The Week Ahead

We got some good news about the national economy last Friday—the unemployment rate fell for the fifth straight month to 8.3 percent in January.  And in case you missed it, MBTPI Director Neil Bergsman appeared on WYPR’s Midday Politics and WJZ’s On Time with Kai Jackson, and had an op-ed in the Baltimore Sun calling for a sensible diet when it comes to the budget.

Monday, February 6^th

• Senate Health and Human Services Subcommittee holds budget hearings on the Family Health Administration, Chronic Disease Services, and Health Regulatory Commissions.  1pm in 3 Miller, Senate Office Building.
• House Health and Human Resources Subcommittee holds budget hearings on a variety of Department of Human Resources programs, including social services and child support.  3pm in room 150, House Office Building.
• House Public Safety and Administration Subcommittee holds budget hearings on parole, probation, and the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention.  3pm in room 120, House Office Building.

Tuesday, February 7^th

• Senate Budget and Taxation Committee holds budget hearings on the Department of Transportation, and publicdebt.  1pm in 3 West, Senate Office Building.
• Senate Capital Budget Subcommittee holds budget hearings on PAYGO across multiple agencies.  4pm in 3 West, Senate Office Building.

Wednesday, February 8^th

• House Education and Economic Development Subcommittee holds budget hearings on the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the University of Baltimore, and Morgan State University.  1:30pm in room 145, House Office Building.
• House Health and Human Resources Subcommittee holds budget hearings on various DHMH programs.  1:30 pm in room 150, House Office Building.
• House Transportation and the Environment Subcommittee holds budget hearings on the Department of Agriculture and the State Lottery Agency.  1:30pm in room 120, House Office Building.
• House Capital Budget Subcommittee holds budget hearings on PAYGO across multiple agencies.  4pm in room 120, House Office Building.

Thursday, February 9^th

• House Environmental Matters Committee will hold a 1pm hearing on the Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Act (HB 168), which would prohibit housing discrimination based on source of income. MBTPI, Maryland Nonprofits, and many of our partners will submit testimony in support of this bill.
• House Education and Economic Development Subcommittee holds a budget hearing on the State Department of Education Headquarters and the Maryland Stadium Authority.  1pm in room 145, House Office Building.
• House Public Safety and Administration Subcommittee holds budget hearings on corrections, assessments, and the Secretary of State. 1pm in room 120, House Office Building.
• Senate Education, Business, and Administration Subcommittee holds budget hearings on the Maryland Higher Education Commission, the University of Baltimore, and Morgan State University.  1pm in 3 West, Senate Office Building.
• Senate Health and Human Services Subcommittee holds budget hearings on the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration and the Health Occupation Boards.  1pm in Amoss, Senate Office Building.
• Senate Public Safety, Transportation, and Environment Subcommittee holds budget hearings on the Department of Transportation and the Maryland Institute Emergency Medical Services Systems.  1pm in Schweinhaut, Senate Office Building.

Friday, February 10^th

• House Appropriations Committee holds a budget hearing on the Department of Budget and Management.  1pm in room 120, House Office Building.
• Senate Education, Business, and Administration Subcommittee holds budget hearings on aid to community colleges, Baltimore City Community College, and business regulation.  1pm in 3 West, Senate Office Building.
• Senate Health and Human Services Subcommittee holds budget hearings on the Mental Hygiene Administration and tax assessments.  1pm in Amoss, Senate Office Building.
• Senate Public Safety, Transportation, and Environment Subcommittee holds budget hearings on the Department of Planning and the Division of Pretrial Detention and Services.  1pm in Schweinhaut, Senate Office Building.

The Week Ahead

Monday, January 30^th

• House Education and Economic Development Subcommittee looks at higher education.  3pm in room 145 in the House Office Building.

Tuesday, January 31^st

• Department of Legislative Services (DLS) will give a fiscal briefing to the House Environmental Matters Committee at 10:30am.
• MBTPI director Neil Bergsman will discuss the budget on Midday with Dan Rodricks at noon on WYPR (88.1 FM).  Ron Wineholt, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Vice President for Government Affairs, joins Dan and Neil.
• Senate Education, Business, and Administration Subcommittee meets to discuss a variety of issues, including the Interagency Committee on School Construction. 1pm in 3 West, Miller Senate Office Building.
• Senate Health and Human Services Subcommittee meets to discuss the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Health Benefit Exchange.  1pm in the Amoss Room, Miller Senate Office Building.
• Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee will hold a hearing on the Civil Marriage Protection Act (SB 241) starting at 1pm.  All Senate Bills relating to same-sex marriage will be heard on this date.  Testimony will be limited to 2 hours per side.
• DLS will give a fiscal briefing to the Senate Capital Budget Subcommittee on the capital budget.  4pm in room 3 West, Miller Senate Office Building, Annapolis.

Wednesday, February 1^st

• Bureau of Labor Statistics releases December 2011 employment figures for metropolitan areas.
• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and Economic Development meets to discuss a variety of issues, including the Interagency Committee on School Construction.  1:30pm in room 145, House Office Building.
• DLS will give a fiscal briefing to the House Health and Government Operations Committee.  2pm in room 240 in the House Office Building.
• Senate Budget and Taxation Committee receives an update on health care reform, starting at 2:15pm.

Thursday, February 2^nd

• Happy Groundhog Day!  With the way this winter’s gone, it seems likely that groundhogs everywhere will predict a short season.  Please celebrate safely.
• House Ways and Means Committee will be briefed on local aid by the Maryland Association of Counties, the Maryland Municipal League, and DLS.  11am in room 130, House Office Building.
• DLS will give a fiscal briefing to the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee at 1pm.
• Senate Finance Committee will receive an update on Health Care Reform Implementation by the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Board, also at 1pm.
• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and the Environment will hold a budget hearing with an overview of the Chesapeake Bay.  1pm in room 120, House Office Building.

Friday, February 3^rd

• Senate Budget and Taxation Subcommittee on Health and Human Services will hold a budget hearing on the Maryland Health Insurance Plan, among other topics.  1pm in the Amoss Room, Miller Senate Office Building.
• House Appropriations Committee will hold a budget hearing on the Maryland Department of Transportation, and public debt.  1pm in room 120, House Office Building.

The Week Ahead

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!  Today we are reminded of Dr. King’s quest for social and economic justice.  Jobs, income, and housing were the main focus of the last few years of his life, and that struggle continues today.  At a time when Maryland is experiencing high unemployment, tremendous wage and income disparities, and high housing costs, we as advocates must follow in Dr. King’s footsteps and press our leaders in Annapolis to enact a budget and pass other legislation that strengthens low and moderate income Maryland families.

Monday, January 16^th

• Unions, civil rights organizations, Lieutenant Governor Brown, and members of Congress and the state legislature will rally tonight to honor Dr. King and call for jobs, justice, and equality. From 6pm to 8pm on Lawyers Mall, Annapolis.

Tuesday, January 17^th

• The House Appropriations Committee receives a briefing from the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) at 1pm.  This should be particularly interesting because of the fight last year to increase the tax on alcohol sales to fund DDA services, coupled with the revelation in November that DDA returned $25 million in unspent funds to the general fund.
• The House Health and Government Operations Committee meets to discuss the public health perspective on health care reform, among other topics.  The briefing is scheduled for 1pm in room 240 of the House Office Building, Annapolis.  The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee will receive a similar briefing at the same time.
• The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee meets for a briefing on property tax assessment, tax subsides, and other topics.    The briefing is scheduled for 1pm.

Wednesday, January 18^th

• The day we’ve all been waiting for, when Governor O’Malley introduces his budget for Fiscal Year 2013.
• The House Appropriations subcommittees hold briefings from 1-3pm, including on the Bay Restoration Fund.
• Good Jobs First publishes the third in their series of papers on state tax subsidies.  This latest report will look at enforcement mechanisms states use when projects fail to meet their goals, for example when not enough jobs are created.  I blogged about their second paper when it came out a month ago.

Thursday, January 19^th

• The House Ways and Means Committee receives a tax briefing from the Comptroller’s office at 11am in room 130 of the House Office Building, Annapolis.

• The Maryland Health Care Commission meets at 1pm in room 100 of their offices at 4160 Patterson Avenue, Baltimore.

Friday, January 20^th

• The House Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees hold a joint briefing on maintenance of effort (MOE) and K-12 education.  MOE promises to be a significant issue this year.  The briefing is scheduled for 1pm in the Joint Hearing Room.

Coming up

Look for MBTPI’s Instant Analysis later in the week, our first look at the governor’s budget.  Next Monday the Department of Legislative Services gives its Fiscal Briefing to a joint meeting of the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.  The schedule for other budget hearings can be found on the General Assembly’s website, and of course highlights will be provided every Monday right here on Maryland’s Money Matters.