O'Malley Lauds Lawmakers

The House of Delegates passed a package of bills today aimed at solving budget problems left unresolved at the end of their regular session. The vote brought to an end a three day special session of the General Assembly. WYPR’s Joel McCord reports.

The budget package increases income taxes on six figure incomes, the top 14 percent of Maryland wage earners; and it dramatically raises taxes on cigars and smokeless tobacco products. The package also reverses $500 million worth of spending cuts, mostly to education, public safety and Medicaid, in what became known as the Doomsday budget adopted at the end of the regular General Assembly session.

Afterward, Governor Martin O’Malley had high praise for lawmakers.

“And I’m very grateful to speaker Busch and also the Senate President. Once their members and their fiscal leadership came together around the parameters of this agreement we were able to complete the work on the fiscal thirteen budget.”

Lawmakers are expected to return later this summer to deal with a bill to expand gambling that died on the last night of the session.

I’m Joel McCord, reporting in Annapolis for 88.1, WYPR.