HOUSE BILL 343 – Public Benefits – Requirement of Proof of Lawful Presence – Maryland

This bill needs to go through and be adopted as law.  This will help keep the Illegal Aliens in Maryland from taking our Jobs and Social Services and lessening the burden of our share of the cost.  Let’s hope Casa De Maryland does not start busing Illegal’s up to testify on this bill at anytime whatsoever.  No more Fraud on SS #, no more bosses picking up Illegals at the corner to take jobs, hold the business’s accountable and continue to report them.  No one is in fear of PG and Montgomery County’s any longer.  We will not allow 2 counties to persuade the public by blocking this bill.  This is the year to do the job of the voters, your employer’s.  Remember that PG and MOCO, you are employed by Legal Citizens/Voters

HOUSE BILL 343

Bill is in the House – First Reading Appropriations

File Code: State Government – Regulations and Procedures

Prior Year Introduction As: HB 1234/09 – APP

Sponsored By:

Delegate O’Donnell

Entitled:

Public Benefits – Requirement of Proof of Lawful Presence

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Synopsis:

Requiring that adults provide proof of lawful presence in the United States before receiving public benefits; requiring State units and political subdivisions that provide public benefits to verify the lawful presence of persons in the United States; requiring applicants for public benefits to produce specified types of identification and affidavits; etc.

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History by Legislative and Calendar Date

Legislative date is used to record history occurring in the Chambers otherwise Calendar date is used. 
Any actions occurring today are available in the proceedings and hearing schedule

House Action

1/27

First Reading Appropriations

Hearing 2/9 at 2:00 p.m.

Senate Action

No Action

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Bill indexed under the following Subjects:

Administrative Agencies -see also- Electronic Government

Aliens and Citizenship

Counties -see also- Chartered Counties; Code Counties

Crimes and Punishments -see also- Penalties and Sentnc; etc.

Federal Government

Food Stamps

Fraud -see also- Forgery

Grants

Identification

Licenses -see also- Alcoholic Bev Lic; Drivers` Licenses

Loans -see also- Mortgages

Local Government Mandates

Medical Assistance

Municipal Corporations -see also- Annap; Balt; Hager; OC

Penalties and Sentences -see also- Death Penalty

Reports

Rules and Regulations

Scholarships and Student Financial Aid

Social Services -see also- Welfare

State Aid

Unemployment

Welfare -see also- Social Services

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Bill affects the following Statutes:

State Government

( 10-1301 , 10-1302 , 10-1303 , 10-1304 , 10-1305 , 10-1306 , 10-1307 )

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Documents

All documents except Roll Call Votes are displayed in PDF format:

Bill Text: First Reading, Third Reading, Enrolled

Fiscal and Policy Note: Not available at this time

Amendments: None offered

“BUDGET GAMES” by DELEGATE PAT McDONOUGH – Maryland

“BUDGET GAMES”   by DELEGATE PAT McDONOUGH

The greatest challenge facing the Governor and the General Assembly is the problem of the $1.5 billion budget deficit.  It seems to me that elected officials should approach such a critical challenge with honesty.  However, the Governor, who creates the budget, has decided to engage in games, tricks, smoke, and mirrors.  For example, his program to fill the budget hole contains $600 million in transfers of State Government funds.  In other words, he is moving money from one pocket to the next pocket without really solving the problem.  Another misleading manipulation is the ploy of believing that President Obama will come to the rescue and provide a $400 million stimulus gift.  Considering the current political atmosphere in Washington, it is doubtful that Mr. Obama has any more of our taxpayers’ money to help out political allies like Governor O’Malley.  The result is the existence of another $400 million deficit and the failure to balance the budget, which is required by the Maryland Constitution.

In his first year in office, Mr. O’Malley failed to roll up his sleeves and exercise responsible fiscal management.  He used the surplus provided to him by former Governor Ehrlich and raided the rainy day fund to support his first year of spending excesses.  During his entire term, this reckless spending pattern has existed, causing the Maryland “Budget Crisis” to be worse than it would have been if the economy were the only problem.  All of O’Malley’s budgets have been excessive in spending.  I voted against every one of them.

A cautionary warning would be appropriate at this time.  Marylanders should be prepared for massive tax increases in 2011.  After the spendaholics and taxaholics are safely reelected to another 4-year term, they will impose upon us the “great ambush tax of 2011.”  These tax hikes may include a gas tax, alcohol tax, sales tax increase, corporate tax and some others the evil geniuses are capable of creating.  Already this year, O’Malley is promoting a “granny” tax hike.  The State of Maryland taxes every nursing home bed, occupied or not, at 2 percent.  O’Malley is increasing this tax by 100%, doubling it to 4 percent.  He has also removed about $25 million from the nursing home assistance budget. These policies are extremely harmful to our frail and elderly because they threaten the existence of our State’s nursing home services.  It is interesting that these destructive policies against our elderly are being promoted by a Governor who claims to be a liberal who cares about the disadvantaged.

There are projects in the budget that could be eliminated or deferred.  Why are the State taxpayers being compelled to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on open space land grabs and new unneeded light rail projects?  An honest Governor and elected representatives should be obligated to be vigilant, honest, and responsible in creating a State budget.  I will offer amendments and speak out on the floor of the House against this budget at the appropriate time.  But, in the final analysis, I will vote, once again, against another phony “Balanced Budget.”

MD Is 10th Worst State for Joblessness Under O’Malley

Maryland Senate Republican Caucus

During the State-of-the-State address this Tuesday, expect Governor Martin
O’Malley to repeatedly state that Maryland is “better off” than other
states. It is true that most economists believe that the proximity to the
federal government and the infusion of federal agency spending props up
Maryland’s economy. But the federal largesse masks the troubling joblessness
undercurrent in Maryland’s private sector.

There have been mounting private sector job losses under O’Malley.
Obviously, you can’t raise the sales tax, hike corporate taxes and enact a
personal income tax surcharge on high-income earners without depressing the
business climate and forcing small business owners to close their doors or
move out-of-state. O’Malley’s policies over the last three years have
seriously harmed private sector economic growth in Maryland.

O’Malley will point to the state’s high unemployment figures as a sign of
Maryland’s health. Even though unemployment rose again last month from 7.3%
to 7.5%, O’Malley will point to the national average of 10% as evidence that
Maryland is weathering the storm.

That’s the spin we have come to expect from this Administration. Maryland’s
unemployment reaches a 26-year high but we are to believe that 7.5%
unemployment propped up by federal spending is supposed to be good news.

However, the 7.5% unemployment rate does not factor in “dropout workers” in
Maryland’s workforce. As reported by the Baltimore Sun this week, this high
7.5% unemployment rate is misleading in that it does not capture the full
scope of joblessness in the state (for full story, click here).

Citing data analyzed by Charles W. McMillion, president and chief economist
at MBG Information Services, Maryland’s joblessness rate would be 10% if the
“dropout workers” (i.e. everyone who dropped out of the labor force in the
past year) are factored in. That is much closer to the nationwide
unemployment rate of 11% when labor-force dropouts are included in the
calculations.

The problem in Maryland is compounded by the fact that there are fewer
private sector employers: “About 139,000 employers were counted by the state
Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation at the end of 2009, the lowest
number since 2004. Just as population typically grows, the number of
employers opeing for business usually outpaces closures, but not last year
when a net of 2,900 employers were shuttered, according to the agency.”

With the unemployment insurance tax tripling under O’Malley, it is hard to
envision this trend of declining employers reversing. We can expect
businesses still surviving in the construction industry to be hit especially
hard with closures in 2010.

What’s the solution? O’Malley’s anti-business policies over the last three
years have dropped Maryland from the 25th most business friendly state to
the 45th most business unfriendly state. The obvious solution is to repeal
the high taxation enacted by O’Malley, reverse overburdensome regulations
and incentivise small business growth in the state.

Unfortunately for O’Malley, these are all measures opposed by the special
interests that support him. Thus his plan is to accept federal bailout
monies and borrow more on the taxpayer credit card until he can proposed
even higher taxes once the elections are over in November. With no relief in
sight for the private sector, expect even more business closures and
correspondingly reduced state revenues over the coming year.

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