Politics & Government

Maryland Legislators Lean Toward Addressing Budget Only

Bill to lighten pit bull owners legal burden unlikely to make it on the legislative docket this year.

Democratic lawmakers gathered at in Greenbelt, MD, Monday for the party's annual gala.

While there, legislators discussed whether the special session of the General Assembly could be an opportunity to raise issues they wanted to put on the agenda, Michael Dresser with the Baltimore Sun reported.

The resounding answer was—no, whether it be for addressing the , or favorite bills that died on the Assembly's final day, or any non-budget items, according to the report.

For the most part, Republican legislators, didn't even want to deal with the budget. Their preference was no special session at all, especially since its basic purpose would be to raise taxes to avoid spending cuts, according to report.

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Friday that he plans to call lawmakers back to work on May 14 to pass a tax package that fell through during the closing hours of the General Assembly's 90-day session, according to a report by John Wagner in the Washington Post.

After the legislature's inaction last month, now more than $500 million in cuts to education, state agencies and other planned spending are scheduled to take effect July 1, according to the Washington Post.

A group called Maryland Votes for Animals has urged lawmakers to take the opportunity of a special session to overrule a decision by Maryland's highest court that classifies pit bulls as dangerous animals. But lawmakers do not seemed inclined to take it up, according to the Baltimore Sun's report.


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