Unlike all other 49 states, Maryland’s Legislature has little or no impact on how your tax dollars are spent. Maryland is the only state in the nation that has a strong executive budget. That means spending priorities are set by the Governor. In this very crucial respect, the Governor of Maryland has more power than any other state governor.
General Assembly can
only cut the budget. While legislators
in the other states can add items to the budget or shift around funds to more
effectively reflect their constituents’ priorities, Maryland legislators
cannot. Indeed, Maryland’s budget is
truly a one-man show. There are no
checks and balances between Maryland’s executive and legislative branches of
government in the budgetary process.
The Governor can see that his priorities are funded at the expense of
shortchanging other important programs and priorities.
The current budgetary
process was adopted in 1917, when the state was in a fiscal crisis and faced a
$2 million deficit in operating expenses.
The legislature was stripped of budgetary decision making power. In 1974, the State Constitution was amended
to prohibit deficit spending. For the
past nearly 30 years, a balanced state budget has been a mandate. Therefore, the need for strict gubernatorial
control of the purse strings is no longer necessary. Let’s face it, strict gubernatorial control
of the budgetary process, to a great extent, removes the public from that
process
A recent study by the
Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research at the University of
Maryland recommended changes to balance what is now lopsided budget control.
During the 2001
General Assembly session, a constitutional amendment was introduced to allow
legislative budget committees to add, subtract and shift funds around, as long as the total dollars in the
Governor’s budget are not exceeded. The
Governor, in turn, would be able to veto individual budget items without
killing the whole budget bill.
Although approved by
the Senate Budget and Taxation, the full Senate rejected the measure. That bill will be re-introduced during the
upcoming 2004 session. If 3/5 of the General
Assembly approves the amendment, it will be put before the voters in the 2004
general election.
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I am in full support
of this proposed constitutional amendment and am hopeful that it will be on the
2004 ballot. It is high time for the
people to make their voice heard in the important decisions that directly
involve the spending of their tax dollars.
Sincerely,
Eric Bromwell
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