Anne Arundel County?s state delegation ended the highly partisan General Assembly session with some big local victories, including passage of a bill aimed at curtailing panhandlers and legislation to help counties cut down on noise pollution.
Like the rest of their colleagues, the lawmakers left Annapolis with the failed energy rate deal hanging over their heads as they kicked off the official campaign season.
Anne Arundel County Executive Janet Owens also remained frustrated at the failed BGE compromise.
“I?ve not seen, in my seven years in office, any other single issue except Sept. 11, 2001, and Tropical Storm Isabel, that has affected as many people,” she said. “No matter where I go, people are scared about it. A 72 percent increase is just terrifying for people on fixed incomes and young families. That is the one behemoth unfinished task.”
“It?s a real shame,” said Del. Virginia Clagett, D-Anne Arundel, “because we were going to get much better rates.”
But Clagett said the session was a good one “for the big issues” like stem cell research and the Healthy Air Act signed by Gov. Robert Ehrlich last week. And Owens also said the county had its best year ever for school construction and open space preservation.
The county delegation also managed to push through a bill that will allow the Anne Arundel County Council to regulate panhandling along roads. The council has tried for years to ban the practice, but has been hampered by charities who said a complete ban would hurt their fundraising efforts.
Del. John Leopold, R-Anne Arundel, also successfully pushed a bill that will allow counties to use sound level meters owned by the state Department of the Environment to monitor noise pollution.
In a win for the business community, especially those in the booming northern and western parts of the county, lawmakers approved a bill to issue liquor licenses to restaurant owners who operate more than one type of restaurant.
“We need more of that for economic development, especially up around BWI [Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport],” Clagett said.
The stroke of midnight Monday also signaled the end of a few Anne Arundel delegates? tenure in the General Assembly. Leopold and Republican Del. David Boschert have both resigned their seats to run for county executive.
