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The Maryland General Assembly approved $16 million in new debt for 156 local pork projects during the 2014 legislative session. Known in Annapolis as bond bills, they are submitted by legislators, but are not voted on individually by the assembly, rather they are added to the capital budget via the amendment process.   The projects are funded through general obligation bonds authorized in the Maryland Consolidated Capital Bond Loan 0f 2014, which totaled $1.2 billion. New Bond Bill Authorizations 2014 by Mark Newgent According to the 2014 90 Day Report , Montgomery County led all jurisdictions with $2.5 million in bond bill funding for items such as $300,000 for renovations of The Writers Center at Glen Echo Park, and $100,000 for repair and renovations of the Black Box Theater. Baltimore City and Prince George’s County received $2.4 and $2.3 million in new local bond bill funding.   Local Bond Bill Spending 2014 Session by Mark Newgent Funding for new local bond projects ...

Governor Martin O'Malley will leave his successor with a lovely house warming gift of a $404 million structural deficit. Although Governor O’Malley’s fiscal 2015 budget reduced the structural deficit from $506 million to 236 million, the on ongoing imbalance between spending and revenues Maryland’s chronic structural deficit will increase by $168 million in fiscal 2016 according to the 90 Day Report for the 2014 Legislative Session . After each legislative session, The Maryland Depart of Legislative Services produces a 90 Day Report detailing the state budget and major bills passed by the legislature in several policy areas. The 90 Day Report also estimates a $395 million cash shortfall and that though revenues are expected to increase by 4.6 percent between 2015-2016, they would need to rise by 7.1 percent to keep pace with spending. The total fiscal 2015 budget increases by $1.6 billion to $39 billion, a 4.3 percent increase. General fund spending increases $479 million over fisc...