This Week on Conduit Street - April 17, 2015: Session Wrap-Up Issue

April 17, 2015

		2015 SESSION: PUTTING THE PUZZLE TOGETHER The 2015 session yielded a curious mix of results. For counties - a mix of wins and losses, opportunities seized and missed, and some issues that remain unresolved. MACo has assembled summaries of these major county issues with a series of "hot issue" links and topic wrap-up articles, to help serve the needs of the county community. (Read More)

2015 End-of-Session Resources

Hot Issues: State Budget ? County Effects of Budget ? Drug Initiative ? Stormwater Fees
Property Tax ? Education Funding ? Transportation Funding

Education - Education Funding, Community Colleges, School Construction, and more

Environment - Stormwater Fees, Program Open Space, and more

Public Safety & Corrections - Drug Bill, Heroin Task Force, and more

Taxes & Revenues - Property Tax, Retirement Income for Military & First Responders, and more

Other Subject Areas: Business Affairs ? Community Colleges ? Education Funding ? Elections

Employee Benefits & Relations ? Finance & Procurement ? Government Liability & Courts
Health & Human Services ? Housing & Community Development ? Parks & Recreation
Planning & Zoning ? Property Tax ? Public Information & Ethics ? School Construction
Taxes & Revenues ? Transportation Funding ? Transportation & Public Works

Legislative Budget Plan Wraps, Governor's Follow Through Unclear Senate Concurs with Bill Restricting Medical Stop-loss Insurance Market Ruppersberger Leads Bipartisan Effort to Protect Critical Infrastructure Financing Tool Editorial Asks for More Flexibility in Education Funding Law	Final Fiscal 2016 Budget Actions Adopted - Local Government Summary With Income Tax Case Looming, State Adopts Follow-Through Plan Final FY 2016 Budget Documents and County Budget Information Equitable Hotel Tax Passes, May a Veto Loom?	Stormwater Fee "Repeal" Detailed Bill Analysis Newspaper Editorials Coverage of Passage Program Open Space to Receive an Additional $15.1 Million in FY 2016 EPA Seeking Public Comment on New Environmental Justice Strategic Plan
Central Maryland Heroin Task Force Summit Held in Baltimore City Governor Signs MACo's STOP Initiative Bill Into Law General Assembly Passes Drone Bill with Study Amendment	Bill to Regulate Uber and Lyft Authorizes Local Assessment Howard County Has Fastest Population Growth in Maryland Small Business Personal Property Tax Break Fails in House	Session Wrap Ups State Budget Stormwater Fees Drug Initiative Income Tax Case Opioid Crisis Program Open Space Federal Issues
Quick Wrap-Up of Late Session County Issues General Assembly Raises Local Liability Limits in Waning Hours of Session General Assembly Expands Military Retirement Subtraction Modification For Those 65 and Older	Kent County Receives More Than $300,000 from LGIT's Health Cooperative Info Webinar: New NACo Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails Receive Email Updates of the Latest County News & Info	School Boards Issue Call to Action on Governor's Budget Apply Now: 2015 Aspire Award - Honoring Innovative Leadership in Promoting County Employee Retirement Savings Freshmen Delegates Offer Their Perspective on 2015 Session

Dates to Remember:

MACo Summer Conference - August 12-15, 2015

Corporate Partner Profile:
Comcast

COMCAST'S INTERNET ESSENTIALS PROGRAM: NOW BRINGING THE INTERNET TO MORE THAN 450,000 LOW-INCOME FAMILIES

Comcast, a MACo Gold Corporate Partner, has recently posted its four-year progress report of its Internet Essentials Program. Comcast wanted to bring internet to more students and families and created the Internet Essentials Program to offer home internet service for only $9.95 a month. Through February 2015, Comcast has brought the power of the internet to more than 1.8 million Americans through Internet Essentials. (Read more)

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)

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