Legislative Updates By Delegate Mike McDermott

 Press Release on Budget Debate

Bay Fund Raids by Democrats

 By Delegate Mike McDermott

FOR  IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Mr. Speaker, when I started out in politics, I asked how it was possible to keep raiding funds to balance our budget. The answer I received was that it wasn’t a ‘raid’ it was a transfer! This amendment is intended to keep the tax dollars collected for the Coastal and Chesapeake Bay funds intact. We are once again, allowing the raid on a fund that was intended to protect our most beloved natural resource.” said Delegate Mike McDermott (R-District 38B Lower Shore) regarding his amendment to the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (BRFA)  that was on Second Reader today in the House. The BRFA is part of the yearly budget that determines the way governmental monies are spent and what, if any, new taxes are assessed.

“Transferring money away from something as precious as the Chesapeake Bay and our Coastal Bays  is still a raid and  I would consider this “transfer” akin to an act of piracy” explained Delegate McDermott whose amendment, if passed, would have kept $8 million in the Bay Fund instead of the General Fund. The BRFA requires the transfer of part of the monies garnered from the Maryland tax on gas to be transferred to the Bay Fund, as well as the General Fund. Delegate McDermott’s amendment would allow this trust fund to keep more of the money collected for the intended purpose.

“Every  year we raid these funds, Mr. Speaker! It just isn’t right and it’s time we stand up and do what is right--keep the promises you make!” concluded McDermott.