Apr 8, 2009 9:07 pm US/Eastern
Md. Senate OKs Budget, Borrowing To Ease Problems
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) ―
The Maryland Senate voted 40-7 Wednesday to approve the state's $1.1 billion capital budget, which includes a one-time $150 million increase in borrowing to help address the state's budget problems.
The capital budget contains funding for state infrastructure. It includes a total of about $278 million in total relief to the state's nearly $14 billion operating budget through borrowing and fund transfers.
The budget includes $52.5 million to buy three new Medevac helicopters to start replacing an aging fleet. It also includes about $260 million in general obligation bonds for school construction work; roughly $308 million in general obligation bonds for higher education projects; and $28 million in bonds for hospitals, senior centers and juvenile services facilities.
The House of Delegates has approved a similar plan. The two versions will need to be worked out before the General Assembly adjourns Monday.
Senate approval came after a skirmish over a proposed amendment to tie funding for public colleges and universities to whether they follow through with developing policies relating to the showing of pornographic films. The amendment sought by Sen. Andrew Harris, R-Cecil, was ruled out of order after senators appeared fatigued over the issue.
Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-Cecil, said he has received phone calls from constituents who are struggling with financial difficulties and frustrated by the Senate's distraction.
"This needs to go down, because it needs to stop here today," Pipkin said in a fiery speech expressing exasperation that the matter has carried on for days.
The proposed amendment was in response to plans at the University of Maryland College Park, to show a pornographic movie at a theater in the Student Union. The university ended up canceling the showing once the Senate considered a budget amendment last week to restrict funding. A partial showing took place in a lecture hall Monday night with a discussion of free speech and censorship issues before the clips were shown.
A joint committee of Senate and House members that is working out differences in legislation containing the state's general fund has proposed budget language to require public colleges to create policies about showing pornographic films by Sept. 1.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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