The Week Ahead (Cyber Monday Edition)

Welcome back from the Thanksgiving break! Last week - in addition to consuming copious amounts of turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and pie - we blogged about #GivingTuesday (which is tomorrow) and the latest good news about employment in Maryland.

Neil Bergsman also appeared in a Washington Examiner story about upcoming MD budgets. We've asked the Examiner to clarify that MBTPI is not in favor of increasing the corporate tax rate. We do support a combination of reducing Maryland’s corporation tax rate while broadening the base - by reforming the tax code to make it harder for multi-state corporations to use accounting maneuvers to escape Maryland’s tax. This could modestly increase state revenues and reduce taxes for local businesses while making sure that large multi-state corporations pay their fair share. Neil also appeared in a story on holiday giving for the Gazette.

Today is also Cyber Monday, the traditional day when office workers spend their work hours shopping for online deals. Finding a deal online is fun, but remember that Maryland will lose $200 million dollars in owed but unpaid sales tax to internet retailers this year. Not only is that lost revenue for the state, but it represents more than $3 billion in lost revenue for local businesses and fewer Maryland jobs.

Monday, November 26th

• Alcoholic Beverages Article Review Committee reviews material dealing with the conditions for issuing licenses. 5pm in Judiciary Training Room 3, 2009F Commerce Park Drive, Annapolis.
• Community Services Reimbursement Rate Commission meets. 6-8pm in the basement conference room, Mental Hygiene Administration, 55 Wade Avenue, Dix Building, Catonsville.

Tuesday, November 27th

• Maryland Nonprofits, MBTPI, and many other nonprofits around the country take part in #GivingTuesday. You've heard of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Now celebrate the important work done by nonprofits and give back to your community on #GivingTuesday.
• Land Use and Ethics Subcommittee and the Local Government and Bi-County Agencies Subcommittee (both a part of the House Environmental Matters Committee) jointly meet to review the "flags" identified in the new Land Use Article. 10am in room 250, House Office Building, Annapolis.
• Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee meets to discuss digital textbook use in Maryland, electronic medical records, the Maryland Innovation Initiative, Cigarette Restitution Fund grants, stem cell research grants, and Invest Maryland. 1pm in room 231, House Office Building, Annapolis.
• Task Force on the Establishment of a Statewide Spay/Neuter Fund meets. 1pm in room 250, House Office Building, Annapolis.
• Interagency Committee on School Construction meets via teleconference to discuss the Baltimore City Block Grant MCR draft report. 3:30-4:30pm on the 8th floor, conference room 1, 200 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore.
• Maryland Nonprofits offers Enhance Your Individual Donor Program. This is a Maryland Nonprofits training program, for more information or to register go to their events page.

Wednesday, November 28th

• Capital Budget Subcommittee and the Health and Human Resources Subcommittee (both a part of the of the House Appropriations Committee) goes on a site visit to the Prince George's County Health Care System. The visit begins at 11am. 
• House Environmental Matters Committee holds its retreat to discuss legislation for the next legislative session. 9am in room 250, House Office Building, Annapolis.
• Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee and House Environmental Matters Committee jointly meet for a presentation on proposed regulations stemming from the Sustainable Growth and Agriculture Preservation Act of 2012. The presentation will be given by the Department of the Environment. 1pm in room 250, House Office Building, Annapolis.
• Joint Committee on Unemployment Insurance Oversight meets to discuss the status of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, tax tables for 2013, the impact of the Modernization Act from 2010, implementation of the Victims of Domestic Violence Act from 2012, the legislative audit of the Division of Unemployment Insurance, and unemployment benefits for individuals unable to work due to cancer in other states. 9am in room 3 East, Senate Office Building, Annapolis. 
• Bureau of Labor Statistics releases metropolitan-level employment figures for October. 
• Maryland Nonprofits offers Forming a Nonprofit: Paperwork. This is a Maryland Nonprofits training program, for more information or to register go to their events page.

Thursday, November 29th

• Maryland Medicaid Advisory Committee meets. 1-3pm in the lobby level conference room, L-3, 201 West Preston Street, Baltimore.
• Maryland Nonprofits offers Streamlining Your Marketing Through Content Strategy. This is a Maryland Nonprofits training program, for more information or to register go to their events page. 

The Week Ahead

Last week we blogged about the spending affordability briefing and Maryland's structural deficit for fiscal year 2014, and about the lower unemployment rate for the state in September. Neil Bergsman was quoted in an op-ed on Maryland's debt by Gazette.net

October 22nd, 2012

• Alcoholic Beverages Article Review Committee meets to continue its review of material dealing with the conditions for issuing licenses. 5pm in the Judiciary Training Room 3, 2009F Commerce Park Drive, Annapolis.

October 23rd, 2012

• Education and Economic Development Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee is on a site visit. 10am at The Universities at Shady Grove, 9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville. 
• Maryland Nonprofits offers Strategic Planning Made Simple. This is a half-day training; for more information or to register see the events page.

October 24th, 2012

• Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee is on site visits to several public schools. 9am to 4:30pm, Baltimore City Public Schools, Professional Development Center, 2500 E. Northern Parkway, Baltimore. 
• Maryland Nonprofits offers Starting a Nonprofit: Planning and Preparation. This is a lunchtime webinar; for more information or to register see the events page. 

October 25th, 2012

• Task Force to Study Court Decision Regarding Pit Bulls holds a work session. 1pm in 2 East, Senate Office Building, Annapolis.
• Maryland Medicaid Advisory Committee meets. 1-3pm in the lobby level conference room L-3, 201 W. Preston Street, Baltimore.

October 26th, 2012

• Joint Committee on the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area is on a site visit to Annapolis area living shoreline sites. More information about the Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays is available here. 9:30am to 1pm.

The Week Ahead

There are only a couple of events this week, but a number of national economic data releases.

Tuesday, August 21nd

• Workgroup on Lead Liability Protection for Rental Property meets. 10am to noon Maryland Insurance Administration in the Maryland Insurance Administration Hearing Room on the 24th Floor of 200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore.
• Workgroup on Access to Habilitative Services Benefits meets. 2-4pm in the Maryland Insurance Administration Hearing Room on the 24th Floor of 200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases data about the summer youth labor force.

Wednesday, August 22nd

• Board of Public Works meets. 10am in the Governor's Reception Room on the second floor of the state house in Annapolis.

Thursday, August 23th

• Maryland Nonprofits offers Streamlining Your Marketing Through Content Strategy. This is a training program in the Silver Spring office. For more information and to register, check out their events page. 
• BLS releases monthly data about mass layoffs.
• Census Bureau releases national and regional data about new home sales. The data - the number of new single-family houses sold and for sale, median and average prices, the number of houses sold and for sale by stage of construction, and other statistics - are from the Survey of Construction (SOC), which is partially funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Friday, August 24th

• BLS releases data about worker displacement. 
• Census also releases the Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories and Orders. The Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders survey provides monthly statistical data on economic conditions in the domestic manufacturing sector. The survey measures current industrial activity and provides an indication of future business trends.

The Week Ahead

Last Friday MBTPI Director Neil Bersgman and Policy Analyst Benjamin Orr were interviewed separately about unemployment in Maryland and the education trust fund.

Tuesday, July 24th

• Maryland Nonprofits holds a training in Silver Spring on Low-Cost and No-Cost Strategies for Generating Press and Publicity for Your Nonprofit, from 2-4pm. For more information or to register, go to their events page.

Wednesday, July 25th

• Local Government Article Review Committee is reviewing drafts of local legislation from around the state on topics such as special taxing districts, local associations, and other matters. 3pm in the SOC Training Room at the State Highway Administration, 7491 Connelly Drive, Hanover.

Thursday, July 26th

• Maryland Health Insurance Plan Board of Directors holds an 11am conference call on SPDAP premium and coverage gap subsidy determinations for 2013. The conference call dial-in number is 888-769-8797, and the participant passcode is 9523545.
• Maryland Medicaid Advisory Committee meets. 1-3pm at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in the Lobby Level Conference Room L-3, 201 W. Preston Street, Baltimore.