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Maryland Delegates Hint at Slots Deal1 April 2004MARYLAND – As reported by the Baltimore Sun: "In a day of high political drama, leaders in the House of Delegates all but offered yesterday to pass Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s cherished slots initiative if he would bend on their proposed tax increases. Ehrlich, however, promptly rejected the offer and dared the legislature to kill the slots bill immediately rather than link it with higher levies. "House Democrats convened a passionate if packaged lunchtime news conference, warning that the state budget would face a gap of more than $800 million in coming years even if Ehrlich's proposal on gambling becomes law. "…Asked if she thought Busch would accept a compromise that includes slots and taxes, Del. Sheila E. Hixson, chairwoman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is considering the slots bill, said: 'Yes, I do.' "But the governor and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, a Prince George's County Democrat, rejected the plea for a negotiated compromise, saying that House leaders need to listen to the people who elected Ehrlich and stop delaying action on his plan to legalize slot machines. "… The governor said yesterday that House leaders should be seeking a dialogue with Senate counterparts, because Miller and other senators have also said they oppose tax increases, knowing that the governor would veto them…" |