Gas Tax, Education Among Topics At Delegation Meeting

ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Frederick County Delegation met Friday morning in Annapolis to go through some of their county bills.

Frederick County could have a third higher education facility. That's one of the bills the delegation hashed out.

"We already have two four-year higher education institutions in FrederickCounty. We have HoodCollege and Mount Saint Mary's University, and they have some concerns with the bill as it's written. They're concerned about competition," says Del. Patrick Hogan, (R) - FrederickCounty.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Ron Young and Delegate Galen Clagett, would create a task force to look at the idea. 

Allowing rescue workers to drive ATV's on state roads was another topic at the meeting.

"There are uses for them, particularly like 'In The Streets' festival and particularly at Colorfest up in Thurmont. I think there should be that exemption granted so they can be used in those very special areas," says Sen. David Brinkley, (R) - FrederickCounty.

The delegation is sponsoring an emergency bill to ban spice in the county.

"We had put in a delegation bill. Now there are two state-wide bills that just passed the house of delegates. There are people who felt that the state-wide bill was actually not strong enough," says Del. Kathy Afzali, (R) - FrederickCounty.

"I want to check with the state's attorney and everybody else to make sure there's something that's not covered in the state-wide bill that we're missing in our local county efforts," says Del. Michael Hough, (R) - Frederick and WashingtonCounties.

Afzali will introduce a bond bill to give $50,000 in state money to OakdaleHigh School. This would go towards a concession stand for the school's events.

Another issue lawmakers discussed at the meeting was the gas tax. There's about 10 gas tax bills in the Maryland General Assembly, but the majority of the delegation thinks that would just pump money out of people's wallets.

"What about the local taxpayer, the working mom and dad that get up early in the morning, work until late in the night, barely getting by? It's not fair to them to ask them to continually every session come down here and take more money from them and their pocketbook because we can't balance out checkbook here," Hough says. "I just don't think that's fair."

Young is sponsoring a bill to allow counties to raise their own gas tax at two percent.

The delegation will continue discussing the ideas at their meeting next Friday.