Harford County’s Hotel Tax Tanked by State Senate; Identity of the Bill’s Assassin Remains Unknown

This news was passed along this morning by Delegate Dan Riley:

“Hotel tax, for Harford County, killed in the Senate.

It is with great disappointment I’ve learned the hotel tax for Aberdeen was killed in the Senate.

The bill was doing well until someone offered an amendment. The amendment was accepted and became part of the bill thus killing Aberdeen’s chances of getting the hotel tax this year. I do not know what Senator was behind the amendment, I can only guess…maybe a friend of Hess?

I will bring the bill back next year, and the next year, and the next year…until it passes or the opposition, in the Senate, to the bill is retired by the voters.” Continue reading Harford County’s Hotel Tax Tanked by State Senate; Identity of the Bill’s Assassin Remains Unknown

Harford Hoteliers Be Forewarned, Taxing Times Ahead: The Statewide Push To Tax Rooms In Aberdeen

If state Sen. Barry Glassman has his way, he will not give Harford County or the City of Aberdeen the ability to put a new tax on hotel/motel rooms anytime soon - unwelcome news to a financially-strapped city that was looking to finally secure the much sought after lodging surcharge.

While the rest of the city toiled with transition teams, inner turmoil among a feuding police department and ethics violations, old and new, at least one group of Aberdeen residents actually tried to get something done the old fashioned way - traveling by bus to Annapolis last week in support of the latest push to implement a hotel/motel room tax in Harford County.

Harford County is the lone jurisdiction in Maryland without the authorization to impose and collect a minimal fee on each night’s stay in such lodging. Yet its best chance yet to get the proposition passed - with a new senator representing the county and a broader bill introduced - may still be scuttled by fears of imposing a new tax, even a pass-through tax, during such uncertain economic times. Continue reading Harford Hoteliers Be Forewarned, Taxing Times Ahead: The Statewide Push To Tax Rooms In Aberdeen

Ursa Minor Threat: How Legislative Bear Wrangling in Maryland could put Bruins Inside the Beltway

Legislation under consideration in Annapolis would force the introduction of wild black bears into each of Maryland’s 23 counties. But don’t grab your shotgun before taking the trash out just yet - the lawmakers involved admit the bill is little more than a political bluff, designed to beat back the advances of liberal legislators who would do away with Maryland’s annual black bear hunt.

At issue is the fate of Maryland’s apparently burgeoning population of black bears: Will they continue to be managed/harvested through a controversial state hunting lottery, be allowed to breed and expand their territory without the intervening hand of man or will they be plucked from their scant remaining habitat and redistributed to each and every county in the state?

These are the options on the table and, beginning Wednesday afternoon during an Environmental Matters Committee hearing in Annapolis, the Maryland General Assembly will ponder House Bill 762 - legislation giving the state 7 years to establish a population of black bears in each of Maryland’s 23 counties. Continue reading Ursa Minor Threat: How Legislative Bear Wrangling in Maryland could put Bruins Inside the Beltway

“A Republic, If You Can Keep It” - Part II

You have to wonder what Del. Mary-Dulany James and Del. Dan Riley really think about the people they represent. Maybe we could get them on “Moment of Truth”, that new reality show where people are hooked up to a giant lie detector and then asked embarrassing questions such as:

Do you think your constituents are incapable of electing their own board of education?

That would be one way to get at the truth. Or we could just take a look at HB 806, the legislation James and Riley put together to thwart the elected school board bill being sponsored by the rest of the Harford County delegation. Continue reading “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” - Part II

The Assembly Line - Checking the Political Pulse in Annapolis

For political junkies, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

The 188 state representatives - 47 senators and 141 delegates - comprising the Maryland General Assembly convened Wednesday for the start of the state’s 425th legislative session - a 90-day affair that is set to adjourn on April 7.

To ring in the new legislative year, The Dagger brings you The Assembly Line - a unique feature that collects locally-sponsored legislation and presents it in a way that lets readers easily access and digest the information. Thanks to the work of our resident wizard Steve, The Assembly Line conveniently scrolls across the The Dagger’s front page and offers a place for supporters, critics and other interested readers to comment and discuss the bills and resolutions with one another.

The Assembly Line is updated several times a day with the newest legislation and the latest information on the status of the bills and resolutions. This is a chance to keep tabs on the local delegates and senators you sent to Annapolis and make sure they are working for you. Have fun while letting them have it!

Now back to Annapolis. Continue reading The Assembly Line - Checking the Political Pulse in Annapolis