Latest news with #DepartmentofLegislativeServices
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland bill seeks to lower cap on Child Victims Act settlements: ‘Make sure we don't break the state'
BALTIMORE — As claims of child sexual abuse filed against the state continue to mount, Charles County Del. C.T. Wilson is seeking to place a cap on the state's liability in light of the associated financial burden on the state. The amended version of House Bill 1378, sponsored by Wilson, a Democratic lawmaker who championed the Child Victims Act in 2023, would put a lower cap — $400,000 — on the maximum potential payout per each claimant who files after Oct. 1. It would also mandate an alternative dispute resolution process to settle claims of child sexual abuse. 'I've always said it was never about the money — it was about the truth and justice, restoring the dignity of those who've had it stolen from them,' said Wilson, who is also a survivor of child sexual abuse. The Child Victims Act, which took effect in October 2023, removed the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse survivors to file civil lawsuits against their abusers. Since then, about 4,500 victims have filed claims, Wilson said, with more pending. Under the current law, Maryland could potentially be liable for billions of dollars in settlement payments to the survivors of child sexual abuse if each received the current maximum of $890,000 per occurrence of abuse. Lawmakers were warned of the fiscal implications of the Child Victims Act earlier in the legislative session, though. At a January fiscal briefing with House and Senate committees, Department of Legislative Services fiscal analyst David Romans told lawmakers that the settlement payments were a 'potentially enormous liability for the state.' The liability the state could face comes as the General Assembly nears the end of resolving Maryland's $3 billion budget deficit, as well as uncertainty about federal funding under the Trump administration. 'What I'm up here to do is to make sure we don't break the state, that these people get their opportunity,' Wilson told reporters prior to Wednesday's bill hearing. 'And there will be a financial compensation, but it's not going to be billions of dollars per individual — my state can't afford that.' The bill would also mandate an alternative dispute resolution process to settle claims of child sexual abuse, which Wilson said is needed for accountability and public safety. 'The thing about settlement, and we all see this in the news, is you never know what really happened,' he said. 'I want to make sure that each dollar that is paid out is accounted for, that each of those individuals out there are held accountable, live or dead — those names need to be made public.' Those who were sexually abused as children and attorneys who represent them, however, feel the bill could re-victimize the survivors. 'It's an insult to say no matter how many times you were abused — some of them were raped a dozen times — and now you're telling them the most you can get is up to $400,000 and you don't have your right to have your day in court. It's just a betrayal to these victims who believed that they were finally going to be heard, that they would finally get some measure of justice,' Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney, said in an interview prior to the hearing. What happened to Baltimore resident Antoine Harris 'epitomizes the reason we're here today,' Crump said as Harris walked up to him in the House office building. A staff member raped Harris' mother while she was in a juvenile detention facility. She was 17; her abuser was 29, Harris said. He was in foster care from 7 months old to age 21. 'It could never be enough,' Harris said of the settlement payments. 'But with that, you could add it over time, you don't have to necessarily limit the amount, you could stretch it — we've waited so many years for justice, you don't have to settle it in one year.' Lisae Jordan, an attorney and the executive director of the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, spoke in favor of the bill with amendments. She told lawmakers to consider allowing survivors to choose a jury trial, and also said reducing recovery to $400,000 per claimant was 'troubling.' 'We should help survivors,' she said. 'If you can take these cases out of court and mandate that they go to [alternative dispute resolution], you can also delay your decision until the next time you're in session … please take the time to do this right.' ----------
CBS News
27-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Chesapeake Bay restoration could take a hit if state removes millions from trust fund, advocates say
Maryland's budget shortfall could take a major toll on the Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. The Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays trust fund has been a lifeline for projects that help clean the bay, restore habitats, and reduce pollution. However, state leaders are considering removing $2.59 million from the trust fund to cover state operating costs. The funds would be used for the general operations of the Department of Natural Resources. "The state of Maryland has long been a leader in restoration in large part because we have the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays trust fund," said Matt Johnston, the executive director of the Arundel Rivers Federation. "We will not be able to, in the next three to four years, do a project like this again if they zero out that fund." The shift is one of many recommendations by the Department of Legislative Services to help balance Maryland's $3 billion budget deficit. "Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure" Chesapeake Bay advocates are urging lawmakers to reconsider before the final budget vote in April. "The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure, it's a gem," Johnston said. "We will never see clean water in the bay unless we do restoration projects, like Lake Marion behind me." A stormwater pond in Severn was dilapidated, full of sediment, and polluting the Severn River before the Arundel Rivers Federation helped restore it. Jesse Iliff, executive director of the Severn River Association, says a number of planned restoration projects are now in jeopardy. "They are critical to providing a healthy Chesapeake Bay and all of the economic benefits that come with that, like improved fisheries, improved tourism, improved property values." Iliff is concerned this decision to take from the trust fund could have long-term consequences. "Five or 10 years down the line, the best we could hope for is maintaining the status quo, and that would be heavily dependent on the weather," he said.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's proposed budget shifts $144 million costs to counties ‘feeling the pressure'
County government leaders knew that Maryland's fiscal 2026 budget season would be a tough one. With a nearly $3 billion deficit looming, Gov. Wes Moore proposed about $2 billion in cuts in his budget earlier this month, along with an overhaul of the state's personal income taxes. But according to fiscal analysts with the Department of Legislative Services, Moore's proposed budget also includes about $144 million in costs shifting from the state onto local governments — which could have been worse, county leaders say, but still isn't ideal. The biggest factors in the local shifts, which total more than $97 million across all of Maryland's jurisdictions, would require local governments to pay a larger share of public school and community college teachers' retirement costs. The amount that local governments contribute to the cost of educating children with disabilities in nonpublic school programs would collectively increase by $25 million, and the local share of the cost of property valuations would increase by nearly $21 million. Reactions from county leaders seem to break along party lines. Republicans say Democrats have made some bad financial decisions that are now hurting counties, but some Democrats aren't as rattled. Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said the cost shifted onto his county — about $14 million — is not a 'make-or-break number.' 'It's significant, but it's not going to kill us,' he said. 'But when they do the tax reform the way they planned it, they're projecting that we come out pretty close to breakeven, so we make back some of that because of the changes that they've made.' The governor's proposed changes to the tax code would consolidate the four lowest income tax brackets at 4.7% and add two higher brackets: 6.25% for people making at least $500,000 and 6.5% for those making more than $1 million. About 18% of Maryland taxpayers would pay more. Pittman, a Democrat, said he likes the governor's tax reform package, adding that he thinks more progressivity has been needed in the state's income tax rates. 'We know the highest earners are going to benefit from major cuts in what they have to pay the federal government, and I think most people would rather have their tax dollars going locally,' he said. 'The small increase in Maryland will be offset by the decrease at the federal level and I think that's fair.' However, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly thinks the proposed income tax rate increases could be detrimental. 'The risk there is that we're going to drive businesses out of our state, which is something we've been working really hard [on] to increase revenue production,' he said. 'I'm afraid that this is going to take us back the wrong way.' Cassilly, a Republican, said his county has been working 'feverishly' for the last two years to cut and manage expenses, but he feels the state's budget has not shown the same effort. 'I don't see cuts in this budget,' he said. 'I see there's a lot of shifting and some delays, but we're not actually cutting anything, and that's a challenge moving forward.' Under the budget proposal, Harford County would see about $5.6 million in expenses shifted onto its government. Ken Kiler, president of the Carroll County Commissioners, voiced similar concerns about delays, particularly with the Blueprint. Carroll County would see about $3.8 million shifted to its government. 'It hurts the counties, not helps the counties, just like your household budget — when you delay something, it still costs you just as much or more, it doesn't save you money,' Kiler said. 'Until somebody in Annapolis can wake up and say, 'We made a mistake with Blueprint,' we can't afford it.' Cassilly said he had also hoped for the state to help fund large expenses from law enforcement and the Blueprint, the state's multi-billion dollar education reform plan, through adjustments to the plan's schedule. Kevin Kinnally, legislative director for the Maryland Association of Counties, has realized that every county, not just the small or rural ones, will feel the impacts of the governor's budget. Many residents live in counties with the maximum local income tax rate, too, meaning the only way for counties to raise revenue to fund the Blueprint is through increased property taxes, he said. 'They're feeling that pressure, they need some relief, they need the ability to be more flexible with revenue,' Kinnally said. 'Anything that the state shifts on top obviously makes things a lot more difficult.' Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, who was a state senator for more than 20 years before taking the county office in mid-January, said the county's 'increasingly difficult budgetary challenges' will require 'leadership, innovation, and sound fiscal decisions.' 'The county must balance its commitment to maintaining and improving aging infrastructure, which continues to impact annual revenues and fund balance resources; sustaining record investments in education in light of proposed reductions to state funding; and supporting capital construction needs, which continue to outpace annual state funding; and maintaining operational budget needs,' she said in a statement. The budget proposal would shift about $17.9 million in state expenses onto Baltimore County. Kinnally said it's key to remember that the spending plan will change when the General Assembly begins to modify the proposals. 'There are a lot of things in here that are eye-popping; there are a lot of massive changes, but it's really important to remember that this is not what it's going to look like at the end of the day,' he said. 'We'll have to see what survives and what doesn't, and [for] things that don't survive, what the General Assembly is going to do to backfill that money and balance the budget, so a lot of uncertainty.' Have a news tip? Contact Natalie Jones at najones@ ____
