Governor Ehrlich Signs Legislation Empowering Community College Students and Maryland Seniors
Governor Ehrlich Signs Legislation Empowering Community College Students and Maryland Seniors
Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. today signed legislation to improve access to community colleges, provide property tax credits to certain senior citizens, and to protect environmentally sensitive land from development.
"It is my pleasure to further empower community college students with educational excellence awards," said Governor Ehrlich. "Combined with my plan to freeze tuition levels and double need-based financial aid, House Bill 1435 ensures that Maryland's college students continue to have access to a quality education. House Bill 288, which provides property tax credits to certain senior citizens, compliments my Homeowners Property Tax Credit plan and the property tax relief I championed on the Board of Public Works, which cuts the property tax rate by 15 percent."
Highlights of legislation signed by Governor Ehrlich include:
EDUCATION:
HB 1435 - Higher Education - Financial Assistance - Community College Access Initiative (Delegate Ramirez, et al): Requires the Maryland Higher Education Commission to increase award amounts for Educational Excellence Awards granted to community college students. When fully phased in, the average award would be approximately $1,540 per student.
SB 741 - Task Force to Study Raising the Compulsory Attendance Age to 18 (Delegate Pugh, et al): Establishes a task force to study raising the compulsory attendance age to 18 and to examine issues related to increase the mandatory attendance age.
CHILDREN:
SB 811 - Residential Child Care Capital Grant Program (Senator Currie): The bill establishes a Residential Child Care Capital Grant Program to help convert buildings or parts of buildings into residential child care facilities and to design and construct new residential child care facilities.
HEALTH:
HB 1701 - Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program - Rebates - Special Fund (Bohanon, et al): The bill specifies that any rebates received by the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene from the Maryland AIDS Drug Assistance Program must be used only to fund that program.
HB 342 - Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - Public Awareness and Outreach - Hepatitis C Virus and Organ, Tissue, and Eye Donation (Delegate Nathan-Pulliam, et al): Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct a specified needs assessment, initiate a public awareness campaign, and coordinate with specified units of State government to activate a specified hepatitis C virus plan
HB 613 - Education - Public Schools - School Health Services Program Coordinator (Delegate Healey, et al.): Requiring each county board of education to designate a school health services program coordinator.
SB 385 - Assisted Living Program Facilities - Emergency Electrical Power Generator (Senator Middleton, et al): Requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to require facilities offering assisted living program services to have an emergency electrical power generator on the premises.
ENVIRONMENT:
SB 54 - State Owned Vehicles - State Fleet Biodiesel Usage Act of 2006 (Senator Giannetti): The bill requires the State to ensure that, in fiscal year 2008 and in each subsequent fiscal year, at least 50% of vehicles using diesel fuel in the State vehicle fleet use a blend of fuel that is at least 5% biodiesel fuel.
SB844/HB 1277 - Protected Lands - Local Land Use Applications - County Authority (Delegate James, et al): This legislation protects environmentally sensitive land by permitting a county or municipal corporation to deny applications for local land use, under specified circumstances, when the land is protected under specified land conservation programs within the Department of Natural Resources.
COMMUNITIES:
HB 288 - Local Property Tax - Credit for Individuals at Least 70 Years Old (Delegate Holmes, et al): The bill authorizes local governments to grant a tax credit on real property owned by and used as the principal residence of an individual at least 70 years old and of limited income.
HB 1160 - Workforce Housing Grant Program - Establishment (Delegate McIntosh, et al): The bill establishes a Workforce Housing Grant Program to help local governments develop workforce housing areas.
PUBLIC SAFETY:
HB 1470 - Baltimore City Civilian Review Board - Additional Powers and Training (Delegate Marriott, et al): The bill expands the authority of the Baltimore City Civilian Review Board to include the processing, investigation, review, and evaluation of allegations of false arrest and false imprisonment.
HB 1247 - Higher Education - Alcohol and Drug Workforce - Tuition Assistance Program (Delegate Mariott): Expanding the tuition assistance program to include employees of community-based programs serving individuals with alcohol or drug dependency.
A complete list of legislation signed by Governor Ehrlich can found at: http://www.governor.maryland.gov/billsignings/2006/20060516.html
http://www.governor.maryland.gov/pressreleases/2006/GovernorEhrlichSignsLegislation.html