The Maryland House of Delegates convened an hour early on Thursday to get right to work on approving next fiscal year’s budget, as well as a controversial proposal to change constitutional language around Congressional redistricting.
The $70.8 billion state budget gained final approval in the Senate two weeks ago, and House Appropriations Chair Ben Barnes (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties) says there are no major disagreements between the two chambers.
That sentiment should lay the groundwork for a relatively smooth conference committee on Friday, where budget lawmakers will hash out any of the small funding discrepancies.
The House opted to reduce funding for the More Jobs For Marylanders tax credit, which incentivizes manufacturing job creation, as well as the Sunny Day fund, also known as the Economic Development Opportunities Program Fund.
“Those are programs that have not shown to get the bang for the buck that we had hoped,” Barnes told members of the media following the budget’s passing in the House. “Those are probably two items that need to be negotiated.”
The House version of the budget maintains no tax or fee increases, leaves an over $250 million cash surplus and maintains $2.2 billion in the state’s emergency savings account, known as the Rainy Day Fund.
“The federal government and the Trump administration is a drag on our nation and has been a drag on our state. And so we need to make sure that we are preparing for any eventuality, chaotic eventuality, that the Trump administration may throw at us, I think we've done that with the cash reserves that we have,” Barnes said.
That cash surplus could grow depending on the spending proposals in a supplemental budget submitted by Gov. Wes Moore for consideration.
The latest report from the Board of Revenue Estimates anticipates the state will bring in $355 million more in taxes than the body predicted in December, and Moore’s supplemental budget is expected to outline where to direct the extra cash.
One thing the conference committee must tackle is covering around $40 million in deficiency spending by the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA), which helps coordinate services for people with developmental disabilities.
The agency has already spent more than it was budgeted for by around $350 million over the span of two fiscal years.
Barnes pointed to the additional deficiency figure as further evidence that cost containment measures are needed within the department — DDA is facing some of the most substantial departmental cuts to help balance a projected $1.5 billion structural deficit next fiscal year.
DDA spending has grown drastically in recent years, although advocates have argued the increase in spending has led to better health outcomes and longer life spans for individuals with disabilities.
Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Chair Guy Guzzone (D-Howard County) has said the department’s care determination system is “doing the right thing,” but that the state cannot sustain the consistent budgetary growth.
DDA is expected to face $127 million in state cuts next fiscal year, compared to an operating budget of around $3.3 billion (including federal matching dollars).
Barnes says the legislature opted to use $8 million to fund independent audits of DDA so lawmakers can better understand how to bring financial stability to the department.
Over the course of two sessions of floor debate, House Republicans offered almost 20 amendments to the two-bill operating budget package — only one of which was adopted.
House Republican Leader Jason Buckel (R-Allegany County) was successful in adding language requiring nonprofit organizations to be current on their registration status with the Maryland Secretary of State in order to receive state grant funding.
The remainder of the amendments that were either rejected or withdrawn largely had to do with reducing existing fines and fees or program cuts.
“I don't think we should cut programs in this fiscal year that hurt people, that will cause damage to people, so we can keep it in some fund because maybe we won't have it next year. We will deal with the problems, and we do every single year, as we get to them,” Barnes said.
Lawmakers are already bracing for a projected $3 billion structural deficit next year, but Barnes says work will be done in the interim to figure out how to balance it before the next legislative session starts in January.
The House also gave initial approval to SB0005, which would require that special elections be held to fill vacant seats in the General Assembly.
Currently, if a lawmaker vacates a seat, the governor appoints someone to fill it based on a recommendation from the former lawmakers’ affiliated political party.
While the underlying bill is not so controversial, a constitutional amendment added by House Democrats sparked close to 40 minutes of debate on Thursday.
The amendment would clarify language around how Congressional districts can be drawn, as well as grant original jurisdiction to the Maryland Supreme Court over cases of Congressional districting.
Currently, if someone wants to challenge the legality of Maryland’s Congressional map, the case goes to circuit court and then has to go through two rounds of appeals before reaching the state’s high court.
“Each legislative district shall consist of adjoining territory, be compact in form, and of substantially equal population. Due regard shall be given to natural boundaries and the boundaries of political subdivisions,” reads Article III, Section 4 of the state constitution.
The amendment would codify that those map-drawing guidelines only apply to state legislative districts, not to Congressional districts.
This change would theoretically make it easier for the Democratic-controlled legislature to draw a Maryland Congressional map that favors Democrats 8-0 and passes constitutional muster.
Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) told members of the media on Wednesday that his chamber has no intention of bringing the amended version of the bill to a vote in the Senate, arguing this is not the time to be focusing on redistricting.
Buckel introduced an additional amendment that would have virtually nullified Democrats’ proposal, outlining that both state legislative and Congressional districts must be compact and contiguous, respect natural boundaries and not factor in political parties.
His amendment failed with only one Democratic delegate, Eastern Shore representative Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Dorchester and Wicomico Counties), voting in favor of it.
The bill now advances to a third and final vote in the House, but without the Senate’s support, it will not make it to the 2026 ballot for Marylanders to approve.
