Maryland Constitutional Amendment question

[Merlin99]

This proposed constitutional amendment would alter the State’s budget process. Under current provisions of the State Constitution, the Governor annually submits for approval by the General Assembly a proposed operating budget, which contains the planned funding levels for all three branches of State government – the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches. In approving the operating budget, the General Assembly may not increase or add funding for the Executive Branch, but it may increase funding for the Legislative and Judicial Branches. Except for expenditures required by the State Constitution, the General Assembly may decrease funding in the operating budget for each of the three branches of State government. Once the General Assembly approves the operating budget, it becomes law immediately without further action by the Governor. Under this proposed constitutional amendment, the General Assembly, beginning with the 2023 Legislative Session, would be authorized to increase or add funding in the operating budget, so long as the total level of funding approved by the General Assembly for the Executive Branch does not exceed the total level of funding proposed by the Governor for the Executive Branch. The Governor would be authorized to use a line item veto to reject an individual budget item where the General Assembly increased or added funding to the Governor’s proposed budget for the Executive Branch. The General Assembly would be authorized to override such a veto with a three-fifths vote of the membership in each chamber. If the Governor vetoes a budget item that was increased by the General Assembly and the General Assembly does not override that veto, then the level of funding for that item would revert back to the amount proposed by the Governor. If the Governor vetoes a budget item that was added by the General Assembly and the General Assembly does not override that veto, then that item becomes void. I'm not seeing this as a bad thing, especially now with a sort of R as the Governor. I don't see a R legislature anytime in the future so a line item veto is a D cutting out D items. Is there something in here that I'm missing?

 

[vraiblonde]

I always vote no on these things because the legislators lie and misrepresent their true intention to be palatable to voters.

Leftists: "Hey, we want to do this new thing!"
Voter Vrai: "NO!"

 

[stgislander]

A resident of Oakland MD sent this Letter to the Editor in my local hometown paper.

Proposal is a power grab by Maryland General Assembly

Question 1 on this years’ ballot is cleverly worded but voters should vote AGAINST. Let me explain why.

The proposed amendment authorizes the General Assembly in enacting a balanced budget bill for fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year; thereafter, to increase, diminish, or add items, providing that the General Assembly may not exceed the total proposed budget as submitted by the governor.

The language is very misleading. Maryland’s Constitution already has a balanced budget requirement. When reading the question — who would not vote “for” to the language of a balanced budget”? The true intention of this proposal is a power grab by the Maryland General Assembly.

The governor, the chief executive of the state, has the responsibility to submit THEIR BUDGET to the General Assembly (GA). The GA can diminish or add monies to line items but, they cannot allocate those monies to other programs of the GA’s choice. The Constitutional Amendment Question 1 would enable the GA to reallocate Maryland’s budget as the GA determines. The present check and balance reasonableness of the present Maryland Constitution regarding a balanced budget would be destroyed, especially in times where there is a different party in control of the governorship.

Present Maryland governmental spending of the General Assembly’s past mandates takes over 80 percent of Maryland’s annual projected tax revenues. This leaves the governor to recommend a budget for less than 20% of Maryland’s annual funds.

Why give the General Assembly even more power to tax and to spend? Their last hours of the 2020 General Assembly session was spent in a rush to raise substantial tax burdens on Marylanders and Maryland’s businesses — while the public and businesses were closed because of the pandemic. Marylanders need the current and reasonable Maryland balanced budget constitutional balanced budget language.

Vote AGAINST on Question 1. You will be glad that you did and so will your children and your children’s children!

 

[Merlin99]

A resident of Oakland MD sent this Letter to the Editor in my local hometown paper.

Now that explains a lot to me.

 

[stgislander]

Now that explains a lot to me.

At least that's one person's view on the subject.

I'm with Vrai though. Any Constitutional Amendments that come out of our legislature I vote no too.

 

[Bobwhite]

A resident of Oakland MD sent this Letter to the Editor in my local hometown paper.

Thanks for posting that. I usually vote no on things like that but mainly because I don't fully understand it. Now, I at least know why I'm voting no.

 

[LightRoasted]

If I may ...

Food for thought: Of the four State Constitutions Maryland has had, the current one since 1867, (the forth), has been amended 233 times.

 

[Kyle]

If I may ...

Food for thought: Of the four State Constitutions Maryland has had, the current one since 1867, (the forth), has been amended 233 times.

It must read like Taylor Swift's diary

 

[gunsmoke]

A resident of Oakland MD sent this Letter to the Editor in my local hometown paper.

Your letter to the editor doesn't understand the proposed amendment any more than you do.

It does not give the GA the power to tax and spend more. What part of this line don't you understand?

Under this proposed constitutional amendment, the General Assembly, beginning with the 2023 Legislative Session, would be authorized to increase or add funding in the operating budget, so long as the total level of funding approved by the General Assembly for the Executive Branch does not exceed the total level of funding proposed by the Governor for the Executive Branch.

There are decent explanations of the budget amendment on the web. Any braindead idiot should be able to find them with a minimal amount of effort.

 

[Gilligan]

Your letter to the editor doesn't understand the proposed amendment any more than you do.

It does not give the GA the power to tax and spend more. What part of this line don't you understand?



There are decent explanations of the budget amendment on the web. Any braindead idiot should be able to find them with a minimal amount of effort.

Damn SGI....do you feel stoopid now?

 

[stgislander]

Damn SGI....do you feel stoopid now?

No... not really.

 

[stgislander]

Your letter to the editor doesn't understand the proposed amendment any more than you do.

It does not give the GA the power to tax and spend more. What part of this line don't you understand?



There are decent explanations of the budget amendment on the web. Any braindead idiot should be able to find them with a minimal amount of effort.

I'll put you down as a Yes vote for giving the GA more power over the State budget. Not very Republican of you.