustABill
2:11 pm on Monday, October 17, 2011
Shocker!!! Owe'Malley supports increasing the Gas Tax and thinks the congressional redistricting maps that have people in Eastern Baltimore and Carrol County in the same district is "fair." I guess it would have been more ridiculous to have people on the Eastern Shore in the same district as people in Northern Baltimore and Carrol County along the Pennsylvania border. Oh wait, they do! So much for logic and fair representation. The new congressional districts look like they were drawn by a class of 3 year old kids in day care but the sad reality is they were drawn by a bunch of self centered, gerrymandering, full grown adults who wish to make it impossible for Maryland to ever be anything more than a one party rule state for another 10 years.
MAH 1464
10:53 am on Tuesday, October 18, 2011
You my friend are right on the money there, it is nothing but a joke to anyone in this State, it is all about 1 party and 1 party only, funny part is every last one of the democrats are just plain ignorant to figure out that trillions have been thrown there way and everyone of them is worse now then they were 10 years ago, but who are we fooling they follow like sheep and get what they deserve, problem is they take from those who do not deserve this high taxed, welfare state.
Sam from Laurel
11:44 pm on Saturday, October 29, 2011
I have to agree as well. I think Maryland and especially Prince Georges county is ill served with out the checks and balances that arrise with a functioning two party system. You know there are serious problems when Leslie Johnson an elected official who after being convicted of a felony is allowed to hold her seat. The question is, is the Republican Party as it stands know going to have any representation in Prince Georges County?
JH
3:05 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011
As long as they don't increase taxes ( of any kind). Maryland has very high taxes already. Hard to find a state with higher taxes. Need to become much more efficient and eliminate the waste and fraud ----- like in Medicaid Program.
Redirect those savings to infrastucture, don't increase taxes. Also, collect income taxes from the tax cheats and freeloaders. Too many people don't even pay a penny in state or federal income taxes. Many don't file a return. Time to make a real effort to collect.