Evening star., 1953-01-16
Green Aid Bill
Faces Action
In Assembly
Senute to Consider
Increasing Maryland
Education Fund
Bv Gene Goodwin
By Gene Goodwin
Sfor Stcff CoYrespondedf

Sfor Starr correspondent
ANNAPOLIS, Md, Jan. 16.-
The legislative decks were
cleared today for action by the
Maryland General Assembly on
the much-discussed Green Com
mission bill for increasing State
aid to education.
The Senate eliminated COM
plications standing in the way
of the bipartisan Green measure
yesterday by upholding Gov.
McKeldin's veto of two old
teacher pay bills. passed by the
1852 session.
Senator Anders r. Lofstrand.
Republican, of Montgomery
County served notice, however,
that he intends to seek amend
ments to the Green bill to bring
more State education money to
the larger counties and Balti-
more City.
Both Votes 27-2.
The two bills on which the
Governors veto was sustained
yesterday by the Senate were
SB-48, which had the backing
of many PTA and civic groups,
and a companion measure, SB-7.
The vote on both was 81 to 2,
with only Senators Louis N.
Phipps, Democrat, of Anne
Arundel and C.. Ferdinand Sy-
bert, Democrat, of Howard vot-
ing to override.
SB-48 would have provided for
$8.3 million in additional State
aid to counties and Baltimore
City, setting up a new minimum
teacher salary scale ranging
from $2,5O0 to $4,000 year.
The Green Commission bill,
which has been referred to the
Senate Finance Committee, pro-
vides for only SIT million in ad-
ditional State aid next fiscal
year, jumping to $1.9 million in
1954-5 and $50 million in 1866.
BY 1855. the minimum teacher
salary scale would be increased
to $2.800-$4.600.
The Governors opposition to
SB-48 was instrumental in yes
terday'S action. The voting Sem
atorS were well aware that the
Governor already has set aside
the amount needed to finance
the Green bill in his 1854
budget. The only way SB-48
could have been financed would
have been through special
appropriation bill, which would
have had to provide some means
of raising the additional revenue
and probably would have been
vetoed by Gov. McKeldin anyway.
Lofstrand Explains Vote.
Senator Lofstrand. rising to
explain his vote to sustain the
vetoes, said the Green bill would
discriminate against his county
and Baltimore City and Balti-
more County.
In the first year of the Green
program, he declared, Montgom-
cry will receive about $35 900 in
State aid. SB-48 would have
given his county about $945. 900
in the next fiscal year.
Mr.. LofStrand'S amendments
would continue at IS cents the
counties school tax levy neces-
sary to qualify for State aid, and
also make kindergarten classes
eligible for State funds. The
Green bill would raise the equal
ization fund minimum to IS
cents for each 500 of assessed
property by July, 1855.
One Veto Overridden.
Only one of nine measures
vetoed by Gov. McKeldin after
the close of the 1852 session was
overridden yesterday. That was
in the House.
The bill on which the veto was
rejected provides that trial mag
istrates shall send traffic fines
directly to the clerk of his
county's Circuit Court when ap-
peals are taken from their con-
victions. The clerk would then
hold the fine until the appeal
was disposed of.
Under the present system,
fines are sent Immediately to
the Department of Motor We
hicles in Baltimore. When a
case is appealed, partisans of the
bill declared, the convicted per-
son often has to pay the fine
again in Circuit Court if he loses
his appeal Or he has to go to
Baltimore to get his money back
If he wins the appeal.