Maryland has been looking pretty good the last few months. The state received nationwide attention in February after becoming the eighth to legalize gay marriage, with Gov. Martin O’Malley basking in the glow of his seemingly progressive state. But that aura of success ended this week when the General Assembly, for the first time in 20 years, failed to approve income tax measures that would fund the operating budget’s cost.
Lawmakers’ inability to complete their budget work in 90 days has left the state in dangerous territory. As it stands, a “doomsday” budget – balanced solely through hundreds of millions of dollars of cuts – is set to go into effect for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. There is one slight glimmer of hope that could save the state from devastating cuts: O’Malley has the power to convene a special session of the legislature, which would give lawmakers more time to approve increased income tax measures.
However, in what seems to be playing out as a political game of Russian roulette, O’Malley has not yet confirmed he will call the session. He’s been quick to criticize lawmakers for their inability to come to a budget agreement, much like the deadlocked federal debt-ceiling negotiations last summer. “This is not in keeping with what the people of our state expect of their legislature,” O’Malley said early Tuesday morning.
We have to agree with him. Marylanders deserve more than what legislators have given us. But his refusal to confirm whether he will hold a special session to rectify their mistakes is still disconcerting. “They had 90 days to do the work,” O’Malley said. “Exactly which steps we take on this score remain to be seen.”
In many ways, holding his tongue could be a strategic move. Much like a parent making his children wait to find out whether they will be punished, O’Malley may just be making lawmakers sweat it out for a few days, forcing them to confront the constituents they let down. We can’t exactly blame him for doing so, as long as he calls the special session at some point. Quite frankly, there’s too much at stake for the students of this state.
If the doomsday budget stays in effect, state higher education overall could see a $63 million cut; the University System of Maryland would receive $50 million less funding. For students, that could mean a 10 percent tuition increase, a reduction of student services, larger class sizes and fewer sections.
Here’s the deal, O’Malley: Yes, lawmakers failed. But you will also fail if you punish the hardworking students of the system for those choices.
Fortunately, students aren’t taking this lightly. The Student Government Association is working with students from the 11 other system institutions to lobby in Annapolis and put pressure on O’Malley to extend the session. It’s encouraging to see students across the state uniting for affordable education. But in the end, it will be O’Malley’s decision, and he knows what he needs to do.
If higher education gets hit with these cuts, many of the initiatives O’Malley set forth long ago will also be hit hard. For example, increasing the state’s percentage of residents with associate degrees or higher to 55 percent by 2025 has been a goal for several years. O’Malley has invested in increasing graduation rates because he knows it will ultimately lead to a more robust and prosperous economy. If students can’t afford to attend college, O’Malley can be sure the entire state will suffer.
Ultimately, if O’Malley doesn’t want to make this decision for the residents of his state, he should make it for himself. For several years, rumors have circled that O’Malley will run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. It won’t bode well for his future political career if his opponents can point to this pivotal moment in state history and say O’Malley jeopardized the welfare of his state to prove a point.
