Gov. Hogan calls legislative session a success; asks lawmakers to step up

The clock is ticking in Annapolis. State lawmakers are working to tie up loose ends before session wraps up on Monday. Delegate Carl Anderton tells us that a bill restoring $2-million in funding to Wicomico county should soon pass the house. According to the house bill, Maryland would revert back to an old grant funding formula changed by the O’Malley Administration. Anderton says the money would go towards helping the county in whatever way county officials decide.

That’s not the only piece of legislation that would bring money back to the county.He also tells us that a Senate Highway User Revenue bill would restore some of the 90% of road improvement funding that was cut years ago. If passed, the bill would grant $5-million dollars back to each municipality for one year.

“We’re in some serious need to have that funding restored to us. Each year they’ve tried and over the past two years we’ve been able to get some incremental funding, but we need something back in statue.” Said Anderton.

Right now the disparity grant bill sits in the house where Anderton says it will likely pass on Wednesday. As for the senate road funding bill he believes that too will likely pass before the end of session.

Anderton also weighed in on another piece of recent legislation. The transportation scoring bill. Last week Governor Hogan vetoed the bill, that would’ve prioritized road projects based on a scoring system that we’re told would focus on usage and population. Anderton tells us the bill (if the governor’s veto is overrided and the bill is enacted) has the potential to be detrimental to shore road improvements by taking away governor Hogan’s ability to choose what gets funding.

Anderton told 47 ABC, “For us that kind of puts us back in the corner again and we’re finally coming out of the corner and we don’t want to go back.”

We’re told although it was vetoed, it will return. Votes in the Senate and house will soon take place to either keep or override the governors veto.

In his Tuesday afternoon press conference, Governor Hogan addressed the media talking about what he considers the successes and shortcomings of this legislative session. The governor highlighted the recent passage of his budget praising legislators for stepping up in a bipartisan manner. But Hogan was also critical of legislators he says need to a better job of maximizing monetary savings in a number of bills before they reach his desk.

“We’re very pleased with the success of the session. We didn’t get everything we wanted. Legislature didn’t get everything they wanted. But I think the taxpayers and citizens and the voters of Maryland are going to come out with a pretty good budget and with some pretty good pieces of legislation and we’ll keep fighting for the other things we believe in. If we can’t get them done this time we’ll look at coming back next time.” Said Gov. Hogan.

Moving forward the Governor said that he hopes to see house legislators work on tax-reduction measures that have been passed by the Senate.