3-23-25 MFRW Legislative Weekly Update
We are at crunch time for the Maryland General Assembly. Two weeks to go.
Attached is the latest MFRW Weekly Legislative Update. There are still hearings scheduled, and recent bills added.
There are several bills in the Elections category that will be held in the Ways & Means Committe this week that raise concerns. They include:
SB 313 - Postelection Tabulation Audits - Risk Limiting Audits that would allow an election result to be altered based on a sample of the votes in accordance with a statistical model. If there is a discrepancy in the outcome of an election contest there should be a full recount.
SB 342 - Voting Rights Act of 2025 - Counties and Municipal Corporations. Which would allow the Attorney General and any other person to bring suit against a county or municipality to challenge their method of electing officers of the county or municipal government due to concerns that a covered group of voters were not able to elect their preferred candidate. "Covered group" are voters of a race, color or language minority.
On March 27 the Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on HB 1315 to allow pharmacists to administer several vaccines, including a COVID vaccine, to a child at least 3 years old without requiring a parent to consent to the vaccination. Other vaccines can be administered to children at least 7 years old but under 18, again without reference to approval of a parent. The legislation only refers to providing information to the child and the "adult caregiver" accompanying the child of the value of regular visits to a pediatrician.
There are other important issues as well. Be sure to check them out.
Sincerely,
Ella Ennis, Legislative Chairman, Maryland Federation of Republican Women
The news accounts of the agreement announced by the Governor and Democrat Leadership on the budget is still a bit vague. Below is an excerpt from Delegate Todd Morgan's weekly E-message on what may be included:
Governor Moore, along with House and Senate leadership, announced a compromised budget agreement on Thursday. Following the press conference, the House voted on both the Operating Budget and the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA). These bills were added to Monday’s agenda, but all the amendments are not available to review until after the bills is read on Monday evening. Therefore, the House will Special Order the bills so that members will be able to review the entire bill before voting.
The budget compromise includes over $1.6 billion in tax increases, coupled with an estimated $2.5 billion in budget cuts, to address the projected $3 billion deficit for the 2026 fiscal year. The details are still coming, but key components include:
3% sales tax on data and IT services, affecting both businesses and individuals (estimated $500 million revenue)
Repeal of sales tax exemptions on photographic and artistic advertising materials, high-value coins, and bullion
Historic tag registration restrictions, limiting eligibility to vehicles older than model year 1999 ($9 million revenue)
2% surcharge on capital gains income over $350,000, with 40% allocated to the Transportation Trust Fund ($367 million revenue)
Changes to the tax code ($344 million revenue), including:
Two new tax brackets
Repeal of the phase-in of the standard deduction
20% increase in the standard deduction
Modifications to the child tax credit phase-out
Phase-out of itemized deductions for incomes above $200,000 (7.5% phase-out factor)
Increase in the local income tax rate cap from 3.2% to 3.3% - Calvert and St. Mary’s are currently at 3.2%
New and increased taxes on various goods and services, including:
6% sales tax on vending machine purchases
20% tax on sports wagers ($32 million revenue)
12% tax on cannabis products ($39 million revenue)
3.5% tax on car rentals ($47 million revenue)
6.8% vehicle excise tax ($158 million revenue)
Fee increases, such as:
Accelerated vehicle registration fees ($20 million revenue)
VEIP fee increase to $30 ($20 million revenue)
Doubling titling fees to $200 ($80 million revenue)
Additionally, costs for teachers’ pensions, tax assessment expenses, wrongful conviction settlements, and teacher retirements are expected to shift from the state to local governments.
These changes will have a significant financial impact. I am particularly concerned about the 3% IT service tax and its potential effects on our Department of Defense (DOD) community. Instead of making substantial spending cuts, Maryland continues to increase expenditures and impose additional financial burdens. I read somewhere recently that businesses are beginning to feel like ATM machines for the state and so are the citizens.