In an opening day that was thick with talk of bipartisanship, a new Maryland General Assembly was sworn in Wednesday. The presiding officers, House Speaker Mike Busch and Senate President Mike Miller, told freshmen and veterans in their chambers that working together was the name of the game.
Hogan addressed both chambers. “The only way that we’re going to solve the serious problems facing our state is if we do so in a bipartisan fashion,” he told the crowded House. Before he spoke, Hogan greeted lawmakers alongside the Democrat he bested, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, in a show of buried hatchets.
A new Republican governor makes this session unpredictable. So do the dozens of new legislators. There are more Republican lawmakers, and the Democrats have a more robust progressive streak.
Baltimore County Democrat Ben Brooks, an accountant, says that when he does the math, bipartisanship is a political necessity.
“The [incoming] governor’s going to have to reach across the aisle. Right now there are 91 delegates on the Democratic side, 50 on the Republican side. They don’t have enough to run a filibuster,” Brooks said.
Eric Ebersole is another Democratic newbie in the House. The Howard County teacher says he has no interest in obstructing Hogan, but Democrats need to stay vigilant.
“I want to see Maryland be a better state in four years, and if [Hogan] can do that then I’m very excited for him,” Ebersole said. “On the other hand I think there are programs like public transportation and the environment that might be in danger and we’re going to have to try very hard to protect them.”
Maryland faces a $1.2 billion budget deficit, and Hogan’s first order of business is presenting a budget plan that not just closes that gap, but cuts taxes as well.
Democratic House Speaker Mike Busch says he’s ready to work with Hogan. His session-opening address referenced Maryland's flag as a symbol of two sides coming together in unity. But he says Recession-era belt-tightening and reductions made to close earlier deficits have left little fat to trim.
“There aren’t any real easy cuts to make out there,” Busch said. “I encourage the [incoming] governor to take his new department heads and cabinet to go out there and take a look at what efficiencies he can find, but that’s been going on for more than a decade. So, I don’t know how many efficiencies that you are going to dig into at this stage in the game.”
“It’s a matter of how we think about living within our means, and rearranging the pieces in the puzzle, says freshman Republican Sen. Addie Eckardt. “Are there more creative solutions we need to take? Are there some things that maybe we need to suspend for a while?”
Like most of the 14 new senators, Eckardt knows the lay of the land in Annapolis from time served in the House. She says she’ll push tough discussion on the Senate Budget and Tax committee to find new ways to close the deficit.
Budget fights aside, she says the senate chamber offers more comfortable digs.
“It will be nice to have a little more arm room. I have an end seat, which is a good thing. I’m in the middle of the pack, not the back of the bus,” Eckardt said.
Senate President Mike Miller offered a sage outlook for the session, at least in his own chamber. He says the smaller body offers the possibility for more input from members.
“We’re going to be fine. They were all elected by their constituents, they all have their ideas, they all have their wishes, and I’m confident that we’re going to have a very productive session,” Miller said.
Opening day is for basking in first-day giddiness and lofty bipartisan goals. The next few weeks will tell whether this session will be productive and cooperative, or divisive and unruly.
