James T. Smith, Jr. 
2009 Legislative Agenda

January 5, 2009

Thank you for joining us this morning for the announcement of Baltimore County’s priorities for the 2009 Maryland General Assembly Session.

During the 2007 Special Session and the 2008 Regular Session of the General Assembly, Governor Martin O’Malley and the legislature addressed our State’s $1.7 billion structural deficit.

Together, they made significant State budget cuts and reformed the State’s tax structure. In the end, thanks to their commitment to both collaboration and to compromise, the Governor and the General Assembly addressed a long standing structural problem, on the way to reestablishing the State’s fiscal stability.

Unfortunately, in the ensuing months, America’s economy has tanked, putting our nation in the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Making Tough Decisions

No community in America has escaped the consequences of the subprime and credit crises. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the number of unemployed has increased by more than 2.7 million since December of 2007.

Just four months ago, the federal government had to step in to prevent the collapse of some of our country’s largest financial institutions. And two months after that, a second bailout was needed to prevent the collapse of our nation’s automotive industry, long the backbone of the American economy.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Obama administration has already identified the need for yet another stimulus package as its first order of business.  Faced with projections of falling revenues for the current fiscal year, every state in America is making tough decisions.

Maryland is no exception. Every day brings new stories of families who are finding themselves in dire straits, many for the first time. And more than ever before, those families need government services. Sadly, it is becoming harder and harder for governments to respond to their needs.

During 2008, the State of Maryland experienced $669 million in revenue write-downs. When combined with the $1.8 billion in funding delays and cuts from the state budget by the General Assembly last year, reduced State services are already a reality.

After the blood, sweat, and tears put into combating Maryland’s structural deficit, everyone thought that our hardest work was behind us. But as the economic crisis has worsened, it has become clear that during the 2009 Legislative Session, the State will face more challenges than ever. And State support of local government will be at risk.

Finding Solutions

Eighty years ago, when the United States was in the grips of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt said, “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” We will face significant challenges in the next four months. But I am confident that by working together, we will find solutions. 

Baltimore County is fortunate to be represented by an outstanding state delegation, including highly respected members in both houses of the General Assembly, including the leaders of our delegations Senator Norman Stone and Delegate Eric Bromwell.

We will continue to rely on Delegate Adrienne Jones, our House of Delegates’ Speaker Pro Tem and Chair of the House Capital Budget Sub-Committee; Senator Ed Kasemeyer, Vice Chair of the Senate Budget and Tax Committee; Senator Kathy Klausmeier, the Chair of the Senate Rules Committee; Senator Delores Kelley, Chair of the Executive Nominations Committee, Delegate Dan Morhaim, the Deputy Majority Leader in the House; and Delegate Jimmy Malone, Vice-Chair of the House Environmental Matters Committee. Their important positions are major assets for Baltimore County. Their leadership will be crucial in making this a productive and effective legislative session.

Baltimore County is also fortunate to have an outstanding federal delegation, including our newest Congressman and our guest this morning Congressman Frank Kratovil. Frank, I think I speak for our entire delegation and all of Baltimore County when I say how much we are looking forward to working with you.

Recognizing the limitations of this year’s State revenue projections and the impact of the national economic collapse, Baltimore County’s limited list of requests this year is focused on public education and public safety initiatives.

Support Public Education

We urge continued State support of public education and the State’s school construction program. Indeed, our country’s current economic crisis makes the education of our future workforce more important than ever. For the past six years, education has been Baltimore County’s number one priority in Annapolis, and the same is true again this year.

Baltimore County urges the State to keep its $325 million commitment to the State’s Public School Construction Program for Fiscal Year 2010. School construction is a “must” priority for Maryland.

According to Dr. David Lever, the Chair of the State’s Interagency Committee for School Construction, when adjusted for inflation, the $250 million annual funding that the Kopp Task Force called for in 2004 actually requires $325 million in today’s dollars to meet the task force annual funding recommendations. Without these capital funds, school systems across the State will be unable to support critical improvements and necessary expansion of their school facilities.

These funds are particularly important to Baltimore County, which has the second oldest school stock in the state. Many of our schools have seen students pass through their doors for more than 50 years.

To ensure that our facilities can continue to meet the needs of our students in the 21^st century, we must continue to support the aggressive systemic renovation program which is restoring our older schools. This renovation or school replacement program makes it possible for all of our classrooms to serve students, teachers, and programs at today’s educational standards.

Baltimore County Public Schools have requested $84.5 million in State funds for construction and renovations this coming year. This money will be combined with County funds and support needed school repairs and our ongoing systemic renovation of Baltimore County’s high schools.

Selected School Projects

A selected sample of school projects includes renovations at Parkville High School, Catonsville High School, and Milford Mill Academy which account for $20.4 million in requested State funds. Another $1.2 million for window replacements at Hebbville Elementary School; a roof replacement at Colgate Elementary School; and a boiler replacement at Oliver Beach Elementary School.

We are also requesting  $18.9 million from the State to build a new George Washington Carver Center for the Arts and Technology. School replacement on the existing campus is a more cost effective alternative than renovating the current, aging Carver Center. Increased capacity demands in the Towson area require the construction of a new Elementary School and $7 million has been requested from the State toward that project.

New Technology, New Opportunities for Crime

In Baltimore County, we understand that effective government is rooted in public safety. People will not live, work, or shop where they do not feel safe. And thanks to our Baltimore County Police and Fire Departments, our communities are safe.

As we see every day, the relentless pace of change in technology continues to transform our world. New technology opens new opportunities for interacting and for doing business, but we must not forget that new technology also opens new opportunities for crime. Identity theft crimes are more sophisticated than ever, and as a result, an increasing number of victims are experiencing unprecedented losses.

We must acknowledge the increasing risk to the average citizen, and we must take aggressive steps to deter potential predators. That is why Baltimore County is once again supporting legislation authorizing seizure of proceeds wrongfully obtained through identity theft. This legislation will seek the forfeiture of motor vehicles, real estate, and money, using the same standards and methods that are already in place for forfeiture from drug trafficking.

The Baltimore County Police Department and the Maryland State Police do an outstanding job in keeping the roads of our communities safe. Unfortunately, they cannot be everywhere at once, and the toll of traffic fatalities continues to impact innocent victims. In the upcoming legislative session, Baltimore County will continue to support legislation authorizing local governments to deploy traffic speed monitoring technology to reduce dangerous speeding on highways throughout Maryland.

Work Together to Solve Crimes

As we all know, criminals do not restrict their activities to single counties or regions. A crime that occurs in one jurisdiction frequently expands its consequences to another. Law enforcement officials in Baltimore County and our neighbors throughout the State must be able to share information and work together to solve crimes.

Two pieces of legislation have our support because they will make it possible for stolen property to be identified more quickly and will expedite investigations that may lead to the identification of a suspect. 

One of these pieces of legislation will require pawnshops to report acquisitions electronically to their local Police Department. That Police Department would then upload this information to a regional database, enabling our Baltimore County Police Department and law enforcement agencies across Maryland to check pawned property promptly against burglary records.

The second initiative is in response to the dramatic rise in the theft of scrap and precious metal over the past five years, and will require scrap and precious metal dealers to report transactions daily to our Police Departments.

Effective government relies on public servants who inspire confidence in the people they serve. Baltimore County will seek enabling legislation to allow Baltimore County to conduct criminal background checks on all potential employees to ensure that our employees continue to meet the highest standards for public service.

Support Expansion of Local Businesses

Working together with our business community, we have realized significant progress in our historic neighborhoods during the past six years. In this challenging economic environment, it is more important than ever that government continue to support the expansion of the kind of local businesses that keep our renaissance moving forward.

That is why Baltimore County will introduce legislation to transfer 10 liquor licenses from District 15 to the east side of the County to the Towson Commercial Revitalization District.

These licenses promise both to strengthen existing businesses and to create opportunities for new ones in an area where restaurant growth would otherwise be limited by an absence of available licenses. These transferred licenses would be permanently assigned to the Towson Commercial Revitalization District.

State bond bills and funds from the State capital budget are very important in meeting the needs of local communities. In recognition of the current economic crisis, however, Baltimore County will submit only one bond bill request this year.

New Park in Town

After extensive discussions with Baltimore City and the neighborhoods surrounding Robert E. Lee Park, Baltimore County is looking to the possible City transfer of Robert E. Lee Park to Baltimore County. The Park is more than 450 acres of invaluable open space that attracts more than 41,000 visitors annually from the Baltimore metropolitan region.

If Baltimore County were to take on responsibility for this property, however, critically necessary repairs to its infrastructure would be required. The erosion of the shoreline around Lake Roland, the erosion of Lakeside Drive, the effect of harmful runoff on the quality of the water in Lake Roland, and replacement of the park’s bridge are all issues that must be addressed to maintain the environmental integrity of the park.

That is why the transfer of Robert E. Lee Park is contingent upon receiving the $3 million in State funding that we are requesting. These State funds would be combined with $3 million in County matching funds to provide the $6 million needed for park infrastructure improvements.

Conclusion

There is no doubt 2009 will be a difficult year. But I know this delegation, and I know what we can accomplish when we work together. 2009 marks the 350^th anniversary of Baltimore County’s founding, and together we will honor the legacy of those three and one-half centuries by preserving our heritage and securing our future for the generations that follow us.

I look forward to working with all of you to make certain that this legislative session continues to promote Baltimore County’s quality of life. Thank you for your support, and thank you for being here this morning.