Mike Busch has lost control of the House. Despite procedural desperation and playing chicken with proposed slots locations, Busch failed to organize the votes necessary to pass the Governor's slots bill. Members of the House allegedly had to forge a document just so the Maryland Constitution wouldn't render their actions null and void!
Meanwhile, Senate President Mike Miller has only 1 horse in the race: slots. He has made it clear that either he gets his slots package (referendum and implementation) passed, or nothing else gets through his chamber. This is important to you and me, because if we keep emailing our delegates in the House telling them to oppose this slots, we can use the Democrats' egos against themselves to prevent any tax increases....at least until the general session, when we can mobilize better opposition and our due process rights won't be so violated.
While it is important to email all of your delegates, 3 Republicans are rumored to be wavering because of their support of slots:
Nic Kipke
James King
Wade Kach
Send your emails to delegate.(first initial).(lastname)@house.state.md.us.
From Streiff, The Sun and The Washington Post
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), one of the
legislature's biggest slots proponents, reacted angrily when it appeared that
the House might pass the bill authorizing a referendum but not consider the
slots implementation measure during the session. With the referendum date a year
away, several delegates said there was no need to reach agreement now on all
details of a slots program. Some said they could even wait to see whether a
referendum passes before acting.
Miller called that prospect "a total fraud," saying that would make it
"highly unlikely" that his chamber would seek to reconcile other bills passed
during the session with versions approved by the House. Those bills would raise
an additional $1.4 billion in annual tax revenue and direct O'Malley to cut
about $500 million from next year's budget.
"I think the session can be saved if they pass nothing or they pass
both bills," Miller said of the slots legislation pending in the House. He said
lawmakers should not be "lying and stealing and cheating the public into
thinking you're doing something when you're not." Busch later chastised Miller
for his "flowery language," saying: "I think it's unbecoming of a presiding
officer.
O'Malley spent much of the afternoon laboring to keep the session on
track. He gave what those in attendance called an impassioned speech about
reaching consensus at a closed-door meeting of House Democrats, holed up with
Busch in the speaker's office and met with wavering delegates from Montgomery,
who relayed their desire for additional school construction funding.
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