Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Special Session Week of October 17?
House Ways & Means Committee Chair Sheila Hixson advised Committee members today to plan for a special session the week of October 17. However, the guessing game continues regarding what issues may be addressed at that session beyond redrawing of maps for the 8 congressional districts. The Ways & Means Committee will not meet in July, plans a field trip on August 3, and will be very busy in September.
On the Senate side, the Budget & Taxation Committee will hold a briefing and hearing on the afternoon of July 26 regarding options for expanding the sales tax. The Maryland Retailers Association and Maryland Chamber have each been invited to provide witnesses to address such issues as sales tax on services and taxation of sales through the Internet.
Chamber staff continues to speak with many legislators regarding the special session outlook and come away with mixed opinions. Some legislators are convinced that transportation and taxes will be part of a package, and that the train is coming down the tracks. Many express doubt that the votes are there to pass a gas tax. Teacher pension costs remain a huge financial and political issue. The reality seems that no decisions have yet been made, and that while tax actions are possible, we’ll see several more months of jockeying before likely issues come into better focus. Contact Ron Wineholt for further information at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
