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, June 16, 2010
GOP Poll Claims Mike Busch is Vulnerable
Former Republican Delegate Herb McMillan (D-30), who served one term starting in 2003, narrowly lost a 2006 Senate run against Democratic incumbent John Astle and is seeking to return to the House, has released a poll claiming that his opponent, Speaker Mike Busch, is vulnerable. Is he right?
Following are the raw top-line results of the poll.Maryland Legislative District 30 Baseline
We have three reasons for skepticism about this poll.
Interview Schedule
Field Dates: June 7-8
2010 N = 250 Likely Voters
Project #: 10410
Margin of Error =+6.2%
* Denotes result less than 0.5%. ^ Denotes rounding. Due to rounding, some figures may be higher or lower by less than one-half of one percent.
A. Are you registered to vote at this address?
100%
YES (CONTINUE TO QUESTION B)
B. Are you, or is anyone in your household, employed by a newspaper, television or radio station, or a political party, or by a candidate for political office?
100% NO
C. How likely would you say you are to vote in the November elections later this year?
Are you...
(ROTATE TOP TO BOTTOM, BOTTOM TO TOP)
89% VERY LIKELY
11% SOMEWHAT LIKELY
Before we begin, to ensure we have a representative sample...
1. In what year were you born?
3% 18 -24
9% 25 -34
25% 35 -44
15% 45 -54
24% 55 -64
24% 65 AND ABOVE
* REFUSED
2. And, would you say that things in Maryland are going in the right direction, or have they pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track?
33% RIGHT DIRECTION
51% WRONG TRACK
15% NO OPINION (DO NOT READ)
1% REFUSED (DO NOT READ)
Now, thinking about issues...
3. Which ONE of the following issues do you think should be the top priority of the Governor and state legislators? Is it... (RANDOMIZE)
30% THE STATE BUDGET AND SPENDING
27% JOBS AND THE STATE ECONOMY
9% EDUCATION
9% THE ENVIRONMENT AND CHESAPEAKE BAY
6% STATE TAXES
5% HEALTH CARE
5% GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION AND ETHICS
3% TRAFFIC AND GROWTH
2% CRIME AND DRUGS
2% ELECTRICITY RATES
1% SLOT MACHINES
- NONE OF THE ABOVE (DO NOT READ)
2% DON'T KNOW (DO NOT READ)
1% REFUSED (DO NOT READ)
Thinking more about the elections...
4. If the election for Governor were being held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were...
(ROTATE TOP TWO) Republican Bob Ehrlich Democrat Martin O'Malley
...and... Third Party Candidate Susan Gaztanaga?
* REFUSED (DO NOT READ) 
If the election for State Delegate were just between...(ROTATE) Republican Herb McMillan ...and...Democrat Michael Busch ...for whom would you vote?
49% HERB MCMILLAN
37% MICHAEL BUSCH
13% UNDECIDED (DO NOT READ)
1% NEITHER (DO NOT READ)
1% REFUSED (DO NOT READ)
(And,) If the election for State Delegate were just between...(ROTATE) Republican Herb McMillan ...and...Democrat Virginia Clagett ...for whom would you vote?
50% HERB MCMILLAN
36% VIRGINIA CLAGETT
12% UNDECIDED (DO NOT READ)
1% NEITHER (DO NOT READ)
1% REFUSED (DO NOT READ)
Now I just have a few more questions for statistical purposes only.
Are you registered to vote as... (ROTATE) a Republican, a Democrat, or something else? (IF REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT, ASK:) Would you call yourself a STRONG (REPUBLICAN/DEMOCRAT) or a NOT-SO-STRONG (REPUBLICAN/DEMOCRAT)? (IF SOMETHING ELSE, ASK:) Do you think of yourself as closer to (ROTATE) the Republican or to the Democratic party?
23% STRONG REPUBLICAN
14% NOT-SO-STRONG REPUBLICAN
7% LEAN TO REPUBLICANS
4% SOMETHING ELSE/INDEPENDENT
7% LEAN TO DEMOCRATS
18% NOT-SO-STRONG DEMOCRAT
25% STRONG DEMOCRAT
1% DON'T KNOW (DO NOT READ)
1% REFUSED (DO NOT READ)
37% TOTAL REPUBLICAN
43% TOTAL DEMOCRAT
18% TOTAL LEAN/INDEPENDENT
What is your main racial or ethnic heritage? Is it... (READ LIST SLOWLY BEFORE ACCEPTING ANSWER, THEN ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY.)
82% CAUCASIAN OR WHITE
12% AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR BLACK
* HISPANIC
– ASIAN
3% OTHER (Specify:__________) (DO NOT READ)
3% REFUSED (DO NOT READ)
Gender (BY OBSERVATION)
48% MALE
52% FEMALE
1. The sample size is infinitesimal (250 likely voters). That produces a GIGANTIC margin of error of +/- 6.2%. That means two percentage results would have to differ by more than 12.4 points to be statistically significantly different.
2. The poll was financed by McMillan, the former Republican Delegate who is running against Speaker Mike Busch and fellow Democratic Delegate Virginia Clagett. Freshman Republican Ron George, who won by just 53 votes in 2006, holds the third seat.
3. The poll tests the relevant contest questions incorrectly. It assumes that McMillan will be running one-one-one against Busch and Clagett. In fact, the race is a round-robin with the top three vote-getters winning. If McMillan does win, he is probably more likely to knock out Clagett than Busch. He may even knock out George. The poll also does not factor in the candidacy of Democratic challenger and former Hillary Clinton operative Judd Legum. Overall, it does not reflect the complex dynamics of a multiple-candidate race.
Still, Democrats should not take this election for granted for the following reasons.
1. District 30, which includes the City of Annapolis and its immediate suburbs, is truly a swing district. Republicans have won here before, including George (in 2006), McMillan (in 2002), former Delegate Phillip Bissett (in 1994) and former Senator and Delegate Aris Allen (in 1978 and 1990). Races here are often decided by hundreds of votes, or even less. In 1986, Democrat Donald Lamb defeated Republican John Hammond for a Delegate seat by three votes.
2. Turnout is crucial. The above poll’s sample is 43% Democrat and 37% Republican. In 2006, a year in which District 30 elected Democratic Senator John Astle, Democratic Delegates Mike Busch and Virginia Clagett and (barely) Republican Delegate Ron George, 13,719 Democrats and 9,432 Republicans voted in the primary. The State Board of Elections does not report turnout by party in the general election. It stands to reason that 2010 will be a worse year for Democrats than was 2006. Will the GOP poll’s sample be representative of actual voters in November?
Furthermore, hangover from the Zina Pierre scandal may affect African-American turnout. Data from the 2000 Census indicates that 14% of the district’s population is black. Will they come out in the same numbers as in 2006 or 2008?
3. Poll after poll shows voter anger against incumbents, and especially Democrats, at the national level. Whether that sentiment is as strong in Maryland is a fair subject for debate. However, to the extent that it is, few officials are more identified with the state government than Speaker Busch. And while Senate President Mike Miller has no credible opponent and Governor O’Malley is running in a mostly blue state, Busch is running in a swing district. This election could be unpredictable.
Democrats, regardless of Herb McMillan’s poll, should beware.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Protecting Our Children from Gangs
By Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch.
Last year, Maryland residents were shaken by several horrific incidents of gang violence in schools across our State. As the father of two young daughters, ages 11 and 14, I was stunned to learn that gangs exist in every county in Maryland. During a briefing to the House Judiciary Committee, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy told the Committee that he knew for a fact that 25 members of the national gang MS-13 existed in one freshman class at a Montgomery County High School, but could not do anything to address it.
We have set up our schools as safe havens and yet, the State Department of Juvenile Services reports that children as young as 10 years old are being recruited to participate in gangs in Maryland.
Early in my tenure in the legislature, we established schools as Drug-Free Zones, doubling the criminal penalties for drug possession and distribution in and around schools. Last year, every school system in the State established a notification system for parents, teachers and students if anyone in the school community contracted the H1-N1 virus. And yet, there are prohibitions in the law that prevent schools and law enforcement from communicating about gang recruitment and other gang-related activities, short of a crime, that involve students.
Last week, I introduced the Safe Schools Act of 2010 to try and address some of these shortcomings. Working with stakeholders from across the State including the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Association, the Public School Superintendents Association of Maryland, the Governor’s Office and the Anne Arundel County Executive, Police and Sheriff, and others, we crafted the Safe Schools Act of 2010 to:
o Expand the number of reportable offenses. When a student is arrested for certain offenses, such as a crime of violence, this information must be reported to their school. Currently the law does not require reporting for some crimes that can be indicative of gang membership. The bill requires that arrests for malicious destruction of property and simple assault also be reported to school personnel;
o Require the State Board of Education to develop a model statewide policy for gang intervention, prevention, and suppression efforts in our schools, including teacher training and professional development programs;
o Require each middle and high school to have a designated school security officer on site and regular school security meetings that involve all stakeholders, including school administrators, prosecutors, community leaders, intervention/prevention representatives, and law enforcement;
o Require the development of criteria for intervention and prevention programs that are evidenced-based and outcome-oriented, as well as the coordination of community resources to maintain safe school environments.
Several advocacy groups have expressed concerns over labeling and criminalizing students, early in their lives. This legislation does not assess any criminal penalties against students but rather establishes mechanisms to prevent student involvement in gangs and encourage interventions into more positive activities. It is our responsibility, as parents, coaches, mentors, guardians and family members, to ensure that our children have the safest possible environment in which to learn each and every day. We cannot allow gangs to infiltrate these safe havens and attract our children to lives of criminal behavior.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Busch: Committee Votes will be Posted Online
Speaker of the House Mike Busch has directed the House Office of Information systems to post committee votes on the General Assembly website prior to the arrival of bills on the floor starting in this session. This would accomplish the purpose of online committee vote reporting more rapidly than would any legislation. We reprint a memo from the Speaker's Office on this subject below.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Miller, Busch Reject Legislative Pay Raises
Senate President Mike Miller and Speaker of the House Mike Busch have ruled out a pay raise for state legislators. We reprint their press release below.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
January 5, 2010
For More Information:
Alexandra Hughes
Speaker’s Office
(410)841-3917
Patrick Murray
President’s Office
(410)841-3700
PRESIDENT and SPEAKER REJECT PROPOSAL FOR PAY RAISES
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. and House Speaker Michael E. Busch issued the following statement today, in response to the General Assembly Compensation Commission’s proposal to increase lawmaker’s salaries:
“Any legislative consideration of a pay raise at a time when we are preparing to make more than $1 billion in cuts to the State budget is inappropriate,” said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. “The Commission was tasked with making an independent recommendation regarding compensation for the offices of Delegate and Senator, not for individual lawmakers. I appreciate their work, but we must stand with the citizens of Maryland who are working hard to make ends meet in these challenging times.”
Under the State’s constitution, the Commission is comprised of five citizens appointed by the Governor and four appointed by the legislative presiding officers, and does not include any members of the General Assembly.
“I want to thank the General Assembly Compensation Commission for their hard work in developing today’s recommendations. We have asked state employees and legislators to take furloughs, in order to keep people in the workplace,” said Speaker Michael E. Busch. “Now is not the time to accept pay raises for legislators. We respectfully decline the salary recommendation of the Commission.”
Pursuant to State law, the General Assembly Compensation Commission Joint Resolution must be introduced during the 2010 session and be rejected by a vote of both chambers of the legislature. A decision to reject the Commission’s recommendation will apply to all four years of the next term, resulting in eight years without any pay raise for members of the legislature.
# # #
