Keep in contact with your
representatives during Special Session
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 -
Letter to the
Editor submitted by Delegate Kullen
Calvert County, Md.
―
Thank you to all the
people in Calvert County who have written to me about the General
Assembly Special Session, slots, spending cuts and increasing taxes.
These are tough times for Maryland and tough decisions need to be made.
While
we have a balanced budget until June we are still overspending state
dollars. Maryland spends $1.10 for every dollar in taxes we collect.
The
governor called a Special Session to begin to address the problem. Some
criticize the governor for not waiting until the next general session
but others say that we are headed for the cliff.
We can
stop now or we can wait until we get to the edge. It did not make sense
to wait. As for the structural deficit, we can assign blame until the
cows come home but generally it was increasing money to education
(Thornton Commission) without a funding source while reducing income
taxes in 1997 that got us into this mess.
Does
anyone remember the reduction in income taxes? You cannot increase
spending and decrease revenues. Every checkbook owner knows this. But
for the past 10 years the legislature has been able to creatively budget
in good revenue years.
When
real estate sales jumped, the state got one-time only boasts in revenues
while also using money from the Transportation Trust fund, the rainy day
fund and Program Open Space. The real estate market is now in a slump,
those funds are depleted and we need to solve the structural problem.
There
was no huge surplus that the current governor inherited that was not
previously set aside to go toward balancing the 2008 budget because of
the structural deficit.
Citizens are demanding that we only cut spending. While this seems
attractive for the state to do, it would only pass the burden of
taxation onto the counties.
Calvert
County Government and our local board of education have asked that we do
not pass the cuts onto them. Best estimates would be a loss of $16
million to the county.
That is
a huge portion of the roughly $200 million Calvert County budget.
In the
spring, the governor asked the departments to cut $220 million from
their budgets. They did that and the complaint calls came pouring in.
We are
also cutting $500 million more as part of the proposed solution. Already
calls are coming in from disability groups, senior centers,
environmental groups, boards of education and libraries. Most of the
state’s spending is on mandated services, as in public safety, public
health, public transportation and public education.
People
will be affected by these cuts.
There
is no way that we can sustain $1.7 billion in cuts alone. School
construction money would be halted, road projects would stop and cuts to
environmental efforts would occur across the state.
I am
resigned to the fact that we have to make cuts, increase revenues, and
increase efficiencies. Finding the best balance between cuts and
increasing revenues is the toughest choice.
We need
to cinch in the spending without wreaking havoc on the state’s
commitment to its citizens. I will look for the fairest way to find the
balance.
We have
the governor’s six bills before us plus 40 other pieces of legislation
to consider during this Special Session.
I will
diligently look at all options and try to make the best decision for
Maryland and Calvert County.
These
are tough times and tough decisions need to be made. Not everyone will
be happy. Please follow along and continue to express your views.
My
direct contact information is on my Web site at www. SueKullen.com.
It is
important that I hear from you.
Delegate Sue Kullen,
Calvert County (District 27-B)
Law Punishes Teen
Truancy by Taking Away Drivers' Keys
Thursday, October 25, 2007 - Susan DeFord - Washington
Post
It's a
steady flow of would-be teen drivers who stop by the
main office, eager for their paperwork to be
completed so they can get behind the wheel.
But
the office visited by these 15-year-olds is at
Leonardtown High School in
St. Mary's County, and the class attendance
reports they're collecting will help determine
whether they receive learner's permits from the
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.
At
schools across
Maryland, educators and motor vehicle
officials have teamed up to enforce a new state
law that is the latest strategy to deter
habitual truancy.
The measure, which took effect Oct. 1, denies a
learner's permit to students younger than 16 who
have more than 10 unexcused absences during the
prior school semester.
Whether they are in public or private school or
are home-schooled, teens must submit a
certified, sealed school attendance form as part
of their application. The MVA will not accept
forms from students if they show evidence of
tampering or alteration, agency spokesman Buel
Young said. The law likely will affect thousands
of teenagers, based on the fact that last budget
year more than 14,500 16-year-olds received
provisional driver's licenses.
A
teenager must be at least 15 years, 9 nine
months old before applying for a Maryland
learner's permit, and the driver must hold that
learner's permit for at least six months, Young
said.
The measure, which borrows a strategy adopted in
other states, was pushed during the past General
Assembly session by a
Prince George's County delegate.
Habitually truant students "face no
repercussions under the law, and I thought that
was a big gap," said Del. Gerron S. Levi (D),
the lead sponsor of House Bill 571. "This is one
way to hold students accountable."
State Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) was
a co-sponsor of the measure.
Truancy is a major issue for a few school
systems in Maryland. More than 10 percent of
Baltimore students were habitually absent in
the 2005-06 school year, according to a state
report.
In
the Washington region, Prince George's contends
with a truancy rate of 4.39 percent, the same
report said. For other school districts, such as
Montgomery and Howard, the percentages of
truants are smaller, but the problem persists
with subgroups of students.
In
Southern Maryland, the truancy rates for the
same period were 0.4 percent in Calvert, 0.64
percent in Charles and 1.21 percent in St.
Mary's.
Delegate Kullen
wants better BGE service for the beaches
Friday, September 21, 2007 - Alan Brody - Southern
Maryland News :
www.SoMdNews.com
Spurred by consumer
complaints of spotty service and lengthy outages, a Calvert County
lawmaker has asked the Maryland Public Service Commission to examine
Baltimore Gas & Electric’s performance in two northern Calvert County
communities.
‘‘Last year, when I
was doorknocking in Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, a lot of people
were talking about the lack of confidence they had in BGE [with] the
number of outages and the duration,” said Delegate Sue Kullen
(D-Calvert).
A meeting in July
with BGE representatives failed to soothe Kullen’s concerns. While the
company showed that their performance in Calvert County compares
favorably to the rest of their service territory, it fell short of the
reliability offered by Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative.
‘‘They haven’t even begun
to touch that,” she said, pointing to an index that measures the length
of average customer disruptions, known as the Customer Average
Interruption Duration Index.
A BGE official said the
company is making constant upgrades throughout the region.
‘‘Calvert County is as
important as any other part of our service territory and we have
invested significantly in our infrastructure in Calvert County and as a
result we are seeing improvement in our reliability of service,” said
BGE spokesman Robert L. Gould.
The PSC received the
letter on Monday, but no decisions have been made on whether to pursue
the complaint, said spokeswoman LaWanda Edwards.
‘‘We’re going to do
everything we can to look at the matter to see if there’s a problem,”
she said.
Utility service has been
the top complaint of northern Calvert residents for months, Kullen said.
When artificial price caps were lifted this summer and customers’ bills
ballooned, the cries grew louder.
‘‘With the rate increases
in July, people didn’t see a connection with their perception of the
lack of quality and the huge increase in cost,” she said.
While Kullen acknowledged
that BGE’s reliability appears to be improving, there’s still work to be
done. ‘‘Customers need to see the outcome of the infrastructure they’re
building.”
Kullen hopes
the PSC will put pressure on BGE to improve its service in northern
Calvert or allow customers to choose an alternate utility provider. ‘‘If
BGE can do it, more power to them, but I just don’t see it happening
fast enough.”
Construction to
soon begin on newest elementary school
Friday, September 21, 2007 (Calvert Recorder)
 |
|
Delegate Sue
Kullen (above center in white shirt), joins others in the
ground breaking ceremony on September 14. |
Calvert
County public schools broke ground Sept. 14 for the new
Barstow Elementary School, which is scheduled to open
next school year. From left are school board member
Eugene Karol, David Lever of the state’s public school
construction, Del. Anthony O’Donnell (R-Calvert, St.
Mary’s), Del. Sue Kullen, (D-Calvert), county
Commissioner Linda Kelley (R), Maryland Senate President
Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert, Prince George’s),
school board president Robert Gray, commissioner
President Wilson Parran, school board member William
Phalen, Commissioner Susan Shaw, superintendent Jack
Smith and school board vice president Frank Parish.
BGE service needs state
investigation
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - Submitted to the
Recorder and Independent as a copy to the Editor
This letter was sent to
the Maryland Public Service Commission. A copy was sent to The Calvert
Recorder.
I am requesting that the
Public Service Commission investigate the quality of service that
Calvert County citizens receive from BGE as compared to service from
SMECO (Southern Maryland Electrical Cooperative). As you know BGE serves
approximately 8,000 customers in Calvert County. During my three years
in office, I have received numerous complaints about the frequency and
duration of power outages in the BGE service area in the county. Both
business and residential customers have expressed votes of ‘‘no
confidence” in BGE services.
Business owners tell me
that they have invested large sums of money in generators and emergency
lighting because the duration of BGE outages has hindered the safe and
continued operation of their businesses. The town of Chesapeake Beach
had invested thousands of dollars in emergency generators as a direct
result of the frequency and duration of power outages. Residential
customers complain that they have no confidence in BGE’s ability to
provide a quick response time for restoring power in the area after
storms and other disruptions.
Although some of the
business owners, town officials and resident customers understand that
BGE restores power to the largest service areas first, they also see
that their neighbors — who are SMECO customers — have their power
restored much sooner. In many cases, SMECO customers do not lose power
at all. Given the recent BGE rate increases, Calvert County customers
are displeased and dissatisfied with their role as forgotten
stepchildren in the BGE service area.
I met with representatives
from BGE on July 10 to express my concerns. I was shown information
supporting my constituents’ claims that the duration of outages (CAIDI-excluding
major events) are longer in Calvert County than in other BGE service
areas. I also was shown data that, in every case, SMECO outperformed BGE
in the average interruption duration. While I appreciate BGE’s attempts
to upgrade the system in Calvert County, the average customer sees no
difference. BGE rate increases further aggravate the problem for Calvert
County customers who see that as an increase in the cost for electric
service, but no significant increase in the quality of BGE services.
Therefore, I submit this
request that the Public Service Commission investigate the performance
of BGE as it relates to customers in Calvert County. If the Commission’s
findings confirm my constituents’ complaints, I also will ask the
Commission to make a recommendation that Calvert County customers would
be better served through our local Southern Maryland Electrical
Cooperative.
Thank you for your
consideration. If I can supply more information or provide customers to
testify on this issue, please let me know.
Delegate Sue Kullen, Port
Republic - Calvert County
Delegate Kullen
Selected to Attend Arkansas Leadership Symposium
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 - Alan Brody - Southern
Maryland News :
www.SoMdNews.com
ANNAPOLIS —
Delegate Sue Kullen is one of three Maryland lawmakers selected for an
inaugural leadership symposium aimed at facilitating the political
development of new and mid-career state legislators and policymakers.
The Calvert County legislator, appointed in August 2004, will join
two fellow Maryland Democrats, Del. Jon S. Cardin (D-Baltimore) and Sen.
Catherine E. Pugh (D-Baltimore City), at the Southern Legislative
Conference’s Center for the Advancement of Leadership Skills program.
About 30 elected officials and bureaucrats from 10 of the SLC’s 16
member states will gather Oct. 6 at the University of Arkansas’s
Winthrop Rockefeller Institute for the four-day seminar. Sessions will
focus on bipartisanship, legislative ethics, media training, polling and
an economic forecast, according to the conference’s schedule.
‘‘Because of the demands on state legislatures in terms of making
policy decisions with fewer resources and in changing demographic times,
[the aim] is to give them different skills and better leadership
styles," said Colleen Cousineau, executive director of the Atlanta-based
SLC. ‘‘Our goal is to equip state elected officials ... with
coalition-building skills and collaborative skills to work along and
across party lines and different ideologies."
Applications were given to every Maryland lawmaker and Kullen thought
she would be a good fit because many politicians in southern states
share her political ideology.
‘‘Being able to be around other folks from more southern states would
be good for me because my continual challenge is I’m a progressive
candidate representing a conservative part of the state and fighting
that balance is always a challenge," she said.
‘‘I’m just hoping to listen and learn from a lot of other experienced
legislators. So far, I’ve had limited exposure to that in other states
and I’m just anxious to see how other states do it."
Despite her participation, Kullen, one of the House’s two chief
deputy majority whips, said she isn’t jockeying for a major leadership
role in Annapolis.
‘‘I just want to always improve myself and I see this as a good first
step," she said
Apparently, House Speaker Michael E. Busch agreed. In his
recommendation letter to the SLC, Busch called Kullen a ‘‘dynamic and
effective young lawmaker [who] has earned the confidence of community
leaders in her district and trust of her colleagues in the House of
Delegates."
He noted that Kullen’s surprisingly easy defeat last November of
former Calvert County Commissioner President David F. Hale (R), driven
by a strong grassroots campaign, impressed the state’s political
establishment who considered her seat at risk because she lacked
experience. Scholarships are provided to underwrite the cost of the
program.
What do Delegates Sue
Kullen, Jon Cardin and Cathy Pugh have in Common?
Friday, August 24, 2007 - Alan Brody - Gazette.net (From:
The Reporters Notebook)
Leaders of tomorrow
What do Sue Kullen, Jon Cardin and Cathy Pugh have in common?
They’ve been chosen for the Center for the Advancement of Leadership
Skills inaugural program put together by the Southern Legislative
Conference to facilitate the development of new and mid-career state
legislators and policymakers.
About 30 people from 10 of the SLC’s 16 member states will attend a
four-day leadership symposium in October at the University of
Arkansas’ Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. Sessions will focus on
bipartisanship, legislative ethics, media training, polling and an
economic forecast.
Mike Busch praised Kullen in his recommendation letter, calling her
a ‘‘dynamic and effective young lawmaker [who] ... has earned the
confidence of community leaders in her district and trust of her
colleagues in the House of Delegates.”
He
noted that Kullen was a political novice when she was appointed to
fill George Owings’ seat in 2004, making her a target in last year’s
election, when she was challenged by David Hale, then a Calvert
County commish. ‘‘Sue defied the odds and surprised the state’s
political establishment by running a disciplined, innovative and
grassroots campaign.”
Busch heaped similar praise on Cardin, as did Mike Miller in his
recommendation of first-term senator Pugh. Scholarships will
underwrite the cost of the program.
Hughesville Bypass
opening hailed by region's pols
Friday, August 17, 2007 - Jay Friess - The Calvert
Recorder
 |
|
Politicians lined
up to cut a ribbon and formally open the Hughesville bypass.
From the left are Charles County commissioners’ President F.
Wayne Cooper, Del. Murray D. Levy, Sen. Roy P. Dyson,
Transportation Secretary John Pocari, U.S. Rep. Steny H.
Hoyer, Del. John L. Bohanan Jr., St. Mary’s Commissioner
Larry Jarboe, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, St. Mary’s
Commissioner President Jack Russell, Calvert County Del. Sue
Kullen, and St. Mary’s Commissioner Thomas A. Mattingly. |
Lt. Gov.
Anthony Brown (D) was a brave man Wednesday.
His audience
sat patiently perspiring in the record-breaking morning heat, slowly
roasting over the fresh black asphalt of the Route 5 Business off ramp
on the south side of Hughesville.
Brown stepped
to the podium at the Aug. 8 event and proceeded, over the drone of
vehicles behind him, to deliver his entire speech marking the opening of
the Route 5 Hughesville bypass, a $56 million project that was more than
two decades in coming.
‘‘It’s a hot
morning here in Southern Maryland,” Brown observed before launching into
an explanation of how the new bypass will continue to serve the region
in its quest to keep and grow its military bases.
Brown said
that Maryland, on balance, gained jobs in the last round of federal base
closures as the military moved operations inside the state’s borders.
Brown said the state will gain 60,000 new jobs and 28,000 new households
in the coming years as a result of military consolidation, but warned
that leaders need to prepare for the next round of closures.
‘‘It’s been
and will continue to be a source of opportunity for Maryland as well as
a source of challenges,” Brown said of base closures. ‘‘We are ready,
and we will continue to prepare ourselves.”
Brown said
that the Southern Maryland leadership’s united support of the
Hughesville bypass served as a model to other regions of the state that
are looking to improve their infrastructure to defend against base
closures.
‘‘In
order to succeed, we need to have a regional approach,” Brown said.
(Read the entire
story on
SoMdNews.com Recorder Online)
Who's the greenest one
of all? Group rates legislators
Friday, July 27, 2007 - Sean Sedam & Alan Brody - The
Calvert Recorder
ANNAPOLIS — Southern Maryland lawmakers’ support for the environment
largely increased in 2007, mirroring a statewide trend among state
legislators, according to ratings released last week by a leading
environmental advocacy group.
The
Maryland League of Conservation Voters’ legislative scorecard showed
significant gains among both senators and delegates, with the largest
improvement coming among Republicans in both chambers.
‘‘We
believe the high — and greatly improved — scores coming out of this
year’s legislative session show the importance of the environment as an
issue for legislators and the public,” Cindy Schwartz, executive
director of Maryland LCV, said in a statement.
The
environment was one of the biggest winners in a 2007 General Assembly
session that saw few victors due to the state’s looming budget woes.
Maryland adopted California-style vehicle emissions standards to reduce
air pollution, mandated the future use of more solar energy and set
minimum energy efficiency standards for certain products, such as most
residential furnaces and industrial-sized refrigerators.
The
legislature also decreased the amount of stormwater runoff and
prohibited the sale of dishwashing detergent containing phosphorus, both
of which contribute to bay pollution. The budget for fiscal 2008, which
began July 1, included full funding for Program Open Space.
Lawmakers’ scores were tabulated based upon their votes on key
environmental bills identified by Maryland LCV. Sixty lawmakers received
a perfect 100 percent grade, including Sen. Thomas ‘‘Mac” Middleton
(D-Charles). None scored a zero for the first time since 1982, but eight
legislators came in below 20 percent, including Del. John F. Wood Jr.
(D-St. Mary’s, Charles), the lowest-ranking Democrat.
Middleton scored 60 percent in the previous scorecard, which combined
the 2005 and 2006 legislative sessions. During his 13 years in
Annapolis, Middleton has earned a 64 percent average score.
House
Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) was one of 49 delegates – all
Democrats – to score100 percent. The average score in the House was 80
percent, up from a 67 percent average in 2005 and 2006. Republican
scores nearly doubled from 26 percent to 50 percent. Democratic scores
rose from 85 percent to 91 percent.
‘‘Clearly, there is room for improvement,” she said of the GOP scores.
‘‘But we hope this represents an upward trend that will continue.”
The
increased scores reflect increased awareness of environmental issues
that ‘‘transcend[s] party politics,” Schwartz said.
Most
Southern Maryland officials improved upon or hovered around their scores
from the previous scorecard. Del. Sally Y. Jameson (D-Charles) had the
biggest improvement, vaulting from 44 percent to 64 percent. Sen. Roy P.
Dyson (D-St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles), who is vice chairman of the
Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee and has a
lifetime score just over 50 percent, improved from 71 percent to 91
percent in 2007 (he voted against a bill that increased solar energy
production).
Del. Sue
Kullen, who received a perfect mark on her first scorecard, earned an 88
percent, while Del. Murray D. Levy’s score rose slightly from 63 percent
to 71 percent. Southern Maryland’s only first-term lawmaker, Del. Peter
F. Murphy, received an 80 percent and Del. John L. Bohanan Jr. improved
his score from 63 percent to 71 percent.
Some
lawmakers fear that intense budget discussions will engulf other policy
initiatives, such as the environment, and are pushing for a special
session to resolve the budget before January.
Advocates are hoping that the biggest unresolved environmental issue in
2007 will win passage next year. The Green Fund bill, which passed the
House but died in the Senate this year, would use fees paid by
developers who build impervious surfaces, such as paved sidewalks and
parking lots, to clean up the coastal bays and the Chesapeake Bay.
‘‘We
don’t believe 2007 was the year of the environment,” Schwartz said.
‘‘But we do believe that it marked the start of a new and exciting ear
for protecting the environment in Maryland.”
(this article has been
shortened to save space. To view the entire article go
to the
Southern Maryland News online)
Natural Gas Company
Seeks to Run 1st Pipeline Under Chesapeake Bay
Wednesday, June 20, 2007 - Matt Zapotosky -
The Washington Post
A Delaware natural
gas company has proposed building the first pipeline under the
Chesapeake Bay, to pump gas from Cove Point in Southern Maryland to
Delaware starting in winter 2009, according to a federal official.
Eastern
Shore Natural Gas's $93 million project is in the early stages of the
state and federal approval process, but some environmental groups and a
state legislator are raising questions about its environmental effects.
Calvert
County "has pretty much maxed out our utility commitment for the rest of
the nation," said Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert). "We need to kind of
protect our back yard."
The gas
company is soliciting input before it seeks formal approval, said Mary
O'Driscoll, a spokeswoman for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
which must approve the pipeline. The project was reported first in the
Baltimore Sun yesterday. This pre-filing stage can take up to six
months, and it is followed by a four- to 10-month approval process, she
said.
The
company also must seek state and local permits -- a process that would
run concurrently and take up to two years, said Gary T. Setzer, program
administrator for wetlands and waterways in the Maryland Department of
the Environment.
The
pipeline, ranging in diameter from 10 to 24 inches, would start in Cove
Point, cross the bay into Dorchester and Caroline counties, and connect
with the gas company's system in Sussex County, Del. The nearly 75-mile
line would expand the company's 50-year-old pipeline by 33 percent and
would add another source of gas to the existing pipeline, which provides
gas from the Gulf of Mexico, said Elaine Bittner, vice president of
Eastern Shore Natural Gas.
But the
route is of great concern to Robert J. Etgen, executive director of the
Eastern Shore Land Conservancy. Etgen, whose group owns 40,000 acres in
the Eastern Shore region, said he is worried that the natural gas
company might pollute and damage the bay.
"It's
going to have obvious ecological impacts during construction and after,
and they're going to need to address that," he said "This is another
major capital project with obvious ramifications for the bay."
Kim Coble,
Maryland executive director for the
Chesapeake
Bay Foundation, said that members of her group are worried about the
project being the first pipeline in the bay but that they need more
details before taking an official position.
"It's the
first pipeline. I don't know of any other that goes under the bay,"
Coble said. "That's why we feel it's very important to take a very
thorough look at it."
Bittner
said that although some land might be disturbed, 80 percent of the
pipeline's path would be on existing rights of way. A seven-mile stretch
would run through the bay, and the route was designed to cross the bay's
narrowest section, she said.
Rick
Abbruzzese, a spokesman for Gov.
Martin O'Malley (D), said the governor has not taken a position on
the proposal and is waiting for input from state agencies.
Dominion
Resources Services, which runs the gas-processing plant where the pipe
would originate, has not taken a position on the proposal. A Dominion
spokesman said the company has many questions about the Eastern Shore
proposal, including where on its property the pipe would connect.
Bernie Fowler's 20th
Annual Patuxent River Wade-In
Many Fans, Few Dollars
Thursday, June 14, 2007 - Sandra Olivetti Martin -
The
Bay Weekly
Bernie Fowler can fill a
tent as enthusiastically as a revival preacher.
Several hundred men,
women, children and dogs gathered under the yellow-striped tent to hear
speeches, songs and promises. Then a long line of them waded into the
murky Patuxent River at Broome's Island on the traditional second Sunday
in June.
 |
|
Bernie Fowler
(with the American flag above his hat) is joined by, from
left, Delegate Sue Kullen, President of the Maryland Senate,
Mike Miller, U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer, Governor Martin
O'Malley, wife Betty Fowler, Maryland Senator Roy Dyson and
Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler. |
The old state senator can
draw a quorum of politicians as reliably as election year.
Gov. Martin O’Malley came
as he promised, walking on crutches — as he will for six weeks, after
suffering a stress fracture to his left shin bone while running. He
waded in, alongside Fowler, to a depth of 21 inches and called for “41
inches next year!”
U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, the
powerful Maryland congressman who is the majority leader of the U.S.
House, kept his pants dry this year, though he did his annual job of
taking the measure of Fowler’s wet coverall leg. Maryland Senate
President Mike Miller, whose Calvert district covers the lower Patuxent,
waded in for the first time, along with new Attorney General Doug
Gansler. Sen. Roy Dyson, from lower Calvert and St. Mary’s, waded in for
the umpteenth time, linked arm in arm to Del. Sue Kullen and
Calvert Commissioner Wilson Parran. Commissioner Susan Shaw kept her
feet dry.
Fowler can turn out
experts and dignitaries as surely as a gubernatorial summons. Among the
pack: Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources John
Griffin; Shari Wilson, secretary of the Maryland Department of the
Environment; Hagner Mister, former secretary of the Maryland Department
of Agriculture; Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland
Center for Environmental Science; Michael Smolek, director of Jefferson
Patterson Park and Museum; Patuxent Riverkeeper Fred Tutman; Bill
Goldsborough, senior scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Ralph
Eshelman, former head of Calvert Marine Museum and Sherrod Sturrock, the
museum’s deputy director; former EPA scientist Kent Mountford; Bay bard
Tom Wisner.
But even the redoubtable
Fowler, a Maryland icon whose fame has spread round the world, cannot
pull dollars out of an empty pocket.
“Did I come here with $200
million prepared to announce I had funds to spare?” queried Gov. Martin
O’Malley, rhetorically, as a throng of reporters wondered whether he’d
brought money, as well as good words, to Fowler’s 20th Anniversary
Wade-in to his beloved, and ailing, Patuxent River.
The governor did not.
Citing the state’s $1.5
billion deficit and the similar plight of the state’s other rivers,
O’Malley asked Fowler and his gathering of followers, as many of their
T-shirts proclaimed them, to count the state’s achievements and look
ahead to the federal largesse of a “brighter” post-Bush day.
Nor did the other
politicians and dignitaries who brought good wishes and moral support
bring funds.
Fowler had made no secret
of his hope that this 20th anniversary would be his river’s year
[Editorial: Bernie’s Patuxent Plea: No Waiting After Wade-In, Vol. xv,
No. 23: June 7]. He lobbied the governor hard and long, even as Patuxent
water dripped from wet pants legs into wet shoes.
“I was looking for Lady
Patuxent to get her accolades,” Fowler acknowledged. “And that didn’t
happen.”
Yet he professed himself
only “mildly disappointed.”
“I know the governor and
his cabinet are working on it,” Fowler said.
Indeed we are, said
Natural Resources Secretary Griffin: “We’re starting off by using the
Patuxent as the prototype for BayStat.” BayStat is O’Malley’s touted
measurement program imported from his years in Baltimore, to, he says,
“show us where we [should] allocate money to do the greatest good.”
Wading in to help save river
O’Malley says deficit will halt
Patuxent pilot plan for now
Wednesday, June 13, 2007 - Joel Davis - The Recorder
Democratic politicians had high praise for former Sen. Bernie Fowler at
his annual Patuxent River Wade-in Sunday, but the high cost of his
proposal to make the river a central part of Gov. Martin O’Malley’s
environmental efforts means Fowler’s proposed pilot plan will fall by
the wayside for now.
‘‘There
is a $1.5 billion deficit we are facing,” O’MalleyÊ(D) said in a brief
impromptu press conference as his legs dried from his excursion into the
river at Broomes Island. ‘‘ ... We need to address the critical needs of
rivers throughout the state.”
O’Malley, on crutches from a stress fracture in his shin bone, said the
Patuxent will be part of a revamped state environmental effort that will
use the BayStat statistical monitoring program to direct resources at
the areas where they will be the most effective.
‘‘I did
not really expect it would be any better,” Fowler said after O’Malley
spoke. ‘‘My expectation was that he would make a stronger commitment to
the Patuxent, and he did so. I do think there is enough to justify
raising the Patuxent to the level of a demonstration project.”
But
Fowler said he understands the fiscal constraints the state is operating
under.
In the
main business of the Wade-in, the depth at which Fowler can see his
sneakers in the cloudy water, disappointment ruled as well. Fowler’s
white footwear disappeared at only 22 inches deep in the river, down 5
inches from last year and well short of the 50 or so inches of Fowler’s
goal of being able to see his sneakers when he’s chest deep in the
river, as he could when he was growing up on Broomes Island.
Sen. Roy
P. Dyson (D-Calvert, St. Mary’s, Charles) said it is not realistic to
expect a brand new — and expensive — project when the state faces such a
large deficit in next year’s budget.
‘‘It
would take something like $1.2 billion,” Dyson said. ‘‘I would love to
see it happen, but I don’t know if it’s possible when the governor just
asked [state government] to cut $200 million across the board.”
Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert) said she is still hopeful that
something more can be done to help the river, even if Fowler’s plan
won’t fly this year.
‘‘I was
really not expecting an announcement about [the project],” Kullen said.
‘‘I’m
pushing for a partnership between federal and state agencies to get
something done.”
A
state-federal partnership may be just the thing. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.
5th) promised funding for the river from federal sources in his remarks
before the crowd took to the water.
‘‘We
can’t keep blaming each other,” Kullen said. ‘‘We have to keep the
pressure on, and Bernie’s good at that.”
When will Bernie's
Sneakers Disappear?
Governor expected to bring
high-profile attention to annual Patuxent River wade-in
Friday, June 8, 2007 - Erica Mitrano - Gazette.net
On Sunday, Gov. Martin O’Malley will travel to
Calvert County to check out former state senator Bernie Fowler’s
sneakers.
 |
|
Last year former state senator
Bernie Fowler (in overalls and cowboy hat) was joined in his
Patuxent River wade-in by (from left) then-gubernatorial
candidates Douglas M. Duncan and Martin O’Malley, Del. Sue
Kullen and Del. John Bohanan. The annual event at Broomes
Island helps Fowler gauge the river’s decline by seeing how
deep he can wade and still see his white sneakers. Here they
disappeared at 27 inches.(Gazette File
Photo) |
The governor
is expected to join Fowler and dozens of others for his annual Patuxent
River wade-in at Broomes Island. For 20 years, the wade-in has brought
attention to the plight of the threatened river.
When Fowler was a young man living on Broomes
Island, the river was so clear he could stand chest-deep in the water
and still see his feet, Fowler said. Not anymore. To demonstrate the
river’s decline, Fowler wears white tennis shoes and walks in until he
can’t see them anymore. In two decades, he has never made it more than a
few feet. Last year, the sneakers disappeared at just 27 inches.
‘‘The main purpose is to focus attention on the
river. We do that every year to make sure it’s like a neon sign
flashing: Hey, the river’s still sick. We need help,” Fowler said.
There is a danger that younger people will accept
the river’s degradation because they’ve never known anything else,
Fowler said.
‘‘My family worked the water,” he said. ‘‘My
father, my mother was one of the best soft crabbers on Broomes Island.
My uncles, well, the whole island, the whole island worked the water ...
but we had a clean [Chesapeake] Bay and it treated us well. We haven’t
been reciprocating. We haven’t treated it really too kindly.
‘‘But now it’s time to apologize and see if we
can’t begin to restore that precious resource and let it serve as a
model for not just Maryland but the entire planet. Because if we can’t
save the Patuxent River, there’s not much hope for the other estuaries
on the planet,” he continued. ‘‘If we can’t save it, we can’t save any
of them.”
The river’s condition hasn’t improved in 35
years, but recent advances leave Fowler optimistic of turning a corner
soon. He is especially encouraged because the O’Malley administration
has signaled its willingness to make sacrifices to save the Bay
watershed. Fowler cited the governor’s recent decision to prohibit the
building of 1,400 homes in a critical area on Kent Island.
Saving the river will require better education
and environmental enforcement as well as continued improvements in
controlling stormwater runoff, sewage treatment plants and air pollution
washing into the water, Fowler said.
Stormwater management, which includes nutrient
run-off from agriculture and developed areas, is probably the biggest
concern. But Fowler would like to see year-round nutrient removal at
sewage treatment plants. Nitrogen and phosphorus are only removed from
waste during warm-weather months, allowing nutrients to accumulate in
the water during the winter, he said.
O’Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said the
governor supports Fowler’s goals and has joined the wade-in for years.
He pointed to the Oyster Restoration Act and the Stormwater Management
Act and to BayStat, a network that allows agencies to work together in
monitoring the Bay.
Region gets Easter surprise
Assembly
approves extra school building funds
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 - Alan Brody - The Recorder (SoMdNews.com)
ANNAPOLIS —
State budget negotiators this week gave Southern Maryland school systems
an early end-of-year bonus: more construction money.
Counties
throughout the state were already set to receive a record $400 million
in the fiscal 2008 budget that Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) promised during
last fall’s campaign, but the two legislative chambers did not agree on
how to allocate the funds until the General Assembly’s final days.
The final
budget agreement forged over the weekend gives significant boosts to all
three Southern Maryland jurisdictions, particularly Calvert County,
whose initial $5.1 million figure more than doubled to $12.2 million. It
also represents a more than 400 percent increase from the current fiscal
year’s $2.7 million allocation for school construction.
‘‘I think
there’s a lot of political might in Annapolis that looks to take care of
Calvert,” said Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert), a reference to
powerful Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert, Prince
George’s).
Read the entire story online:
SouthernMarylandNews.com (April 11, 2007)
Region gets
school construction money
Bill
would patch up patchy water shed funding
Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - Alan Brody - The Recorder
ANNAPOLIS — All three
Southern Maryland counties received additional state funding for school
construction in the fiscal 2008 budget passed earlier this month by the
House of Delegates.
Calvert County received an
extra $1.6 million to bring its total to $6.8 million, Charles got an
additional $4.4 million, boosting its allocation to $12.5 million, and
aid to St. Mary's increased from $6.9 million to $8.4 million.
‘‘Every school system
[did] well,” said Del. John L. Bohanan Jr. (D-St. Mary’s), a member of
the House committee that earmarks school construction dollars. ‘‘It
doesn’t meet 100 percent of everybody's needs, but I’m pleased.”
The House spending plan
upholds Gov. Martin O’Malley’s promise to spend a record $400 million
for school construction. The state Board of Public Works in January
awarded $242 million in school construction money. The balance was
allocated through various formulas.
Charles County got a
nearly $2 million bump to bring its allotment up to the $10.2 million it
received for school construction in the current fiscal year. School
systems also were awarded more money based on the amount of school
square footage currently in use was built prior to 1970. Another formula
provided extra dollars to counties that had not received its full state
aid request from the Board of Public Works.
Charles is the ninth
largest recipient of state school construction money, according to the
House breakdown, while St. Mary’s and Calvert rank 12th and 16th,
respectively.
Rapid growth throughout
Southern Maryland, the state’s fastest-growing region, is driving the
demand for new school capacity and building renovations. Even in a year
when the state faces a growing structural deficit, lawmakers said the
$400 million for school construction is a welcome sign.
‘‘There’s a lot of
reconstruction that we need to do ... to make sure the buildings are up
to standards, so we’re fighting for every dime we can get,” said
Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert).
Curtis is "Youth of the Year"
Friday, March 30, 2007:
By Alan Brody -- Southern Maryland News Online - The
Recorder
The
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maryland recently announced that Kiara
Curtis of the Bayside Unit in North Beach has been selected the 2007
‘‘Youth of the Year” for the State of Maryland. Judges in Annapolis,
selected Curtis from a remarkable group of finalists representing ten
Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the State of Maryland, according to a
press release.
 |
|
Kiara Curtis of North Beach was recently honored in
Annapolis as the Boys & Girls Club of Maryland’s Youth of
the Year. Here she is pictured with Del. Sue Kullen
(D-Calvert). |
Curtis
received the honor following a two-day selection process at a
Legislative Luncheon, March 21, at the West Miller Senate Building in
Annapolis. Sen. Roy Dyson (D-Calvert, St. Mary’s, Charles) and Sen.
Donald Munson (R-Washington) of the Maryland State Senate and Del.
Joanne Benson (D-Prince George’s) and Del. Richard Weldon Jr.
(R-Frederick, Washington) of Maryland House of Delegates hosted the
event.
‘‘I am
absolutely thrilled and delighted that Kiara has brought home this
prestigious award to Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. She is
such an accomplished and compassionate young adult. We can all take
pride in her achievement,” said Pamela Wilkerson, president and CEO of
the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maryland, in a press release.
Curtis, a 14 year old ninth-grader at Northern High School in Owings, is
the daughter of Brian and Jackie Greenwell of North Beach.
As
this year’s state honoree, she received the 2007 Rhoda J. Campbell
Memorial Scholarship Award in the amount of $2,500. She also received a
Readers’ Digest Foundation scholarship in the amount of $1,000. Curtis
was also honored with proclamations from the Maryland Senate and House
of Delegates.
She
will advance to the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Northeast Regional Youth of the
Year Contest in New York City in June. The winner of the regional
contest will go on to participate in the Boys & Girls Clubs’ National
Youth of the Year Contest in Washington, D.C., later this year.
‘‘I
would like to congratulate and thank Michelle Donohue, unit director at
the Bayside unit, for working with Kiara during the application process,
providing direction and on-going support in the competition. We have so
many talented and caring young people in our programs in Southern
Maryland. My only regret is that we could only select one of our
children to represent our region. I consider all our kids winners,”
Wilkerson said.
School Construction Money
Approved for Southern Maryland
Friday, March 24, 2007:
By Alan Brody -- Southern Maryland News Online
ANNAPOLIS — All three
Southern Maryland counties received additional state funding for school
construction in the fiscal 2008 budget passed last week by the House of
Delegates.
Charles County got
an additional $4.4 million, boosting its allocation to $12.5 million.
Calvert received an extra $1.6 million to bring its total to $6.8
million. And aid to St. Mary’s increased from $6.9 million to $8.4
million.
‘‘Every school
system [did] well,” said Del. John L. Bohanan Jr. (D-St. Mary’s), a
member of the House committee that earmarks school construction dollars.
‘‘It doesn’t meet 100 percent of everybody’s needs, but I’m pleased.”
The House spending
plan upholds Gov. Martin O’Malley’s (D) promise to spend a record $400
million for school construction. The state Board of Public Works in
January awarded $242 million in school construction money. The balance
was allocated through various formulas.
Charles County got a
nearly $2 million bump to bring its allotment up to the $10.2 million it
received for school construction in the current fiscal year. School
systems also were awarded more money based on the amount of school
square footage currently in use that was built prior to 1970. Another
formula provided extra dollars to counties that had not received their
full state aid request from the Board of Public Works.
Charles is the ninth
largest recipient of state school construction money, according to the
House breakdown, while St. Mary’s and Calvert rank 12th and 16th,
respectively.
Rapid growth
throughout Southern Maryland, the state’s fastest-growing region, is
driving the demand for new school capacity and building renovations.
Even in a year when the state faces a growing structural deficit,
lawmakers said the $400 million for school construction is a welcome
sign.
‘‘There’s a lot of
reconstruction that we need to do ... to make sure the buildings are up
to standards, so we’re fighting for every dime we can get,” said
Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert).
There Oughtta Be a Law
...
Bill
would patch up patchy water shed funding
Thursday, March 22, 2007 - Carrie Madden : Bay Weekly
The Bay’s austere dead
zones contain so little oxygen that life cannot survive. It’s a bleak
landscape, dark and deep and far from ideal of habitat for Bay critters.
Dead zones form when
oxygen gets sucked out of the water, devoured by an excess of
decomposing algae, which is in turn fueled on by an excess of nutrients
like nitrogen. Some 40 percent of nitrogen in the Bay’s waters comes
from agriculture; 16 percent from forests; four percent from septics; 22
percent from point sources like factories; and 11 percent from urban
stormwater.
“We know that the
only major issue with the Bay is to remove nitrogen,” says Del. Maggie
McIntosh, chair of the Environmental Matters Committee in the House of
Delegates. “And we have goals to meet by 2010.”
McIntosh’s
Chesapeake Bay Green Fund, a bill currently in debate in the General
Assembly, seeks to meet those goals — and keep a promise.
< ... Story truncated for space >
...
Frustration with new
development prompted Calvert Delegate Sue Kullen to go beyond the
Green Fund. She’s working on a bill to tax developers $1,000 per square
foot for disturbing wetlands.
HB 1350 remains in
the rules committee for refinement.
“It’s pretty
substantial,” she says. “We’ll work over interim and come back with it
next year.”
As for the Green
Fund, Kullen says she supports the objectives of the bill — putting
money into cover cops and environmental management — but her rural
constituents weren’t keen on the idea.
“There’s a few
things to iron out,” she says. “For instance, we want to make sure that
there would be an exemption for building homesteads on farms. If people
are passing land down, it would cost $4,000 extra to do that.” Plus, in
Calvert, she says, builders would have to pay the higher costs, as the
only Priority Funding Areas are located in the few town centers, like
Prince Frederick.
Fine-tuning the
Green Fund is underway.
The week of March
19, McIntosh met with subcommittees and workgroups to hash out a
vote-able version of the Green Fund bill. The bill was expected to be up
for House committee vote on the first day of spring, when this story
went to print. If it passes, then the full House could vote as early as
March 24. McIntosh says the Fund has the support of her committee, as
well as of House Speaker Michael Busch. She won’t predict if it will
pass, but if it does, Gov. Martin O’Malley would likely sign it.
Read the entire story online:
The Bay Weekly :
Volume 15, Issue 12 ~ March 22 - March 28, 2007
AARP Maryland Voters News Alert
American
Association of Retired People News Alert
Saturday, March 17, 2007 - PR Newswire / Press Release
ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 17 /PR Newswire-US Newswire / --
ATTENTION NEWS DESKS: AARP is recording roll call votes
on key issues in the Maryland Legislature, and informing
its nearly 830,000 members statewide of the
results.
SUMMARY: The Maryland House of Delegates voted today on
House Bill 754, The Children and Working Families Health
Care Act, which provides for expanded access to health
care in the state. The bill would expand Medicaid
eligibility for more than 100,000 uninsured Marylanders.
It includes measures of House Bill 288, the Healthy
Maryland Initiative, of which AARP is a lead proponent,
most notably a $1 increase in the state tobacco tax.
AARP
Maryland State Director Joseph DeMattos, Jr. said, "AARP
commends the delegates who voted to expand health care
for many of the 800,000 of our neighbors currently
struggling without potentially life-saving care. In
expanding coverage, we also reduce the stranded costs
for emergency room visits by the uninsured, which under
the present system get passed along to us all in the
form of higher health care costs."
DeMattos said, "We are disappointed with those who voted
against this bill. AARP members are deeply concerned
about health care. Seven out of ten voters age 50-plus
polled just before last fall's general election said it
was extremely or very important for the State of
Maryland to expand health care to the uninsured."
Following are the roll call results of the vote: House
Bill 754 - The Children and Working Families Health Care
Act of 2007 - PASSED by a vote of 102-37.
|
Calvert County Delegates |
-
Voted Yes
- On HB 754
|
-
Voted No
- On HB 754
|
|
Kullen, Sue (D), District 27B |
X |
|
|
O'Donnell, Anthony J. (R), District 29C |
|
X |
|
Proctor, James E., Jr. (D), District 27A |
X |
|
|
Vallario, Joseph F., Jr. (D), District 27A |
X |
|
Worry Grows on Maryland
Testing
Groups,
lawmakers voice concerns on '09 diploma requirement
Monday, March 12, 2007 - Liz Bowie, Sun Reporter -- The
Baltimore Sun
With just two years to go until
new state tests could deny diplomas to thousands of students,
grass-roots opposition to Maryland's High School Assessments is growing.
Members of the Class of 2009 have been warned for several years that
they will not graduate unless they pass the state exams in algebra,
English, American government and biology. But a blue-ribbon panel in
Prince George's County is questioning whether four tests should decide a
student's future - and whether the resources are there to ensure that
students have qualified teachers and time to catch up if they fail.
Montgomery County school officials have sent a white paper to the state
school board outlining their concerns about the testing.
And the Maryland Coalition for Excellent Schools, a group that includes
education advocates, teachers unions, local school boards and the
American Civil Liberties Union, is urging the legislature to take a hard
look at the issue. Several bills have been introduced in the General
Assembly that would stop or at least delay the testing requirement.
Maryland Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick and the state school board say
they are committed to the testing. But the first suggestion that they
might back off from the plan to require the tests as a condition of
graduation by 2009 came this month. Board members said they probably
would delay the requirement for special education students and those
with limited proficiency in English.
The state began developing the tests more than a decade ago as a way to
increase standards in high school, and the exams have become a fact of
life for students. Students are taking the algebra test as early as
seventh grade. Most Maryland 10th-graders believe that they have no
choice but to pass all four tests if they hope to graduate.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act does not require high school
examinations linked to graduation. Maryland, along with 25 other states,
has made them a requirement.
Potential crisis
Some administrators,
teachers and parents see a potential disaster in 2009 when the first
students will be told that they cannot graduate as a result of the
tests.
"We felt there was an economic crisis coming to the county," said County
Councilman Samuel H. Dean, who chaired the Prince George's panel.
Students who do not get a diploma won't be as prepared for jobs, Dean
said, and the county's economy will suffer.
"I think there are serious enough questions to look at whether we should
be using a single instrument to decide" whether a student graduates, he
said.
Many of the groups raising questions are not opposed to linking
graduation to passage of tests, but they contend that not all students
have been given an equal chance to pass them. And they worry that some
students could be denied a diploma for reasons that might have little to
do with effort.
"Not every child at this moment has a highly qualified teacher or the
resources they need," said Clara Floyd, president of the Maryland State
Teachers Association. "I think the community and the parents are
concerned that certain groups of students are at greater risk of
failing."
Jim May of Calvert County learned two years ago that his child would
have to pass the High School Assessments. That meant that his son, who
teachers felt was at risk of failing the algebra test because of mild
learning disabilities, was given a double period of math that he hated.
His son passed the test, but still worries that he might not get a
diploma. May talked to teachers, administrators and his local school
board and found little support for the exam.
"If it is so good, why isn't it universally accepted?" he asked. He has
lobbied his state legislators, testified in Annapolis and called state
school board members.
Tool or barrier?
School leaders in
Montgomery County sent a strongly worded report to the State Department
of Education last fall in which they outlined concerns about the High
School Assessments. The white paper, prepared by county Superintendent
Jerry Weast, questioned the instructional value of the tests and
suggested major changes.
"With careful, considered modifications, the HSA could truly operate as
intended - a measurement tool for school improvement - rather than
simply a barrier to students' graduation," the report said.
Critics also note that
larger numbers of blacks and Hispanics are failing the tests.
State Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, a Prince George's County Democrat and former
history teacher, has introduced a bill that would set up a task force
that would meet for the next year and make recommendations to the
Assembly.
While the bill doesn't sound controversial, it is. The state school
board sees it as another attempt by lawmakers to usurp its authority to
make policy.
"Do I want to take it out of the hands of the state board? No, but there
are enough questions that the legislature wants its voice added to the
deliberations," Pinsky said.
He said he supports Grasmick's push for higher standards, but is not
sure that a student's 13 years of education should rest on four tests.
Del. Sue Kullen, a Calvert County Democrat who has introduced a
bill to reduce the importance of the tests, said: "My belief is that a
one-size-fits-all test doesn't work for Maryland's children."
She hopes that her bill at least helps to start a discussion. Her fear,
she said, is that parents will panic in two years when students are
about to be denied diplomas and that the Assembly will be rushed to pass
legislation.
< ... Story truncated for space >
...
The numbers in some systems are discouraging. In Baltimore, only 40
percent of the students for whom the algebra test counted passed it last
year. That leaves more than 3,000 students in need of remedial help.
Grasmick seems to be leaving the door open to adjustments. When asked
about the large numbers of students in Baltimore City and Prince
George's County who are in danger of not passing, Grasmick said, "We
will be looking at all of it."
Read the entire story online:
The Baltimore Sun - March 12, 2007
Clean Cars for Maryland
Washington Post - Southern Maryland Extra Section -
Letters to the Editor
Sunday, March 11, 2007
On Feb.
26, the Clean Cars Act of 2007 passed the Maryland
Senate 38 to 9 with both Sens. Roy P. Dyson (D-St.
Mary's) and Thomas M. "Mac" Middleton (D-Charles) voting
in favor. We thank them for helping pass this strong
legislation to fight global warming, clean up the
Chesapeake Bay and protect our health.
Since
this bill already passed the House of Delegates by a
vote of 112 to 16, we are confident that it will soon be
signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley. Democratic
Dels. Sue Kullen of Calvert County, John L. Bohanan
Jr. of St. Mary's, and Sally Young Jameson, Murray D.
Levy and Peter F. Murphy of Charles supported this
legislation to "establish a low emissions vehicle
program applicable to vehicles of the model year 2011
and thereafter." Alas, Dels. John F. Wood Jr. (D-St.
Mary's) and Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert) voted
against this measure to promote cleaner air.
Major reductions of greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide from automobile exhaust are a significant part
of reducing the effects of global warming.
Coastal Maryland could face more severe storms and
increased flooding if rapid climate change intensifies.
Recently, the Sierra Club joined with the American Solar
Energy Society to advocate that "an aggressive, yet
achievable increase in the use of energy efficiency and
renewables alone can achieve a 60 to 80 percent
reduction in U.S. global warming emissions by 2050."
Transition away from dirty, fossil fuel-based energy can
promote new jobs and manufacturing here through creating
safe, clean energy. American ingenuity can also vastly
expand conservation through development of
fuel-efficient vehicles, energy-saving lighting and
innovative building techniques.
These methods would be far a cheaper means to cut down
on carbon dioxide production rather than pursuing the
fool's gold promised by nuclear power advocates who
neglect to mention the massive costs and government
subsidies needed for new plant construction, such as
that proposed at Calvert Cliffs, and management of
growing piles of dangerous radioactive waste.
Indeed, Sierra magazine senior editor Paul Rauber found
that "a dollar spent on energy efficiency would save
seven times more carbon dioxide than a dollar spent on
nuclear power."
Frank L. Fox
Chairman
, Sierra
Club
Southern Maryland Group
Committee vote kills
Kullen bill
Child
name change measure defeated
Wednesday, March 7, 2007:
By Alan Brody -- The
Recorder
A House of Delegates panel
rejected for the third straight year legislation that aimed to give
divorced women the right to change their child’s surname.
The bill, despite being
altered from previous versions to improve its chances of passing met a
similar fate. The House Judiciary Committee voted 14-3 on Friday to kill
the proposal.
‘‘The judicial system is
weighted more toward the man than the woman and that doesn’t appear to
be changing any time soon,” said a disappointed Delegate Sue Kullen
(D-Calvert), the bill’s lead sponsor.
In past years, the
proposal enabled divorced women to change their children’s last names on
their own.
This year’s measure, which
Kullen introduced on behalf of a constituent, left the decision to grant
a name change to judges if they determine it is in the child’s best
interest.
Separated women who retain
custody of their children and choose to revert to their maiden name do
not share the same surname with their kids.
Kullen said her bill gave
judges ‘‘as much discretion as possible” to make the decision of whether
a child’s surname can be changed, if requested.
She had hoped the milder
language would lead to the bill’s passage.
Grasmick
Affirms Graduation Mandate
'09
Class Must Pass Tests Despite Delay for Some Students
Thursday, March 1, 2007: By Nelson Hernandez -- The
Washington Post
Maryland School Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick told
the State Board of Education yesterday that she is
committed to having students pass high school exit exams
starting with the Class of 2009, despite plans that
would delay when students in special education and
limited English proficiency programs must pass them.
Grasmick stressed that the postponement, which she
intends to formalize in August, is part of a review of
the tests in algebra, biology, English and government,
known as the High School Assessments. But, she told the
board, she does not intend to change testing plans for
students in regular classes.
"We
are not recommending abandoning this 2009 timeline," she
said. "There will be adjustments based on a reasonable
interpretation of the data."
Starting with the Class of 2009, students must pass all
four tests, or score at a minimum level on each, to
graduate -- a requirement that has provoked increasing
worry among some educators and state legislators, who
fear that thousands of students could fail to receive
their diplomas.
Grasmick's statements seemed to reassure some school
officials who have poured money into efforts to help
students pass the test. Prince George's County schools
chief John E. Deasy said he has spent at least $14
million on various programs related to the test, and an
intangible amount of time and effort revising
curriculums and providing extra instruction.
"I
think we have all been concerned about the appropriate
way to roll this out for students with special needs and
students who haven't learned English yet," Deasy said.
"I think delaying, and determining how we're going to
support these populations, is the responsible move."
Montgomery County school system spokesman Brian Edwards
said that he wants more details but that the proposal
"is certainly one thing to look at."
"We're focused on really making sure our students,
whether they're special education or [English-language
learner] students, are ready to graduate and have
success beyond high school," Edwards said.
< ... Story truncated for space >
...
Two
bills before the General Assembly seek to mitigate what
some say could result in as many as 25,000 students
failing at least one of the four tests. One bill would
create a task force to look at the effectiveness of the
tests and present recommendations. The other would make
the exams part of a weighted assessment, reducing their
importance in receiving a diploma.
State school officials predict that only a handful of
students will fail, but the debate hung heavy over
yesterday's meeting.
The
board's president, Edward L. Root, said the proposal was
not made in response to moves in the General Assembly.
"When they propose that legislation, they're reflecting
the fear of their constituents," Root said in an
interview after the meeting. "The board typically
opposes state legislation because it typically fragments
the authority process. I think it's better to have a
united voice."
Root
pointedly said: "This board is marching forward in
unison. We are moving forward to change, but we will not
be driven to change."
Earlier, he said, "I sometimes wonder if the opponents
of this are the rear guard against high standards or the
point guard of our descent into mediocrity."
Dunbar Brooks, the board's vice president, spoke
strongly: "If we were to back off and say, 'Well, they
may not pass,' we could doom a tremendous percentage of
the population to mediocrity."
Some
opponents of the tests said they do not intend to
compromise. Other politicians said they thought the
proposal was a step in the right direction but wanted to
continue reviewing the test.
Delegate Sue Kullen (D-Calvert), one of the sponsors
of the bill proposing the weighted assessment system,
gave the bill only a "fifty-fifty" chance of passing but
said she was pleased it had started a discussion of the
role of the exams in education.
"We
want high accountability. We want high standards for our
children, but at the same time that one-size-fits-all
test does not work for Maryland children," Kullen said.
"I
think every principal is just looking for direction,"
said Sylvester Conyers, principal of Eleanor Roosevelt
High School in Greenbelt.
Grasmick acknowledged the difficulty of considering
revisions to the tests while trying to make students
aware that taking them is mandatory.
