Legum’s New Line

My friend Delegate Heather Mizeur has just introduced a great piece of legislation designed to increase transparency at the State House. The Washington Post has the details:

In addition to posting committee votes online, Mizeur wants the state’s real-time system for tracking floor votes in the House and Senate opened to the public via the Internet.

Mizeur also says that given the state’s condensed, 90-day legislative calendar, the public should be able to know about upcoming committee actions at least one day in advance and should be able to sign up online to testify in favor or against a bill, and then watch the proceedings online.

Thirdly, Mizeur says the public needs more useful and timely information about the Board of Public Works, an obscure three-member panel with vast powers.

“The public should have access to what lawmakers and government are doing,” Mizeur said. “It’s the State House, the people’s house.”

Mizeur is also proposing that the state open up its existing online legislative tracking system that provides up-to-the-minute info on votes. It is currently only available for a yearly fee of $800, which effectively excludes everyone except lobbyists and news organizations.

Mizeur’s bill would be an important step forward to creating a more open and accountable state government.

Comments Off

Amid a sagging economy and a gaping budget deficit, lobbyists in Maryland are doing better than ever. On the eve of the legislative session, 2,167 lobbyists are registered to represent clients, according to the Maryland State Ethics Commission. That’s over 100 more than last year. The Washington Post has more:

The economic downturn does not appear to have hurt the lucrative business of the lobbying corps in Annapolis… In some ways, it is clearly helping. Even as they cut costs elsewhere, many businesses and nonprofit groups say they are loath to forgo their hired help in the capitals.

“The tendency seems to be just the opposite,” said Gerard Evans, one of the top-earning lobbyists in Annapolis. “As businesses get squeezed and the bottom line becomes more precarious, they turn to lobbyists more and not less.”

You can search the Maryland lobbying database here.

Comments Off