Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-28
Delegates Vote
S237 Million
Budget Bill
McKeIdin's Capital
Improvements Plan
Heads for Trouble


ANNAPOLIS, Feb. 27.-The
House of Delegates today passed
along Maryland's $237 million
budget for next fiscal year, but
trouble was brewing on the COM
panion improvements measure.
The House vote on the budget,
trimmed about 81 million from
Gov. McKeldin's original pro-
posal, was IS to S. There was no
debate.
The bill was sent Immediately
to the Senate, where it was re-
ferred to the Finance Commit
tee. That group will report it
Monday, and final passage may
come Monday night.
The budget slashes were agreed
on by the Senate Finance Com
mittee and the House Ways and
Means Committee. They have
been unable to completely agree,
however on how much should
be cut from the Governors $40
million capital improvements
program.
Trim Program to Speed Bill.
In order to move the bill along
and not delay the closing of the
3O-day session, scheduled for
Wednesday. the two committees
decided today to trim $2.9 mil
lion out of the program and set
it up for a Senate vote on Mon
day. The House committee.
however reserved the right to
disagree on three cuts it felt to
be too drastic.
What items were trimmed
will not be disclosed until the
bill comes to a vote.
The Senate, meanwhile, gave
tentative approval by a 22-6 vote
to the bill authorizing Gov. Nc
keldin's device for balancing his
budget. Already approved by
the House. it involves advanc-
ing the collection date on the
State gross receipts tax so that
two collections can be made next
year and SIS million extra can
be put in the State Treasury.
Senator Louis L. Goldstein,
majority leader, said the finance
committee felt the. device was
bad In principle but it has to
be accepted in order to balance
the budget without drastic tax
increases.
Stops Auto Fund Bill.
Delegate Robert A. Wallace
Republican. Of Montgomery. led
unsuccessful fight in the House
today against a bill to stop flu
ture diversion of motor vehicles
funds from roads.
Mr.. Wallace said the 'Legisla-
ture would lose budgetary con-
troll of a great part of the State
revenues" under the bill. He
said this and some others passed
this session were nothing but
legal larceny"
The IS House Republicans
hung close together and the bill
failed to get the 70 votes re-
quired for a constitutional
amendment. The vote was 62-36.
The Democratic leadership will
move to reconsider that vote
Monday when many of the dele
gates absent today will be
present.
Plans Home Rule Fight.
Senator Harry Phoebus. Re-
publican. of Somerset announced
he intends to throw a monkey
wrench at the home rule for
municipalities bill when it comes
up for final vote Monday.
He said today as the Senate
accepted a favorable committee
report on the measure, that he
would propose an amendment
to exempt Somerset County. He
said he is afraid that if the two
Somerset County cities of Girls
field and Princess Anne had
home rule they would repeal
long standing ban against Sun
day movies in his county.
The Senate set up for final
vote Monday a proposed con-
stitutional amendment to limit
3O-day sessions of the Legisla-
ture to budgetary and fiscal
matters. The short sessions now
also can consider emergency and
general public welfare bills.
Senator Goldstein, one of the
sponsors, said the Legislature is
so cluttered up with non-f1scal
legislation that it is unable to
give proper attention to the
budget.