How New Maryland Legislation Impacts Crofton

April 18th, 2008 Categories: Crofton News

Crofton area residents are learning from State Senator Janet Greenip how the recent legislative session in Annapolis may affect our community. After a busy Legislative Session beginning in January and ending earlier this month, Senator Greenip is not yet taking a well-deserved vacation.

She is out and about – speaking to community groups in the Greater Crofton area, sending emails and writing letters to constituents. Whether you agree with Senator Greenip’s perspective on everything or not, you have to respect her transparency (reporting her position on bills that passed and those that didn’t) and her communication with constituents.

Here is some of the new legislation she mentioned:

Anne Arundel County will be reimbursed for monies spent on testing Gambrills-area wells for pollutants allegedly caused by Constellation Energy’s fly ash disposal.
A “cap and trade” policy was enacted to decrease emissions from power plants, encouraging plants to use effective “scrubbers” to lower emissions.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be alerted promptly when illegal immigrants are arrested, possibly resulting in prompt deportation.
Transparency in state government should be improved by a website reporting any expenditure over $25,000 (excluding salaries).
The privacy of fallen soldiers and their families will be protected by a new bill that prohibits commercial use of their names without permission.
Tanning restrictions on anyone under 18 will no doubt become one of Maryland’s Craziest Laws, since it requires parent approval and presence for anyone under 18 to go tanning. However, the same requirement was rejected for having an abortion; and teens can drive a car without a parent being present, beginning at age 16. Go figure!
Utility and energy costs will increase due to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which will more than offset a one-time credit of $170 to BGE Customers.

Several bills were passed by the Legislature to help Maryland homeowners at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure. These are summarized by the Maryland Association of Realtors on their website.

Thank you, Senator Greenip, for taking the time to let Crofton residents know what happened in Annapolis during the Legislative Session that may affect us directly or indirectly.

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