Our SenatorKathy Klausmeier
From the Neighborhood, For Our Neighborhoods.
Our Senator
Kathy Klausmeier
From the Neighborhood, For Our Neighborhoods.
News Alert
Leadership roles for delegation 8th District legislators see increased influenceLeadership roles for delegation 8th District legislators see increased influence
With two of its four legislators holding leadership positions, the 8th District has the potential for more clout during the 2007 session of the General Assembly, which opens Jan. 10 in Annapolis.
State Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, of Perry Hall, the most senior of the four local representatives, has been elected chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, which determines what bills will reach the floor of that body late in the session when the filing deadline has passed.
Del. Eric Bromwell of Perry Hall is the likely chairman of 21 House of Delegates members from Baltimore County.
Both Klausmeier and Bromwell, Democrats like Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley, gave as goals for the session gaining funds for county school renovations, additions and new construction.
County Executive Jim Smith has asked for $95 million for school improvements, and he and schools Superintendent Joe Hairston have prepared a list of needed projects, Bromwell said.
Klausmeier said that many schools in the northeast area have old windows that need replacement.
Within days of the session's start, Klausmeier said, she and others on the Finance Committee will have to deal with budget issues.
Among the issues are a projected $400 million budget deficit this year and a projected $1.5 billion deficit the following year.
Bromwell said he was happy with the county's chances of doing well at what he jokingly called an annual "beg-a-thon" -- the appearance of the county delegation before the Board of Public Works to plead for county projects.
"We have a unified county. There will be Republicans and Democrats there, and we will make a bipartisan presentation," he said.
He added that cooperation across party lines should improve compared with the past four years.
The 29-year-old delegate, son of a former state senator, said he also plans to reintroduce a bill designed to prevent the spread of methamphetamine labs and abuse in the state.
The addictive drug is made from ingredients in some over-the-counter cold remedies.
Nationwide, Bromwell said, more people are addicted to "meth" than to heroin and cocaine combined. Bromwell said he is talking with pharmacists and police agencies to determine the best approach.
The district's new delegate, Todd Schuler, agreed with Klausmeier and Bromwell that school improvements were the first priority.
Del. Joe Boteler did not return a call to his district office.
Playing your cards right
They're easy to buy, simple to wrap and one size fits all. They make holiday giving a little less personal, but two-thirds of consumers say they plan to buy several. They are prepaid gift cards and U.S. retailers and restaurants expect to sell more of them this year - about $80 billion worth - than ever before.
As the perfect stocking stuffer, they have one quirk: They may be the only gift that is supposed to be returned. The growth of the gift-card phenomenon has caught most states off guard. Recipients often discover that when they try to redeem their cards, they get hit with hidden fees or, even worse, learn too late that the cards have expired and aren't worth the plastic they're printed on.
It took three legislative sessions to enact safeguards, but Marylanders now have some protection against businesses that try to boost profits above the face value of cards they sell by imposing service charges and other consumer-unfriendly practices. After bills to regulate gift cards failed in 2003 and 2004, a measure sponsored by Baltimore County Sen. Katherine A. Klausmeier and Howard County Del. Neil F. Quinter made it through the 2005 legislature. Retailers were given until this past July 1 to prepare for the changes required when the bill became law.
In passing the law, Maryland joined about 20 states that regulate gift cards and certificates. Specifically, businesses here are prohibited from selling gift cards that carry service fees or expiration dates within four years after they are issued. There are exceptions - prepaid telephone cards, discount coupons and cards sold by banks, credit companies and malls - and the law covers big-box chains as well as tiny mom-and-pop shops. To make sure that consumers aren't fooled by the fine print, state lawmakers got rid of the fine print. Conditions and terms of a gift card must be printed on the card or its envelope in type no smaller than 10 points (not much smaller than the text you're now reading).
Retailers and their lobbyists who fought state lawmakers' efforts to give consumers this reasonable protection ought to hang their heads in shame. The booming gift-card market - this year's sales may top 2004's receipts by 45 percent - is a revenue bonanza for many stores. Nationally, about 10 percent of all cards are never redeemed because holders either lose or forget about them. That translates into billions of dollars in profits that stores take in without exchanging goods.
Maryland's gift-card law is a laudable step toward helping customers recoup the full value of the cards they hold. There's no reason the next step can't be to do away with expiration dates altogether. After all, paper currency doesn't expire.
Klausmeier kicks off Senate re-election campaign
Family and friends of Senator Kathy Klausmeier, D-8, came together on June 22 to help Klausmeier kick off her campaign for re-election as a Maryland State Senator. Klausmeier has served the 8th District as a Delegate for eight years and a Senator for almost four years. If elected, Klausmeier plans to continue focusing on strengthening the communities of the 8th District, which include Rosedale, Overlea, White Marsh, Parkville, Carney, and. Perry Hall.
Klausmeier explained that she plans to continue fighting for school renovation and construction money for Baltimore County from the state.
"We need to keep schools up to the standards we expect for our children," said Klausmeier citing the roof replacement that is in progress at Perry Hall Elementary School as an example of a school renovation project in the 8th District that she has worked to secure funding for.
Klausmeier also wants to find ways to make healthcare affordable for all Maryland residents through her work on the Finance Committee.
"The uninsured in our state are of the utmost importance," said Klausmeier: One option Klausmeier would like to look at is the Massachusetts Plan, which attempts to insure every person in the state of Massachusetts by expanding Medicaid coverage. Klausmeier would like to consider whether this plan would work in Maryland.
If elected, Klausmeier hopes to put a committee together to oversee the improvements to the Perry Hall Mansion and make it workable with community input. She also wants to continue being involved with the Belair Road and Philadelphia Road Streetscape projects and the Harford Road corridor work. She also mentioned improvements that are in the works for the intersection of Joppa Road and Belair Road.
Klausmeier has been appointed to a task force for creating a monument for female veterans and she is currently working to have two monuments dedicated to Korean War veterans placed on Route 43. One monument would be at the beginning of 43 and one would be at the end.
"I have a lot on my plate and I'm really excited," said Klausmeier: "I'm looking forward to the next four years. I plan to put community first and continue working with community things."
"Kathy is a wonderful person," said Buddy Butt, a resident of Perry Hall for the last 85 years. "She's my niece but that doesn't matter. She's done a lot of great things for this community."
In addition to her political work, Klausmeier developed the Child Life Department at St. Joseph Hospital and, she served as president of the Gunpowder Elementary School (GES) PTA from 1987 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1994. In addition to being President, Klausmeier also served as GES's legislative representative and as a member of the School and Business Partnership Committee. Klausmeier was a member of the League of Women Voters for Baltimore County from 1991 to 1992 and served as an Election Judge in Baltimore County in 1990 and 1992. Klausmeier is an honorary life member of the Maryland Parent Teacher Association and she received resolutions from the Maryland State Senate, the Maryland House of Delegates and the Baltimore. County Council commending her for her work as GES's PTA President.
"We've made great strides in the 8th District and I want to continue working with the County Executive to get good things for Baltimore County and especially the eighth district," Klausmeier said to family and friends. "Making communities a better place, that's what I'm all about. I will see you all when I'm knocking on doors."
Bills filed to reduce car registration costs for seniors
One Baltimore County-based senior citizens group is hoping the General Assembly will ease the burden of high vehicle registration fees. "Many seniors are having a difficult time financially," said Beth Wiseman, a vice president of grassroots advocacy for United Seniors of Maryland. Wiseman said the growing costs of food, fuel and medicine are outpacing the growth of income for senior citizens. Vehicle registration costs only add to the burden of those living on a fixed income.
The Senate is considering bills that would cut in half the cost of registering a car for senior citizens.
One bill, sponsored by Baltimore County Democratic Sens. Jim Brochin, Kathy Klausmeier and Norman Stone, would reduce registration costs by 50 percent starting at age 65.
"We're in better financial times," Brochin said. "This isn't the government's money; it's the people's money, and we should return it to the people."
"This year, the fixed income problem has come home ... to many with the (rising) assessments on houses and prescription drug costs," Klausmeier said.
She told the committee she unofficially refers to the bill as the "Aunt Irene Act," naming it after one of her relatives. Klausmeier represents the 8th District, including Perry Hall, Parkville and Overlea.
Stone, who represents the 6th District, which includes Dundalk and part of Rosedale, is sponsoring a separate bill that would cut registration fees beginning at age 70.
A similar bill has been introduced by Democratic Del. Mike Weir, who also represents the 6th District. Dels. Eric Bromwell, John Cluster, Steve DeBoy, Joseph "Sonny" Minnick, Shirley Nathan-Pulliam and John Trueschler are co-sponsors of the House version.
Wiseman, who is also president of the Baltimore County Association of Senior Citizens Organizations, said her organization supports the bills.
"Both of these bills would be beneficial to seniors," Wiseman said.
Currently, most car registrations cost more than $100 every two years, according to a Department of Legislative Services analysis of the bill.
Sport utility vehicles and minivans cost more than $153 every two years to register. The fees were nearly doubled in 2004.
Senior citizens older than 70 who drive fewer than 5,000 miles annually are not required to have their cars inspected by the vehicle emissions program.
Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia do not offer vehicle registration discounts to senior citizens. Pennsylvania offers a $10 discount to residents who are retired or disabled and earn less than $19,200.
An analysis of the bill concludes that it would cost the state about $4.6 million in the first year. Money from registration fees is used to pay for road projects.
Similar bills were killed in committee in both Senate and the House of Delegates last year.
Baltimore senator's bill encourages restaurants, bars to go smoke-free
ANNAPOLIS - If lawmakers fail this year to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, a Baltimore senator is offering an alternative: tax credits for establishments that voluntarily go smoke-free.
"This bill is a compromise that will encourage restaurants and bars to go smoke-free but will still let it be a business decision for private owners," Sen. Katherine A. Klausmeier (D-Dist. 8), the bill's sponsor, told the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Wednesday.
The bill would give restaurants that voluntarily prohibit smoking a yearly income tax credit of up to $5,000. The credit would not apply to restaurants in the five Maryland counties that already ban smoking.
This marks the third straight year Klausmeier has introduced the bill, which died in committee in previous years. She said she "has no inkling" yet about its chances this year.
Both the restaurant and tobacco industries support the idea of a tax credit, as do legislators who are advocating a statewide ban. Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Dist. 15) of Germantown, the sponsor of a bill banning smoking in all Maryland restaurants, said he thought the legislation was a good incentive, but expressed reservations about the cost to the state.
"The tax credit is one way and I think we should help out restaurants that need it," he said. "But there's a cost factor we've got to look at too."
The estimated cost to the state, which is facing a potential budget crisis, would be about $10.7 million, according to the bill's fiscal impact statement. Health advocates pushing for a statewide smoking ban told the committee that it was not fair for the state to spend money on something they thought restaurants should already be doing to protect the health of their employees.
"We don't give an incentive to restaurants for keeping rats out of their kitchens, so why would we give them an incentive to ban smoking?" asked Bonita M. Pennino, south Atlantic director of government relations for the American Cancer Society.
However, those who say that a smoking ban hurts small businesses by driving away customers call a tax credit a step in the right direction.
"This also recognizes that there is a financial impact (to businesses)," Melvin Thompson, vice president of government relations for the Restaurant Association of Maryland, said after the hearing. "If there are smaller restaurants and bars that were considering going smoke-free and this tax credit helps them do it, we applaud that"
Bruce C. Bereano, a lobbyist for the Maryland Association of Tobacco and Candy Distributors, called the bill "logical" and said it was consistent with the point of view that business should manage their own establishments.
According to the bill, about 6,000 restaurants would qualify for an income tax credit. One-third of the state's restaurants carrying liquor licenses would not qualify, due to smoking bans in Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles, Howard and Talbot counties.
Before the hearing, Klausmeier said she hoped her bill addressed the needs of both patrons and business owners.
"It's not just bar owners - it's constituents saying, 'It's my right to smoke,'" she said. "It's a tough issue and if I could wave a magic wand and make every place smoke-free, I would. But you have to reach out to as many people as you can."
Bill offers smoke-free tax break
Seeking to head off legislation that would ban smoking in bars and restaurants statewide, a Baltimore County senator has revived a proposal to give tax breaks to businesses that voluntarily go smoke-free.
Sen. Katherine A. Klausmeier, a Democrat, said she wants to offer a "carrot instead of a stick," in an effort to blunt pressure for a mandatory smoking ban.
"This bill is a compromise to allow restaurants and bars to voluntarily go smoke-free, but to allow them to make a business decision on whether or not to do so," Klausmeier said.The idea ran into swift opposition from health advocates, who contend that a ban is necessary to protect bar and restaurant workers from exposure to harmful second-hand smoke.
"We would be creating a system of rewarding people for doing something they should be doing all along, and that is to protect their employees' health," said Bonita Pennino, government relations director for the American Cancer Society in Maryland. "We don't give an incentive to restaurants to keep rodents out of the kitchen. We feel this is very much along the same lines."
Legislation to ban smoking -- similar to prohibitions already enacted by local officials in Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's and Talbot counties -- has been gaining momentum in the legislature, and General Assembly leaders have said they expect it to pass this year.
Klausmeier, who introduced the same tax-incentive bill last year, said she appreciates the desire to expand the number of smoke-free bars and restaurants but wants to protect small bars and restaurants. She said she fears they would suffer economically if forced to accept a ban.
Her proposal calls for tax credits of up to $5,000 a year for bars and restaurants that voluntarily ban smoking. Establishments in counties that have already banned smoking would be out of luck.
"They jumped the gun," Klausmeier said. "They could have waited and gotten my tax credit."
Melvin Thompson, the vice president of the Maryland Restaurant Association, said his members support Klausmeier's bill. He said his organization would like to see more bars and restaurants go smoke-free, but the potential economic impact, particularly for small taverns, would be too great.
"A lot of your smokers are also your drinkers," he said. "When you cut out smoking, you lose your drinkers."
Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters, who as a member of the Prince George's County Council was a lead sponsor of that jurisdiction's smoking ban, said some protections need to be created for bars and restaurants if Maryland bans smoking. Prince George's included a provision to compensate a business if it can show it lost money after the ban went into effect. Montgomery did something similar, he said.
Kari Appler, director of Smoke Free Maryland, said her organization wouldn't object to creating a mechanism to reimburse bars or restaurants that lose business. But she said Klausmeier's bill is no substitute for a smoking ban.
"This would be proactively saying we expect you to lose revenue," Appler said.
But Thompson of the restaurant association said waiting until a bar can prove it has lost money may be too late.
Tug of war over coming streetlights
Citizen group wants 77; County officials offer 46
The Greater Parkville Community Council wants 77 new lampposts on Harford Road.
The county's Office of Community Conservation says 46 is plenty.
The stakes: how many more shoppers and pedestrians will be attracted to a better-lit Harford Road.
At a recent meeting of the Parkville-Carney Business Association, Ruth Baisden, the community council vice president, addressed the issue as it relates to the Harford Road streetscape project, a plan to revitalize the Harford Road corridor going through Parkville and Carney.
Baisden and Dick Forstner, the business association vice president, both members of a citizen's committee that worked on the streetscape plan, said the original desire of the committee regarding lampposts has not been met.
"We identified 77 locations where we want to put lampposts. The county approved 46 of them. We need to keep the pressure on them to get more lampposts in," Forstner said.
Though the streetscape will be funded by a combination of county and state funds, Forstner said the county alone will pay for the lampposts.
Ray Heil, revitalization project manager with the county Office of Community Conservation, which is overseeing the streetscape, confirmed that 46 lampposts had been approved, but he countered that the county already maintains 35 lampposts along Harford Road. The new ones that have been approved will bring the total to 81.
Currently, Harford Road has existing lights starting just below Taylor and going up to Alden Road. The county proposes to add more from Alden to just north of Emerald Road, Heil said.
Lights for senior center
In addition, the county will install nine lights on either side of the road near the Parkville Senior and Recreation Center -- a request by state Sen. Kathy Klausmeier -- and more lights from Putty Hill Avenue to Manns Avenue.
Heil said the county tried to install lights in the areas with the largest number of shops and where it was "pedestrian oriented."
The streetscape committee originally had asked for lampposts from the city line just south of Taylor up to the Baltimore Beltway overpass. Baisden said the county removed those from the plan.
She said the committee went along with this change -- up to a point.
"At this time, we are requesting that they be continuous from the city line up to Manns Avenue where St. Ursula (School) is. These are the most used areas," she said.
Baisden said the streetscape committee tried to pick the areas with the most pedestrian traffic.
'Walkable community'
"Basically we found out that we need an additional 26 lampposts for the streetscape to be successful and the trends we are trying to promote -- a walkable community and safe pedestrian areas," she said
Heil acknowledged that the county plan will not meet all the desires of community leaders.
He said there were gaps in the road where lights won't be located, particularly between Emerald and Putty Hill. He added that to put the lights in front of the senior center, nine lights scheduled for installation just south of Taylor to the city line were removed.
The gaps are being chalked up to limited money.
"There are cost issues, and not just capital costs (for purchasing lights), but also for ongoing maintenance on those lights," Heil said. "It's just a matter of making adjustments."
The streetscape project is scheduled to go to bid soon. The plan calls for resurfacing Harford Road, installing new sidewalks, improving pedestrian signals and upgrading drainage, along with adding decorative lighting, bicycle-friendly lanes, landscaping and small parks at street corners.
The business association and community council are hoping that the improvements will help draw more businesses and customers to the area.
Most in county delegation want to keep death penalty
In a year when the death penalty is under attack by some legislators in Annapolis, many senators and delegates from Baltimore County still support Maryland's ultimate punishment.
An informal poll of 29 county legislators, in which 28 responded, shows the local lawmakers oppose repealing the death penalty by more than two to one.
"I believe it is a deterrent and I don't believe in giving free room and board and free medical care to murderers for the rest of their lives so they can do the same things in prison," said Del. Mike Weir Jr., a Democrat who represents the 6th District, which includes Dundalk, Essex and part of Rosedale.
Weir was one of a handful who said they believed the sentence was a deterrent.
Support for the death penalty cuts across party affiliation with nearly equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans saying they would not vote to abolish the death penalty. Of the 26 who responded, 19 oppose repeal, five favor it and three were undecided.
The General Assembly will consider three bills related to the state's death penalty.
Two bills, filed in the House and Senate respectively, would repeal the death penalty in its entirety.
Sen. Delores Kelley and Dels. Emmett Burns, Adrienne Jones and Shirley Nathan-Pulliam are co-sponsors on the bills in their respective chambers. All four are Democrats who represent the 10th District, which includes Woodlawn, Randallstown and part of Catonsville.
"I'm against it, always have been," Jones said.
Burns said he supported the effort to repeal the death penalty but also understood the need for such a punishment.
"I am a minister and taking a life is against my religious beliefs," Burns said. "However, I am ambivalent. There are certain hideous crimes where I really believe the death penalty is warranted."
A third bill, filed in the Senate, would exempt the procedures used to carry out the death penalty from the state's administrative approval process. The state Court of Appeals ruled late last year that the current manual for execution could not be used because it had not been approved by the General Assembly.
Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, a Democrat, is a co-sponsor of the bill. She represents the 8th District, which includes Perry Hall, Parkville and Overlea.
None of the bills has been scheduled for a hearing.
In the House, some delegates on the Judiciary Committee said privately they believe the 22-member committee is deeply divided on the issue and a committee vote may not take place at all -- a move that would effectively kill any repeal effort.
In a few cases, legislators said they were having second thoughts about supporting the death penalty.
Dels. Susan Aumann and Jon Cardin, a Republican and Democrat respectively, said last week that they previously supported the death penalty but are now on the fence.
"There were times in my life when I was really, really for it; now I'm not so sure," said Aumann, who represents the 42nd District, which includes Towson, most of Timonium and part of Pikesville.
Aumann said a meeting last week with Kirk Bloodsworth made her question her beliefs.
Bloodsworth was sentenced to death after being found guilty of the 1984 murder of Dawn Hamilton a 9-year-old Rosedale girl. His conviction was thrown out in 1993 after DNA tests, which were not available at the time of his conviction, proved he was not the killer.
Aumann said she planned on reading the book "Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA" by Tim Junkin before deciding how to vote.
Another legislator, Del. Dan Morhaim, said he has changed his mind and firmly opposes the death penalty.
"I understand the emotions of the families of victims that have been murdered, but the system is imperfect and I don't think the state should ever be in a position of possibly executing an innocent person," Morhaim said.
Senators float bill for slots on boats
With many neighborhoods not wanting slot machines in their back yards, two state senators want to put one-armed bandits on the water.
The Maryland Vessel Gaming Act would allow riverboat gambling on as many as 16 boats, each carrying at least 400 passengers.
Up to 15,500 slot terminals would be allowed on the boats, which couldn't be longer than 150 feet. Counties would decide whether to allow the floating casinos to dock on their turf.
The boats would be regulated by a seven-member commission appointed by the governor with the Senate's consent. Boat operators, who could hold only one gaming license apiece, would keep 80 percent of the revenue not paid out to winners.
The remaining 20 percent would go toward the cost of regulating the boats, public schools in the counties where the boats dock and the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund.
Riverboat gaming is allowed in a number of states, including Indiana, which took in $803 million in wagering and amusement tax revenue in the last fiscal year.
Riverboat casino bills have come before the General Assembly before, most recently in the mid-1990s. But they never stayed afloat.
This time around, Sens. Norman Stone and Katherine Klausmeier, both D-Baltimore County, are sponsoring the measure.
While conceding the odds are against the bill's passage, Mr. Stone said he co-sponsored the legislation as a way of keeping the slots debate alive. Plans to put slots at race tracks, including Laurel Park, have fizzled the past four years despite the efforts of former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
Mr. Stone said he'd prefer to have slots at racetracks. He said it's hypocritical for the state to forbid slots when it allows other forms of gambling.
"Something at the tracks should have been done four years ago," he said. "The horse industry is dying."
Ms. Klausmeier said the bill is a compromise that won't put slots where they aren't wanted.
"They are not in anybody's back yard. They are not in anybody's way," she said. "It's not all about politics, it's about geography as well."
Slots have stirred strong feelings in the General Assembly. Supporters say slot income is desperately needed for the state's coffers and to save Maryland's struggling horse racing industry. Critics, however, say slots would bring gambling addiction and corruption.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, a longtime proponent of slots, said he hadn't seen the bill.
"The first need is to focus on racetracks," said Mr. Miller, D-Calvert. But he said he'd take a look at the legislation.
"If the body feels it's a better alternative to racetracks and the state could make just as much money on the high seas," he said, "I'm not opposed to it."
Gov. Martin O'Malley has supported slots at racetracks, but he isn't offering a slots plan this year. In his first State of the State Address last week, he called for civil debate on "polarizing issues" like slots.
House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis, said he thinks the governor wants to address slots as part of an overall budget plan.
An ardent opponent of slots, he said riverboat slots do offer the benefit of not being in anyone's community. He added that it would be easier to keep underage gamblers off casino boats.
Another bill in the House of Delegates follows the more traditional slots plans. The bill by Del. Galen Clagett, D-Frederick, would put 12,000 slot machines at Laurel and other racetracks, with proceeds going toward schools.
Anne Arundel County won't be a site for slots on the ground or in the water if County Executive John R. Leopold has a say.
"The county executive's position has not changed regarding his opposition to the expansion of gambling in the county, no matter what venue," said county spokesman Rhonda Wardlaw.
Mr. Leopold recently told county lawyers to look into a 2005 law that allowed more than 200 video bingo machines in the county's three bingo parlors. The machines closely resemble slots terminals.
Barbara Knickelbein, co-chairman of the Glen Burnie-based anti-gambling group NOCasiNO Maryland, said there's no difference between land-based slots and riverboat casinos.
"We're opposed to the expansion of commercial gambling, period," she said. "It doesn't matter where it is."
Mrs. Knickelbein is optimistic that slots won't be coming to Maryland any time soon.
"At this point, we have some good people in place who are going to fight their best to keep the door closed," she said.
The riverboat bill has been referred to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. No hearing has been scheduled.
Staff Writer Liam Farrell contributed to this story.
Slots, taxes, and electric rates; Rosedale seniors tackle the issues in Annapolis
Some Rosedale seniors got a wintry mix of history, politics, and process last week. And they braved some chilly weather, as well, to venture over to Annapolis at the invitation of Sen. Kathy Klausmeier.
"Fifty years ago I sat in that bank and watched a parade," said George Shea.
What was the parade for?
"I don’t remember," he said. It was warmer that day, though. "A man can forget a lot of things in that time," Shea said with a laugh as he looked out the windows of the bus as it circled through the city historic center. "I’ve forgotten more about this city than I’ll ever learn again."
While history might not have been the first thing in mind that morning, the group of 17 from the Rosedale Senior Center was the first of the year to take Klausmeier up on her offer.
So politics was on their minds.
"Maybe we could sneak you in as a lawmaker," joked one.
"I would love to do that," replied another.
Upon arrival at the state house, the seniors had a quick Q&A with Klausmeier. The group chatted with her about a variety of matters. Electric rates, tax exemptions for age and residential solar usage, the proposed cigarette tax, and assisted living regulations were mentioned.
As was Klausmeier’s most recent attention-getting piece of legislation -- riverboat gambling.
While she’s put in legislation about "all kinds of things," she had never made it onto television before, she said.
"Slots is on everyone’s radar," Klausmeier said. "This (legislation) is the only thing they have to hang on to right now. "So I’ll just take it," she added with a laugh.
Senate Bill 541 would allow gambling on boats in the water just outside the Inner Harbor. Klausmeier sees it as a fitting compromise to all the slots issues.
"Part of the problem with slots, it’s a political thing, but also a personal thing and also a geographical thing," she said.
If slots were allowed on a few boats anchoring out past the Key Bridge, they wouldn’t "be in anybody’s backyard," people wouldn’t be able to play 24 hours a day, and security would be less of an issue, Klausmeier said.
The bill, as of Feb. 2, is in the Senate, waiting for its reading from the budget and taxation committee, so where the slot revenues would go is up for discussion, but bay cleanup and education are two favorites. After a visit to the Senate floor for the first few minutes of session, the group continued its historical tour, then went across the street to the Governor’s mansion.
Only a handful of the mansion’s 52 rooms are available to the public, but thousands of people visit each year -- and the Oriental rugs in the foyer still look new, tour guide Joan Weingartner said. (The rug was colored with all natural dyes made from vegetables and plants.)
The seniors commiserated with Weingartner about stick pens and inkwells and how the kids these days can’t even imagine having to blot the ink from their papers.
Then it was back on the bus to head down the docks for lunch.
Aside from needing speakers up in the balcony of the Senate chambers, the trip was nice, said Gene Wicklin, after admiring the grandfather clocks at the mansion.
A former clockmaker (as a hobby) and lineman for the telephone company (35 years on the job), Wicklin said that there’s so much to see in Annapolis that he could’ve spent days there.
Bills in brief
Here is a look at the three school board bills under consideration in the Senate.
* Senate Bill 79: sponsored by Democratic Sens. Delores Kelley, James Brochin and Norman Stone. The bill would require that the governor submit his appointees for confirmation by the Senate and that board represent the demographics of the student population. Those appointees would be reviewed by the Senate Executive Nominations Committee, which is chaired by Kelley.* Senate Bill 82: Sponsored by Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a Democrat. The bill would add three members to the 12-member school board. Eight would be appointed by the governor. The remaining seven would be elected -- one from each council district. Vacancies would be filled by the governor, with the advice and consent of the County Council. The first elected members would be chosen in the 2010 election. This bill has been cross-filed in the House of Delegates as House Bill 71. That bill has seven sponsors, including Democratic Dels. Dan Morhaim, Jon Cardin, Steve DeBoy, Jim Malone and Dana Stein, and Republican Del. Susan Aumann. A hearing on the House bill will be held Feb. 21 in the House Ways and Means Committee.
* Senate Bill 99: Sponsored by Democratic Sen. Kathy Klausmeier and Republican Sen. Andrew Harris. The bill would establish a school board nominating convention made up of county residents who would submit a list of three names from which the governor would select a replacement when filling a vacancy on the school board.
Three school board selection bills vie for support
Nearly every senator from Baltimore County has an idea about changing the way members of the county school board are selected.
But none of the three proposals under consideration appear to have majority support of the county's eight senators, which could cause the three Senate bills, and another in the House, to die in committee this year.
"My impression is this is not going to be the year to make a change," said Sen. Andrew Harris, a Republican who represents the 7th District, which includes Cockeysville, part of Perry Hall and Middle River.
Harris is one of two sponsors of a bill that would create a school board nominating convention, which would be used to create a list of candidates the governor could use to fill a vacancy.
Currently, 12 of the 13 members of the board, including a student member, are appointed by the governor alone, who is not required to seek advice from elected officials representing the areas of the county the appointees would represent.
None of the bills has more than three sponsors, and none appears to have the support of five senators, a requirement for official delegation support.
All three bills had a hearing Feb. 14 in the Senate Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. The panel will not vote on any of the bills until it receives word on which is being supported by the delegation, if any.
If the delegation fails to take a stand on any of the bills, they essentially die in committee.
The Senate delegation held a meeting on the three bills Feb. 15. After several hours of debate and discussion, none of the proposals appeared to have a leg up on the others.
Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, a Democrat who represents the 8th District, including Perry Hall, Parkville and Overlea, called the meeting "a good airing out."
Klausmeier is the lead sponsor on the school board nominating convention bill.
Despite the spirited debate, Klausmeier said she also believed there was more talking to be done before the delegation could unite behind a bill.
Sen. Bobby Zirkin, who is sponsoring a bill that would create seven elected school board positions, said he won't support any bill that prevents the public from electing members.
"The voters elect judges and legislators and vote on bond bills and questions," said Zirkin, a Democrat who represents the 11th District, including Owings Mills, Pikesville and part of Timonium. "Our constituents don't need our divine intervention to choose a school board."
Sen. Ed Kasemeyer, a Democrat, is not co-sponsoring any of the bills but said he likes Zirkin's and is leaning toward supporting it -- further splitting the delegation.
Kasemeyer, who represents the 12th District, including Arbutus and Catonsville, is one of two senators who have not co-sponsored any of the bills. Republican Sen. Larry Haines, who represents the 5th District, which includes part of Cockeysville as well as Hunt Valley and Parkton, is the other.
Norman Stone, the chairman of the county delegation, said more work would be needed before the delegation would vote on any of the bills.
"Perhaps we're going to have to have a work session," said Stone, a Democrat who represents the 6th District, which includes Dundalk, Essex and part of Rosedale.
Stone is one of three sponsors of a bill that would require the governor's appointments to be confirmed by the Senate.
A work session could bring the delegation to a consensus on one of the bills or include combining two of the three bills.
Zirkin said he would favor combining his bill with the school board nominating convention bill as a compromise. He added that he would vote against any bill that does not include elected positions.
No date has been scheduled for the work session.