The budget still maintains funding for K-12 education, said House Speaker Michael Busch, who also met with O'Malley on Tuesday afternoon to talk about the budget plan.
The governor, a Democrat, also included 10 furlough days for about 67,000 of the state's 80,000 employees, marking the third year in a row that state employees will have to take unpaid days off. State employees also will not get salary increases.
"It's a very conservative budget, but it is one that is still socially responsible," Busch, D-Anne Arundel, said.
O'Malley's budget includes $20 million for a trust fund to help address pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, but that could be reduced by the Legislature. Last year, O'Malley included $25 million for the bay fund, but lawmakers reduced it to $10 million.
Kim Coble, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, cheered the governor's decision to include $20 million for the fund.
"Last May, the governor set specific milestones for reducing pollution over the next two years, and this funding is an integral part of that plan," Coble said in a statement.
The governor also included $20 million to fund a $3,000 tax credit for businesses that hire an unemployed resident.
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9 comments:
ok any idea who the 44 are, and what are the dates for the 10 furlough?
No idea as of yet. I don't think this is the final budget either. There may be more cuts. But education will not be touched.
I find this whole sordid mess sickening. This governor is basing his budget on money he hopes to get from the feds! Sheesh, if we ran our households the way this gov puts a wishful budget together, we would be out on the streets! He must have some kind of "in" with D.C. and know that he is coming into money for the state. Otherwise this is one of the most irresponsible concoctions he could have devised!
We ought to know today when he actually gives the budget to the GA just who the 44 are and what departments are touched by this. However, the GA will need to approve it and I am anticipating it being torn apart. For one thing he was advised not to put any new spending in it and he didn't listen. So we'll see what they do.
My understanding is that the 10 furlough days will be like they were in the past and we most likely will not have the dates until the final budget is approved. My opinion is that they will add 5 days again to holidays and two of our holidays fall in the middle of the week so I'm guessing days will be added to them. One of them is election day ... I'll be handing out literature that day ... volunteering for the other guy.
Even if this budget is approved in April it is not over. Who knows where things are going to go with the feds now that Brown has won ... we could see all kind of changes coming and if MOM is counting on money he does not yet have then we state workers are going to be still on the roller coaster ride.
It's not fair but it's life as we know it. Keep the faith and stand strong.
Was there any mention of the 35.5 hour work week being imposed?
Not that I saw.
There will be no 35 hour workweek. The furlough plan will work exactly like last years, in fact, it is the exact same plan. The 10 day furloughs are for those at the top of the wage scale only.
On positive is that Health Care costs will not change and benefits will not be reduced. The costs of providing state employee health care went up 8%, and the state, at the urging of unions, agreed to eat that whole cost and not pass it on to workers in premiums. Thats a tidbit you may not see in media coverage.
what are the wage scale does anyone know because last time 50,000 and 100000 were the same, which is not the same
I don't know but I'm betting it's probably going to be exactly the same as last time. I feel your pain. Someone making 50,000 should not have to take the same days that someone making 100,000 does.
I do not think that someone making 28,000 should take an entire 5 days either ...
I have to dig up the list of legislators that donated in solidarity with us last time about 3/4 of them did it. The 1/4 well you know what they are ... I'm not posting it here!
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