Posts Tagged ‘Gov. Martin O’Malley’

O’Malley: Health Care Reform Necessary to Fix State Budget

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

The state’s ailing budget cannot be cured without first gaining control of rising health care costs, said Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley during a phone conference Thursday morning organized by the Democratic National Committee.

“[Health care costs are] the single largest part of our budget,” O’Malley said, and one that could “crowd everything else out of the picture.”

Maryland  has made $735 million in cuts to this year’s state budget and is searching for an additional $300 million to cut in order to balance the budget when the fiscal year ends in June.

O’Malley cited education and public safety as services that may be at risk if health care costs are not put in check soon.

Speaking Thursday in support of President Obama’s goals for health reform, O’Malley said the state’s health care costs grow at a rate of 7 or 8 percent every year and promise to continue to do so if no changes are made.

“If we do nothing it’s going to be nearly impossible for us to be able to keep up with those escalating costs,” he said.

Maryland Sen. Richard Colburn, R-Dorchester, agreed that health care might play a role in fixing Maryland’s budget, but said it shouldn’t be seen as a cure-all.

“There is a possibility that the health care plan will help Maryland’s budget, but our problems are deep and we’re going to have  to face some tough cuts in an election year 2010 session,” Colburn said. “We have to move ahead no matter what they do in Washington.”

O’Malley praised the federal government for stepping in to help the state at a time when it needs it, comparing the challenge Maryland faces with those of small business owners who also  must scramble to find a way to provide affordable health care to their employees.

“I think the key, the real key, is making sure everyone is covered,” O’Malley said.

- By Capital News Service’s Karen Anderson.

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Business As Usual on Drug Control

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Radical proposals for fighting the spread of illegal drugs were few and far between at Gov. Martin O’Malley’s roundtable discussion Friday on drug control strategy. But, it was clear the emphasis is shifting toward drug treatment and prevention.

O’Malley met with President Obama’s “Drug Czar” Gil Kerlikowske, House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, law enforcement officials, and community leaders at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to discuss the subject.

Kerlikowske, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said he had ended the “war on drugs” four months ago and was helping the president develop a new drug strategy. But, by and large, Busch, Kerlikowske, and O’Malley stuck to well-worn talking points in a question and answer session with reporters following the meeting.

“We know [successfully fighting drugs is] a combination of three things,” said O’Malley. “It’s not only better and more effective law enforcement, it’s better and more effective interventions in the lives of our most at-risk young people and it’s better and more effective drug treatment and drug prevention.”

When asked whether there was any discussion of legalizing drugs, Kerlikowske said, “The president has a very clear statement about that, and it’s that legalization is not in his vocabulary, and it’s certainly not in mine.”

“And it didn’t come up here,” O’Malley added quickly.

The most novel idea that seemed to come up in the meeting involved the use of alternative medicine.

“[There was some talk about], within the context of wellness, about the effectiveness of acupuncture,” said O’Malley. “I think the director of [Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems] said that ‘I can’t tell you the ins and outs and science of acupuncture, but I can tell you I have numbers that show, where it’s been employed, it’s proven that it’s a big help.’”

- By Capital News Service’s Christopher M. Matthews.

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O’Malley Wants Broader DNA Collection Standard

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Gov. Martin O’Malley indicated Wednesday that he wished the standard for Maryland’s controversial DNA sample collecting was more expansive than it is in its current form.

“I’d like a procedure [for DNA sample collection] akin to what we have for fingerprinting,” O’Malley said, in a lecture to law students at the University of Baltimore.

Last year, O’Malley successfully pushed through legislation expanding law enforcement officials’ ability to collect DNA samples.

Previously, DNA samples could only be collected from criminals convicted of violent crimes. Under the new law, which took effect Jan. 1, law enforcement can collect DNA samples from those who are charged with committing or attempting to commit certain violent crimes.

The Maryland State Police uses a broader standard when it comes to fingerprinting. Deputy Director of Communications Elena Russo said the agency fingerprints anyone who is arrested on any criminal charges.

When asked whether the governor wanted legislation with broader collection standards, Deputy Press Secretary Christine Hansen cited O’Malley’s original legislative proposal, which called for DNA collection for individuals arrested for specific violent crimes. Hansen did not respond to questions about whether or not the governor will try to amend the current legislation during next year’s legislative session.

As O’Malley pushed for the law last year, groups like the Legislative Black Caucus and the American Civil Liberties Union sharply criticized the legislation. They said the new standards for DNA collection violated the presumption of innocence established by the Fourth Amendment.

The Black Caucus and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also expressed fears that the law would have a discriminatory effect because minorities are more likely to be arrested for violent crimes.

If O’Malley attempts to expand the law next year, he will likely face renewed opposition.

–By Capital News Service’s Christopher M. Matthews

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Cutting Back

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

Families and businesses have been tightening their belts in the aftermath of the economic crisis on Wall Street. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley recently announced that Maryland will be cutting back, too.

What more (or less) should the state be doing to address the crisis?

How have the changes in the economy affected your spending habits? Where have you had to cut back?

–From Maryland Newsline’s Avital Medoff

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Advocates: Spare Services for Disabled

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

Advocates for people with developmental disabilities rally to ask the Board of Public Works to spare the Developmental Disabilities Administration from budget cuts. (CNS Photo by Jessica Groover)

On his way into Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting where he and the other members approved more than $345 million in cuts to the current state budget, Gov. Martin O’Malley walked through the middle of a rally of advocates for individuals with developmental disabilities.

The group was trying to change the governor’s mind about cutting funds from the Developmental Disabilities Administration’s budget that would reduce money for community-based programs.

Armed with colorful signs, the group shouted, “Cut DDA, no way!” and “Save DDA!”

The governor told some of the rally participants that he and the Board of Public Works were going to do the best they could, and asked for their patience and prayers.

“Bear with us, we’re going to try and get through this with as little pain as possible,” O’Malley said.

Their request was not answered. The Board of Public Works passed the cut, from a 2.7 percent increase in rates for community providers, to a 2 percent increase.

Laura Howell, executive director for the Maryland Association of Community Services for Persons with Disabilities Inc., said the cut may not seem like much, but that it would greatly affect people with developmental disabilities and those who serve them every day.

She said the increase in provider rates is needed because of the higher prices for food, utilities and gas that are required for community-based services, like driving people with developmental disabilities to day programs.

Because of the cuts passed Wednesday, community-based providers will now have to make cuts of their own, which will be difficult since they have been underfunded in the past, Howell said.

“I think we did a lot of the work today trying to raise awareness,” Howell said. “We’ll have to see how everything plays out.”

As O’Malley left to attend the meeting, the group thanked him for a decision he made in January.

They shouted, “Thank you for closing Rosewood,” referring to the center for people with developmental disabilities the governor ordered closed by July 2009.

Seconds later, they resumed their shouts again with, “Cut DDA, no way!”

–By Capital News Service’s Jessica Groover

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