Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley had Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch over for breakfast last week, trying to reconcile a deep rift between the two veteran Democratic legislative leaders. O’Malley wants them to agree to not one but two special sessions to address taxes and gambling — the same issues that caused the regular session to end in chaos on April 9. But Maryland taxpayers should pray that O’Malley’s awkward attempt at detente does not succeed.
Even one special session would be a waste of tax dollars. The $35.4 billion fiscal 2013 budget that passed by default while Miller and Busch were duking it out contains a $700 million increase in state spending. As Del. Herb McMillan, R-Annapolis, points out, this “doomsday” budget does not raid the Program Open Space, Bay Restoration or Transportation trust funds. It reduces Maryland’s structural budget deficit by 51 percent by balancing revenue with general fund expenditures for the first time in years. Even without a special session, spending for K-12 education will increase by $199 million next year and higher education will get $82.4 million more.
