They reduced the tax, which they had denounced as only a revenue raiser, and they forced a commitment to spend money on smoking cessation, which they had criticized Glendening for not doing earlier. The tax increase is a cornerstone of Glendening's agenda, his main public health initiative and the foundation of many of his fiscal proposals for the year. Those bills are pending in the legislature. Many lawmakers in both parties, however, say that they've been surprised by Glendening's agenda and especially by his strategy of tying the tax increase to his budget proposals and legislators' favorite projects. That's what caused the breakdown in the Senate as opponents stalled.
People expect that . . .
In addition, Glendening promised to spend 5 percent of the settlement on developing alternatives for tobacco farmers, which Southern Maryland Democrats, who had aligned with Republicans, had sought in order to support ending the filibuster. Much of what Glendening has advanced this year are old-fashioned liberal initiatives that play well with traditional Democratic constituencies. The governor won election in 1994 by less than 6,000 votes, leaving him little political capital on which to draw for his first term. Nonetheless, he advanced controversial controls over suburban sprawl, widespread smoking restrictions in public places, tougher gun control and vast amounts of money for school construction. With a 10-point reelection victory in November, Glendening pushed an even more ambitious agenda this year.