O'Malley budget wins preliminary approval in Md. House

Amendments cutting approximately $420 million from Gov. Martin O'Malley's nearly $37 billion budget were approved Wednesday by the Maryland House of Delegates, paving the way for a final vote by the House as soon as Thursday, the Washington Examiner reported.

The budget raises overall spending by $1.26 billion over the previous budget, increasing funding for education and local police and putting aside millions of dollars to protect against impending cuts that will likely result from the sequester.