An open letter to the residents of the 8th Legislative District concerning the recent special session of the Maryland General Assembly

Dear Constituents,

I write to address the tax proposals that came before the Maryland General Assembly during the recent special session. As many people might be aware, I not only voted against the tax bills when they came before me, but I also voted to sustain the filibuster that extended the debate and delayed the vote on these proposals. Although there were individual elements of these bills that I could have supported (annual sales tax-free holidays for certain items, establishment of a Higher Education Investment Fund, the study and implementation of certain measures to close unfair corporate tax loopholes for large corporations) if they had been separate from the rest of the legislation, overall I felt that this tax package was onerous for the majority of my constituents and I felt that not enough had been done to find areas in the budget that could be cut during the next fiscal year.

During this special session I worked with my colleagues in the General Assembly to find cuts in the state budget and directed the Governor to trim an additional $550 million from next year’s projected spending, while not jeopardizing necessary state services, but more can be done. During next year’s General Assembly regular session, I will fight to make Maryland’s state government even more efficient. As always, suggestions from the public to this end are always welcome. It is my general belief that the state should balance the basic needs of all Marylanders while not overburdening taxpayers.

Senator Katherine Klausmeier
8th Legislative District