Governor O’Malley’s tax increase and BRFA bills sped toward enactment in day two of the General Assembly’s special session, as the bills cleared the Senate by wide margins (27–19 and 33–13) and received preliminary House approval. Final action on the bills is expected tomorrow at a 10 a.m. House session.
House action dominated today’s proceedings, with the Ways & Means Committee approving the tax bill (SB 1302) on a vote of 16–4, while the Appropriations Committee approved the BRFA bill (SB 1301) by a 17–8 vote. The bills were debated on the House floor for over three hours this afternoon as opponents offered 14 amendments – all of which were rejected. The bills will harm Maryland’s business climate by again increasing individual income tax rates on small business owners and raiding IWIF funds paid by employers. For further information contact Ron Wineholt at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .
About Ronald W. Wineholt