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February 13, 2009
Pet Projects
Legislators seek money for high school stadiums, cancer facility.
Barbara Pash
Associate Editor
The 11th District team of delegates has introduced bond bills for funding projects in the Northwest area. Delegates Dana Stein, Jon Cardin and Dr. Dan Morhaim are co-sponsors of three bills.
House Bill 382 requests $250,000 for a stadium at New Town High School in Owings Mills. House Bill 404 requests $250,000 for a stadium at Owings Mills High School.
House Bill 384 requests $500,000 for HopeWell Cancer Support in Brooklandville, a facility for people with cancer and their families, for renovations to its existing facility and development of a children’s garden.
Del. Stephen Lafferty (D-42nd) is also a co-sponsor of HB 384. Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-11th) is sponsoring Senate Bill 536 on behalf of HopeWell, a cross-filing that does not change the amount requested.
The way the bond system works in the General Assembly, the House of Delegates and the Senate are both given an allocation of money. This year, according to Mr. Cardin, the amount is approximately $15 million for the House and, he said, an equal amount for the Senate. The many bond bills that have been introduced by the different legislators compete for these pots of money.
Requests are listed in order of priority, usually chronologically by when they were introduced. If a bond request was on the list last year and did not receive any money, it would be at the top of the list this year.
There is no guarantee that the full amount requested will be met. A few years ago, Mr. Cardin submitted a bond bill for Irvine Nature Center for $1 million. It received $350,000 one year and $250,000 the next, for an eventual total of $600,000.
Mr. Stein said the bond bill process is even more competitive this year. Word went out that only “construction-ready” projects will be funded. Projects that benefit the public — by, for example, creating new jobs — will also be favored.
