The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-12-17
IDLE INSURANCE BILL IS
PASSED BY LEGISLATURE
COP. Muffed Opportunity To
Make Compulsory Minority Party
Member On Commission
ACTION CAME SATURDAY

Maryland has an unemploy-
ment insurance act.
That act meets the minimum
Federal requirements. II is just
sufficient to turn into the Mary
land treasury approximately 49,
100000 which would have gone
to the Federal treasury if the
Maryland act had not passed be-
fore December 81.
The special session called to enact
the legislation adjourned early Sat-
urday morning, just four days and five
Legislative days-after is met.
That act was built on the wrecked re-
mains of bill brought to the legisla-
ture by special committee appointed
by Governor Harry w. Nice and head
ed by Simon E. Sobeloff, long a Mary
land leader for unemployment insur-
ance. Sobeloff's act would have sur
passed the Federal minimum require
ments.
The statute as it went on the statute
books might be termed victory for
the Democratic steamroller headed by
State Senator j. Allan Coad DIST.
Mary's), chairman of the finance COM
mittee.
When the legislators met at Annap-
oils last Tuesday Coad announced that
he knew nothing about the Sobeloff bill
but that he was opposed to its require
ments whatever they were. He also
said that he favored only the minimum
requirements. That is just exactly
what he got, by the help of three Re-
publican senators.
Can Be Amended
Whether it will be amended during
the regular session beginning next
January remains to be seen. Legisla-
tors made much of the point that it
could be so amended if desired.
Sobeloff's bill would have set up a
three-man commission to be named by
the governor without consent of the
Senate and which could not have con-
tanned more than two members of the
same political party. The Governor is
a Republican.
The Democratic finance and ways
and means committee changed that Sec
ton. They provided that the Board of
Public Works should name the three
man board and struck out the provision
that there should be at least one minor
ity party member. The Board of Public
Works is controlled by Democrats.
Republican senators Immediately be-
gan fight to secure statutory promis
that their party would be represented.
For three days they met and discussed.
Then, on the last night they muffed
their biggest and best chance to secure
that representation.
It came when amendments were Of
fered from the floor to the committee
measure. Senator @. Frank Every d.
3rd Baltimore) offered an amendment
which would have raised the payroll tax
rates to the 1, 2, and per cent figures
of the Sobeloff measure. Republicans,
in theory, at least, were supposed to
support that move.
Baltimore City senators were known
to favor it.
But the amendment was defeated Is
to 13-and three Republican senators
voted against it. They were Wilmer F.
Davis, Clifford Friend and o. Straughn
Lloyd, the senate's minority floor
leader.
Informed observers felt that the Bal
timore City senators, or at least some
of them, would have "gone along" with
Republicans to assure minority party
representations had the Republicans
"gone along" on the higher payroll tax
rates.
Proponents Of the higher payroll
taxes said that the higher levies would
have meant an additional two weeks OF
benefit payments for unemployed
workers.
Aside from the brief furry occa-
stoned by the vote on the Every amend
ment, things went off smoothly during
the last hours of the session. Final
committee amendments were adopted
without trouble. Other amendments Of
fered from the floor in both houses
were voted down.