Prince George?s County leaders succeeded in getting state money for the county?s ailing hospital but met with several disappointments on other key issues they had hoped to resolve by Monday?s midnight deadline for this year?s General Assembly session in Annapolis.
In the final hour, state lawmakers approved $5 million to keep the cash-strapped Prince George?s Hospital Center open while a new owner is sought.
Other top county priorities did not make the cut, and legislation concerning the composition of Prince George?s Board of Education remains up in the air.
With 10 minutes to go before midnight, a bill concerning the School Board vanished. The bill would have created a board with nine members elected from single districts and two members from the current appointed board to serve as transition members for two years.
The Senate had approved the bill two hours earlier, but the legislation was lost on its way to the House of Delegates and not found in time.
With talk of a special session to accommodate efforts to mitigate spiking energy costs, Del. James Proctor, D-Prince George?s, said the School Board bill may be revivable.
The county also failed to get approval on two bills that would have helped block a proposed liquefied natural gas facility in Chillum. County Executive Jack Johnson said Monday night that county leaders would continue their efforts to block the proposed facility.
Prince George?s lawmakers were able to secure an 11 percent increase in state funding over last year, but lost an additional $24 million when a move to require the governor to allocate extra education funds to counties where the cost of education is higher went down in flames.
State funds secured this session for Prince George?s County
$923 million total
$94 million more than last year
Tally is the highest and the largest increase of any jurisdiction in the state
Source: John Erzen, county spokesman
