ANNAPOLIS, MD – House Speaker Michael E. Busch today announced committee assignments for six standing committees in the House of Delegates, as well as appointments to new leadership positions. In the upcoming session, Appropriations will have 25 members, Environmental Matters will have 24, Health & Government Operations, Economic Matters and Ways & Means each will have 23, and Judiciary will have 22 members.
The committees are balanced to reflect the demographic, geographic and party makeup of the legislature.
The following Delegates and Delegates-elect were appointed today. Delegates not included on this list will maintain their current committee assignments. Type rest of the post here
LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS
Delegate Kathleen M. Dumais (District 15) Vice Chairman, Judiciary Committee
Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg (District 41) Vice Chairman, Ways and Means Committee
Delegate Brian J. Feldman (District 15), House Parliamentarian
Delegate Marvin E. Holmes, Jr. (District 23B) Chair, Democratic Caucus
Delegate Justin D. Ross (District 22), Vice Chair, Democratic Caucus and Chief Deputy Majority Whip
Delegate Anne R. Kaiser (District 14), Chief Deputy Majority Whip
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
Delegate-elect Michael Hough (District 3B)
Delegate-elect Kathy Szeliga (District 7)
Delegate-elect Mary Washington (District 43)
Delegate-elect Craig Zucker (District 14)
ECONOMIC MATTERS COMMITTEE
Delegate Benjamin Barnes (District 21)
Delegate-elect Steve Hershey (District 36)
Delegate Tom Hucker (District 20)
Delegate Benjamin F. Kramer (District 19)
Delegate Steven R. Schuh (District 31)
Delegate Kelly Schulz (District 4A)
Delegate Jay Walker (District 26)
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS COMMITTEE
Delegate James W. Gilchrist (Delegate 17)
Delegate-elect Patrick Hogan (Delegate 3A)
Delegate-elect Jay Jacobs (District 36)
Delegate-elect Herb McMillan (District 30)
Delegate-elect Charles Otto (District 38A)
Delegate-elect Shane Robinson (District 39)
Delegate-elect Cathy Vitale (District 33)
Delegate-elect C.T. Wilson (District 28)
HEALTH & GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
Delegate-elect Bonnie Cullison (District 19)
Delegate William J. Frank (District 42)
Delegate-elect Ariana Kelly (District 16)
Delegate Peter F. Murphy (Districgt 28)
Delegate-elect Justin Ready (5A)
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Delegate-elect Tiffany Alston (District 24)
Delegate-elect Sam Arora (District 19)
Delegate-elect Luke Clippinger (District 46)
Delegate-elect John Cluster (District 8)
Delegate-elect Michael McDermott (District 38B)
Delegate-elect Keiffer Mitchell (District 44)
Delegate-elect Neil Parrott (District 2B)
Delegate-elect Geraldine Valentino-Smith (District 23A)
WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE
Delegate-elect Kathy Afzali (District 4A)
Delegate Talmadge Branch (District 45)
Delegate-elect Mark Fisher (District 27B)
Delegate Glen Glass (District 34A)
Delegate-elect Eric Luedtke (District 14)
Delegate-elect Aruna Miller (District 15)
Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg (District 41)
Delegate Andrew A. Serafini (District 2A)
Delegate-elect Michael Summers (District 47)
Hat Tip to Aaron Kaufman who forwarded this to me
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Speaker Michael Busch Announces House Committee Assignments
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The First Day Back in Annapolis
Written by Delegate Brian Feldman (District 15, which includes Potomac, Poolesville, Clarksburg, and portions of Germantown). Brian is also chair of the MoCo House Delegation.
As I walked into the House Chamber today for the opening day of the 2008 Session, it was readily apparent that the unprecedented, grueling three-week Special Session that we endured in November had left its mark.
There is usually a real sense of excitement in the air on opening day as we see colleagues for the first time in months and look forward to the legislative challenges that lie ahead. Things were different today as it is clear from everyone’s body language and conversations that the Special Session had left the General Assembly with a hangover of sorts. Members do not appear eager to be back in Annapolis so soon. It is as though some normal 9-month hibernation period away from Annapolis exists for this certain species of animal, i.e., legislators, and the natural time clock has been thrown off by the intervening Special Session, the longest in our State’s history.
For Montgomery County delegates, this hangover is compounded by the somber realization that we enter the House Chamber for the first time since the untimely passing of our friend Jane Lawton. Jane’s seat was left open on this first day and there was a moving ceremony honoring Jane in which Speaker Busch, Del. Maggie McIntosh, Sen. Rich Madaleno and her husband, Steve Lawton all spoke beautifully about Jane and her life. As I looked over at the empty chair, it was difficult to get rid of the picture in my mind of being out to dinner with Jane on the last night of the Special Session. Many of my colleagues indicated that they had had similar flashbacks or images of time they had recently spent with Jane.The Special Session may well go down as a demarcation point for our County Delegation. We have the largest delegation in Annapolis and a big issue in Annapolis these days is whether we can translate our numbers into raw political power in a way that MoCo has never done in the past. Most people are surprised to learn that 24 of our 32 legislators in the House and Senate were elected in 2002 or after. It is a group just beginning to form an identity and the Special Session accelerated the process by affording us with a rather unique opportunity to work closely together and get to really know each other under fire and extreme pressure in ways we rarely can during regular sessions. As Chair of our House Delegation, I was able to learn a great deal about each member and came to appreciate that the Delegation is far more diverse politically than I realized. We have a lot of raw talent in our Delegation and as it continues to mature, I am extremely optimistic that we will realize our full potential in terms of political power over the next few years. This is something to get jazzed up about as I look ahead despite the “hangover” I’m experiencing today.
Monday, November 19, 2007
We're Watching: Slots Vote Analysis
Passing slots through the House of Delegates was no easy feat as a previous post outlined. The key vote on the bill passed 86-52; constitutional amendments require 85 votes so slots proponents had only one spare vote. There were also two "poison pill" amendments offered prior to the critical vote on the amendment by slots foe Del. Luiz Simmons (D- 17) designed to make it difficult to reconcile the bill with the Senate and for a referendum to pass.
The first Simmons amendment would have changed the bill to require a county (or Baltimore City) to vote in favor of slots during the referendum in order for slot machines to be placed in that county (or Baltimore County). This amendment was a brilliant strategic move because it altered the referendum to make it one on slots in each county.
In Montgomery, polls suggest that people are much more in favor of allowing slots elsewhere in Maryland than in Montgomery. My guess is that many people elsewhere in the State feel the same way, so this amendment would help juice the anti-slots vote. The amendment failed 61-67 with 13 delegates not voting (only 5 are recorded as "excused"). Note that the delegates who didn't vote held the balance on each of the two Simmons amendments.
This vote was probably the hardest vote for slots supporters because it required them to vote against allowing their constituents to prohibit slots directly in their county through the referendum vote. I'm sure some of Del. Simmons's pro-slots colleagues will take opportunities over the next several years to remind him exactly how much they deeply appreciate his passion on this issue.
The second Simmons amendment would have prohibited people associated with the gambling industry from making campaign donations. This amendment failed 61-66 with 14 delegates not voting (again, only 5 are recorded as "excused").
Based on the outcome of the three votes, it is clear that many delegates did not cast consistent pro or anti-slots votes. Some Democrats who planned to vote against the constitutional amendment probably didn't want to vote for the Simmons amendments in order to avoid: (1) further angering the Governor and the Speaker (not to mention MCEA, which was strongly in favor of the bill), (2) bringing an ignominious end to the special session which would have reflected badly on the Democratic Party, and (3) to help out the Governor early in his term even if they felt that they couldn't vote for slots.
Some Democrats who voted for one or both of the Simmons amendments and then for the constitutional amendment may have wanted to allow the people to decide but then also to give people more control over whether or not slots come to their county. Like slots opponents who voted against the constitutional amendment, they may also worry about the financial might of the gambling industry. Nonetheless, they undercut whatever credit they earned with the Speaker and the Governor by voting for either amendment.
Some might argue that Simmons amendment supporters who voted for the constitutional amendment may have wanted political cover against an anti-slots backlash. I find this unpersuasive as it it hard to see these legislators receiving many thanks from slots opponents after having voted for the constitutional amendment--the central vote on the issue which required 85 votes to pass and could have been defeated if just two delegates changed their votes.
I wonder if some of the delegates who didn't vote despite being present simply felt extremely heavily pressured from both sides and didn't come to a decision in time during the grueling floor session. They may have also wanted to save the Governor from defeat in special session even if they voted against the constitutional amendment.
No doubt there are many other explanations for various vote combinations which I haven't given here, though I have a feeling I'll be hearing some of them soon.
Let's see how Montgomery's delegates voted:
District 14
Del. Herman Taylor played a critical role in keeping the slots bill alive by not voting on either of the two Simmons amendments though he voted against the constitutional amendment. Del. Anne Kaiser cast consistent pro-slots votes. Del. Karen Montgomery is recorded as "excused from voting" for all three votes.
District 15
Dels. Kathleen Dumais and Brian Feldman voted against the first Simmons amendment on requiring a local majority for slots in the referendum for slots to be placed in that jurisdiction. They both also voted against the second Simmons amendment on campaign finance before voting for the constitutional amendment. Del. Craig Rice cast consistent pro-slots votes.
District 16
Del. Bill Bronrott voted for both Simmons amendments before voting for the constitutional amendment. Del. Susan Lee and newly appointed Del. Bill Frick cast consistent pro-slots votes.
District 17
Del. Simmons shocked no one by voting against the constitutional amendment and for both of his own amendments. Equally unsurprising were the consistent votes cast for slots by Del. Kumar Barve, the House Majority Leader and a member of the leadership. Del. Jim Gilchrest voted with Barve (i.e. against Simmons) on all three votes.
District 18
Like Del. Taylor in District 14, Del. Jeff Waldstreicher voted against the constitutional amendment after having not voted on either of the Simmons amendments and thus helping to keep the slots bill alive. Dels. Jane Lawton cast consistent pro-slots votes. Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez voted for the slots amendment but also for the Simmons amendment on campaign finance.
District 19
Before voting for the constitutional amendment, Del. Henry Heller voted for the first Simmons amendment to require a local majority for slots in the referendum to have slots in that jurisdiction. Del. Heller didn't vote on the second Simmons amendment on campaign finance, tacitly helping prevent that amendment for passing. Del. Roger Manno voted the same as Del. Heller except that he cast a negative vote on the second Simmons amendment. Del. Ben Kramer cast consistent anti-slots votes.
District 20
Del. Heather Mizeur voted against the constitutional amendment and for the first Simmons amendment. However, she also voted against the second Simmons amendment. Del. Tom Hucker voted differently from Del. Mizeur on all three votes. He voted for the constitutional amendment having voted against the first Simmons amendment. However, Del. Hucker voted for the second Simmons amendment on campaign donations from slots interests. Del. Sheila Hixon, the Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, cast consistent pro-slots votes.
District 39
Like Dels. Mizeur and Hucker in District 20, Dels. Saqib Ali and Charles Barkley cast opposed votes on all three of the slots bills. Del. Ali voted against a constitutional amendment and for the second Simmons amendment. However, he also voted against the first Simmons amendment requiring a local majority for slots to be placed in that jurisdiction. Del. Barkley voted for the constitutional amendment and against the second Simmons amendment. However, Del. Barkley voted for the first Simmons amendment. Newly appointed Del. Kirill Reznick cast consistent pro-slots votes.
Update: Del. Heather Mizeur pointed out gently via email that I had incorrectly reported her vote on the two Simmons amendments as well as confused the order of the votes. I appreciate the correction and have altered the post accordingly. Thanks Heather.
Friday, November 16, 2007
It's On: House Passes Slots
By a vote of 86-52 (just one more vote than required), the House of Delegates approved a referendum on slots:
Following hours of debate, the House passed a version of Gov. Martin O'Malley's slots referendum bill by a 86-52 vote.Legislators narrowly voted to reject an amendment to remove Ocean Downs (Worcester County) from the list of locations. The Republican delegate representing Cecil also pleaded for the House to give his constituents the chance to vote on slots for their locality. The House amendment to require compliance with local planning and zoning laws should allow localities to reject slots.
The House amended the bill, which identifies five locations around Maryland, to stipulate that slot parlors must comply with local planning and zoning laws. The change could give local officials more say over slot parlors in their jurisdictions. . . .
Under O'Malley's plan, voters would decide in November 2008 whether to allow 15,000 slot machines at five locations -- one each in Baltimore City and in Anne Arundel, Allegany, Cecil and Worcester counties.
We'll see if the conference committee (in which ardently pro-slots Senate President Mike Miller will have a lot of influence) retains it. My guess is they do because they probably won't be able to pass the final version in the House without it.
The House narrowly rejected an amendment, offered by Del Luiz Simmons (D-19), which would have required slots to be located only in jurisdictions which vote in favor of the referendum:
Another measure failed, 67 to 61, that would have allowed slots parlors only to be located in jurisdictions in which a majority of voters approve the statewide referendum next November.
Simmons, who introduced the amendment, said it would be a way to "make sure that smaller jurisdictions are not victimized by larger jurisdictions."
This was a very clever amendment. It was naturally appealing as it would have helped to assure local control and perhaps appealed to legislators as a means of mitigating backlash against votes in favor of slots by giving their constituents the final say for their areas. At the same time, it would have provided a real incentive for a vote against slots by making it a vote on slots in your area. In Montgomery, for example, polls showed voters favorable to slots in Maryland but much less keen on slots in the County.
The Baltimore Sun reported who voted yea and nay on slots. Among delegates from Montgomery, the following delegates voted against the bill: Saqib Ali (D-39), Charles Barkley (D-39), Ben Kramer (D-19), Heather Mizeur (D-20), Luiz Simmons (D-17), Herman Taylor (D-14), and Jeff Waldstreicher (D-18). Karen Montgomery (D-14) did not vote.
Electoral Ramifications?
While many senators have good relationships with their delegates, others resemble that of Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales. The referendum may settle the issue definitively, or it may become hotly contested and close in a manner that sets up interesting legislative primaries for 2010. In Districts 15, all state legislators voted in favor. However, in District 16, Sen. Brian Frosh voted against while all three delegates voted in favor.
Luiz Simmons of District 17 was probably the most vocal slots opponent in the House but Sen. Jennie Forehand voted for the bill. In District 18, Sen. Rich Madaleno voted yea but Del. Jeff Waldstreicher voted nay. Sen. Rona Kramer of District 14 voted yes while Del. Herman Taylor voted no. Finally, and perhaps most intriguingly, Del. Saqib Ali of District 39 voted against slots while recently appointed Sen. Nancy King voted for slots.
Update:
The grapevine is reporting that some people are taking the above post to mean that the above delegates all plan to challenge the above senators. Wrong. As I mentioned, many delegations get along well and individual delegates might not want to challenge sitting senators for a number of reasons. It isn't even clear that this issue will be that potent, especially after the people vote on the referendum.
Nevertheless, this sort of issue is precisely the type on which someone who wanted to mount a challenge could, even if I would be surprised to see it rise to anywhere near the level of the abortion votes which allowed several delegates to oust sitting senators in an earlier decade. However, see Eric Luedtke's post over at freestatepolitics for his opinion on potential likely pairings or people who might use the vote to stand out over other potential successors if the senator chooses to retire.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Hixson Moves to Eliminate Tax Cap
House of Delegates Ways and Means Committee Chair Sheila Hixson (D-Takoma Park) has proposed legislation which would allow the Montgomery County Council to override the county charter's limit on raising taxes by a majority of six instead of a supermajority of seven as currently required. County officials, either expressing a keen sense of the political winds or just annoyance at state interference in a county matter, did not immediately warm to the proposal:
No doubt Robin Ficker will soon be riding to the rescue on this one!Hixson's bill doesn't appear to have much support in other corners of the county she represents. Council President Marilyn Praisner (D-Eastern County) said the state shouldn't be tinkering with what is essentially the county's constitution. "I'm always troubled when the legislature involves itself in something where the voters have spoken," Praisner said.
At a hearing on the bill last week, the administration of County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) also submitted a formal opposition paper, saying the measure "would upset the responsible and workable approach enacted by our voters."
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The Air Already Smells Cleaner
Gov. O'Malley has only been in an office a short while but many have been ready to say that his administration is off to a slow start. To quote Vice President Dick Cheney: "hogwash". The House of Delegates has now passed legislation which matches California's ambitious effort to reduce car pollution:
The Senate appears ready to follow suit and Gov. O'Malley will sign the legislation. In a very short time, Maryland Democrats have moved aggressively to reduce our energy dependence on imported oil, and thus our indirect funding of terrorism, in a manner that the Bush Administration should have been pushing since 9/11. If this is O'Malley's choice of his big gift this year to liberals, I approve.Because the best way to reduce gases is to use less fuel, the legislation would require vehicles to be more fuel efficient. The law is designed to raise the state's average fuel efficiency for new vehicles sold in Maryland to 43 miles per gallon. The current average for light trucks and SUVs is 22.2 mpg and for cars, 27.5 mpg.
Five years ago, California became the first state to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide from car tailpipes. The higher standards are to take effect in 2009, but the auto industry has sued that state to block them.
Maryland lawmakers -- mindful of cancer rates, asthma and rising water levels hastened by climate change in the Chesapeake Bay -- are pushing a slew of clean-energy initiatives this session.
"It's a big day," House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said, estimating that the Clean Cars Act would take the equivalent of 190,000 vehicles a year off the road. "People for years wrote off climate change. Now they're seeing things like Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis, and they know the causes of melting ice caps have credibility."
The 122 to 16 House vote included Republican support and reflected the power of the state's environmental movement after passage of legislation last year to curb pollution from coal-fired power plants. O'Malley highlighted clean cars in his State of the State speech last month and embraced the measure in his first-session legislative package.
"He thinks we have a responsibility to lead the fight against global warming," spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Early Voting Passes the House
Apparently, even some Republicans believe that democracy as we know it will not end if Maryland joins many of its sister states by amending its Constitution to permit early voting:
The referendum would be put on the 2008 ballot for voters to decide. Democrats say early voting will increase turnout, but Republicans argue that it is tilted against them and will invite fraud by allowing voters to cast ballots in precincts other then their own.
Six GOP delegates joined all voting Democrats in supporting the measure, which required the approval of three-fifths of the chamber. It received 101 supporting votes — 16 more than were needed.
‘‘We’re giving people the right to choose to give us direction on this issue,” said House Ways and Means Chairwoman Sheila E. Hixson (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring.
By the time I post this, the Senate may well have passed it too as they were scheduled to vote on the amendment tonight (Monday).
