Maryland Week

I think the three most important issues that we face government safety is employment welfare and housing. I feel the biggest problem that he will unlike more than likely face will be the problem he's going to have with the unemployment. Throughout the state. I think the most important issues he face a lobby time around the topic of economics. We need jobs with peace we need business development to not only be popular but to be put be tough and I think that's what we need. Well I think Governor Schaefer's a good man but he has one weakness if you don't agree with them or some point of view he's ready to beat you into the Grahams and he's going to have to deal with a state legislature night. Boehner city council. The legislature makes it clear to the governor elect that he's playing a different game in Annapolis. It's hard ball and we'll talk about that next. Maryland week. Maryland week is made possible by Waverley press incorporated and the Williams

and Wilkins company. By Maryland National Bank. Maryland National Bank is helping the region to grow. And buy the members of Maryland Public Television. Good evening. I'm Ron Smith and this is Maryland week. What will our state government do with a tax windfall. Is it our money or is it theirs. Another question arises from the Amtrak tragedy. Why aren't all trains equipped with automatic braking devices. A serial murderer may be loose in Maryland and we'll also talk with the lieutenant governor elect but the big story this week has been round one in what promises to be a most interesting battle between the hard driving governor elect William Donald Schaefer and legislators who are anxiously guarding their turf. Tonight on Marilyn week we'll discuss these items and more with Vicki Allen of WBL radio. Brad Bell legislative correspondent for Maryland Public Television and Peter Champa columnist of The Baltimore evening

sun. Well Peter. Is this fight just heating up or is some of it over. Now this is over now. Round one is over the as far as the Treasurer is concerned. Shaffer has lost legislature has won it need not have been that way but I think it was Shafer who was trying to play hardball and had a pullback as the new Senate president said whenever he is to to the to the governor elect he said. Please read the Constitution please read the Constitution I don't think Schaffer read it well enough or he didn't even go back to something else he could have gone back to all basic fundamentals before he let his appoint TBA know she has sat down and talked with the legislative leaders as has been done in the past and it's always worked out to try to break the rules. And he got stung on the thing. Is this a major defeat for the governor elect before he even takes office. It's a matter of interpretation I don't know of any governor in recent memory who has not been able to sit down and name somebody to be his treasure. I think in the case of Agnew he didn't get choice one legislator gave him

as somebody else so. But he did have a voice and he's been forced in effect to concede this appointment to see if pulled out of the thing and left it to the legislature and now they're going through the process they're going to decide have a secret ballot and I'm pretty sure that Lucy Mara form a delegation going out it will be chosen. She is a strong favorite. People like Billy James who is a treasure but they have some misgivings that last time around Billie didn't quite go along with the Appropriations Committee you know something the legislative leaders clay Mitchell Mike Miller want somebody of their own. You know one of the things about about the governor like Shaffer going to Annapolis one of the recurrent themes you heard during the campaign was that when he is elected governor there weren't many people saying when he was elected governor he's going to find that it's not so easy dealing with a bunch of state legislators as it was with a complacent or compliant rather city council in Baltimore you think that that's what's happening now. Absolutely. Absolutely he's come down there and you've heard it again and again from the president of the Senate Mike

Miller that Shaffer is going to have a tough time a tough time dealing with a legislature that has a history of being being a policy making policy approving body and policymaking body and it's not like it's not like up and Baltimore. And he's got to learn you. I've heard a number of times that Shaffer has come down and he's been surprised by what he's heard in the legislature he's not surprised you're just going to see that's one of the problems is that he has a rather conservative this is a you know this is this is not a little game of pool this is a much bigger field. The parameters are different the rules are different. I mean you know legislation has to take its course. You don't put in the supplemental budget until you pass the first budget. There's a whole bunch of things that I don't think I had it was interesting the Opening Remarks by the Senate president he had to feel that he had to assert himself and say that we're going to be independent we're going to cooperate with the governor but we're still going to do what we want to do. Well as someone who's sort of in a sense a man in the middle of all of this because he's certainly one of the experts on the workings of the state legislator legislature and now the number two man in the in the shade for him

and he's with us this evening on Maryland we we say good evening to let Lieutenant Governor elect Melvin Steinberg how are you doing. Hi thank you. Well that's good. You you are in the position of watching your former colleagues in the legislature duel with your running mate Governor like Schaffer what sort of a position is that this puts you in. Well I think that puts me in the position. Of the place that I was intended to be put into when we accepted the position of lieutenant governor. I enjoy and I appreciate the General Assembly articulating its position to maintain its independence I believe it's critical to the system that the General Assembly maintain its independence. The point of the executive is to show direction to exert leadership and I hope to try to blend the two together so that we have a successful such as you. Have you been assigned a specific role in which to function as you just as you just talked about. Well basically because when we come into office on Wednesday we come into an existing session so the last couple months I've been developing

the legislative office to develop the legislative package the administration bills and will be working on a daily basis with the General Assembly and processing legislation during the session. Mickey do you really expect to get the the tax win for two thirds of the tax windfall back don't you see some signs of a rebellion here by legislatures on that one as well. It was not a rebellion it's a matter of ascertaining the statistical data accurately. One of the problems the whole issue of windfall taxes have been completely distorted by everyone including the media. Everyone you don't have to be a mathematical genius to realize Maryland's going to receive a tremendous amount of additional revenue because of the gross revenue coming from the tracking to the federal system. What disturbs me is no one is giving attention to the amount of money that we're going to lose from the federal government. And if you dissipate those extra funds without recognizing the voids that are being created we could have havoc in the state the next two years

but it will have a Jinnee of them. I mean they're they get him back three quarters of their windfall to the taxpayers and take in one quarter. And we're doing something in reverse. We're not doing anything in reverse what we're doing is reviewing the necessary programs and to see where the money would be applied more effectively to give everyone a lot of people $5 or $10 or $20 or $50 tax credits to me would be more beneficial to put it in certain programs who are the needy people in our society would receive that benefit. I believe we're going to work out a compromise with the General Assembly because they also recognize we want to do what's right. The the difficulty is is coming to the numbers of how much we anticipate we will be receiving there's a tremendous difference between not a tremendous difference there's a substantial difference between the General Assembly and the executive on the numbers but we hope to resolve this within the next week. I think you could score big points by helping to ease the tax burden of low and middle income

taxpayers just this week a group called Citizens for Tax Justice came out with results of a survey nothing new but. The greater your income the less amount of taxes you pay. And I think everybody knows that I think everybody would like to see. The tax burden a lower middle income taxpayers. Well that's the approach that the Schaefer administration has proposed with regard to how we will really direct the monies back to the people. But you know there's no free lunch and the federal government right or wrong we've depended upon a tremendous amount of federal assistance in our budget over 25 percent of our budget is federal funds. We're going to lose a lot of money from Grand Rudman cuts from the Parchin education social services senior citizen programs and we're going to have to really look at it realistically to see how the state will come up and fill that void. This is just one of the first battles that this administration is going to be fighting in proposing a gas tax hike in a number of other things. Is this too ambitious. We've heard this an awful lot lately is this too ambitious a menu for a new administration and a new general

assembly. We've developed an agenda that I consider to be ambitious but realistic and I believe one of the keys to the Schaefer Steinberg administration is the both of us are not that up tight whether we fail when something is unless you try you can't succeed every bill that we're going to propose in the ministration package has priority and we can substantiate its importance. It would be our job to convince and to persuade and to educate the members of the General Assembly to support us. Is that going to be your job to convince persuade and educate I've already in the past couple of days in Annapolis seen you more than the recent lieutenant governors are going to be downstairs lobbying most of the time not lobbying. What we hope to do is to educate. We have developed in a lot of legislators as well as commentators experience a legislative process of complimented us. We're developing one of the most competent professional legislative teams on the second floor in many many years. We're very proud of that. We hope to come up with quality work. Technically explanations from our team and then will utilize our

resources of Secretaries of the apartments and bureaucrats to help us lobby. We want to keep our legislative team to be the scholars to be the professionals and make you unhappy with this new role would you rather have been running that site again and putting that gavel. You know I see you down there now and then you have to find it make a difference slot somewhere to fit in. Well basically you know I spent 20 years in the general assembly and four years as president I enjoyed every year of it. But this position that I now hold up presents a new challenges. Some of the challenges and the goals that we're trying to accomplish or are going to be very difficult but I think that's what makes it exciting and it gives me a different perspective of public service of being in the executive branch is a new ballgame for me and that's why I find it very exciting. You said something startling after the election or maybe it was shortly before you can tell me you said that if after two years you determine that the number two spot was as John Nance Garner I believe said Worth not a bucket of warm spit that you would step down as that's still where you

stand. You know what Number one I never said the bucket of war. Well no I don't know that I don't get what I said it was taken out of context of a of a of a comprehensive speech. And I I echo that again. I'm in a position professionally as well as politically to evaluate my job in an objective fashion. You know realistically I can see the General Assembly throwing me out of work putting through an amendment abolishing the lieutenant governor ship. But I have very strong feelings concerning government the size of government. I think there is an active role for the lieutenant governor to play governor Schaefer has given me so far a tremendous amount of responsibility and duties and it looks like you know it's going to play a vital role in a ministration But if it's not I can candidly say this job should be eliminated. OK. Lieutenant governor elect Melvin Steinberg thanks for being with us this evening on Maryland week. Welcome thank you. When we return we'll talk about something of interest to all of us our money and oh here's another piece of advice for the governor elect.

I don't like when they get a stadium. So we can have a football team. I'm tired of going to see merrily. Watched him play I want a Baltimore team Sunday at 3. Find out how you can afford college with a lesson on the do's and don'ts of getting financial aid. The only advice I would give to someone who is planning to attend college and trying to seek financial aid is don't give out. Experts advise how to go to the head of the class. If you can afford college. Sunday at 3 on the NPT. TV for the information day NPT salutes outgoing policymakers the voices of the Free State. Tuesday at 10:30 profile Marjorie home. She was Maryland's first Congresswoman known for her service and conservative record chronicled the accomplishments of Marjorie Holm. The militant conservative. Tuesday at 10:30 on the NPT. Keeping government close to the people Wednesday Atlanta look at Maryland's new governor during inaugural 87. William Donald Schaefer takes office facing tough issues

and a new legislature. MBT keeps government close to the people during the inaugural 87. Wednesday at 10. Well we talked about how the governor elect lost the fight to name the treasure and sort of gave it to the Senate. There are other fights ahead one of them which we touched upon briefly was the so-called windfall tax and the numbers are a little vague right now one hundred seventy nine million has been bandied about is that Mickey Steinberg was already talking about compromise. I don't think I think the the initial reaction reaction from the legislators has been rather negative on this thing and I think they've got to they've got to redo these figures and then they're not going to be able to take two thirds of that I just don't believe the public feedback on it is kind of negative I think the reaction being Wait a second this after all is our money. And is there a groundswell do you folks detect a groundswell among voters saying we sure gets called about is being called a back door tax.

People say give us this money back if you want to tax us then let's go through the through the motions and will approve a new tax and that something else is going to be done this year is a gas tax so the 5 percent of 5 cent a gallon increase in the gas tax is being proposed at the same time they're talking about keeping this we have all the money but I think that's going to really fly easily. Right one of the one of the things you talked to legislated late is about whatever part of the state they're from. They know we've got to fix our roads and bridges and all that and they know the money is going down they've that they're willing to do that was floated last year wasn't. Well the idea has been kicked around for 18 months or so because we could see down the road we're going to need more money because the federal money is decreasing in that and you know it was in order to keep even. You need a 5 percent and let's be blunt about it this is not an election year so if it's going to happen it probably isn't there is going to happen but the point is that it's it seems like an awful lot of extra tax this year. If you look at it with the gas tax which as you say will fly and then you consider it as being talked about a back door tax of keeping the windfall. I think the other thing that I went for a lot of legislators and we after all acted on their own have

made promises during their campaigns you go through them and they're just not going to be for this one for you know the one for going back to the state they want most of this go back in people. Has there ever been a precedent for a governor elect before even taking office being embroiled in so much controversy with I don't know most of them white because most them don't want to do it every day. I think before they make a convention last week she has said the day we take office we're going to be a day behind this man he's impatient he wants everything done but he's got to watch those rules you don't do it that way in the legislature. I wonder why is the governor allowed to have to wait a week after the legislature to be sworn in it sounds like they should change the procedure and get things going right away. I was wondering that because I think not yet the constitution calls for that because if somebody if if there is for example any difficulty in the election of that it would then be up to the legislature to decide if there's for example a controversy election who disputed want to know and they will certify in effect the election of the governor.

That's why you do it that wasn't held back though he's wanted to get office and he wanted to remodel the office and he's just done everything but it's been it's been incredible because he has lived up to advance billing Hazari. I was proceeding with what you're doing yesterday and the 31 additional staff jobs that he saw the raises that he sought to make an end run around the legislature with the raises for three key cabinet people. And who do you think it was really surprised that the legislature got his back up. Yeah I think so I think it was a surprise on all those pay raises for example. There's some good reason for that that's been talked about you know if you want to get good good people we're talking about roads from bridges and Hellman who runs the Department Transportation could walk out of his job. Today and get double or triple that in private industry he says. He's a super good administrator and I think Chief is right in trying to get some extra pay for good people. But most of all I would do you think is right in that procedure in other words of right starting off by saying look let's get it done now before the legislature so he says if you don't that's his style to get I think you know

go go go go go go go. You know yesterday for the stars and reach the moon is probably another philosophy there to I guess the broader question is how is this philosophy going to play in his first term. Well I think he's going to learn and I just I mean either this man is a bright guy and he doesn't accumulate power. He's got a as big as you go there all the politicians have egos and I think he's going to have to adjust. He's a man who you know is he has a personality that goes very high. But he also goes gets lost some time and so he's now he's now learning he also has to know that he also has Melvin Steinberg there. Nobody knows the legislature as well as Melvin Steinberg. The question is whether he talked about well you know whether it's across the hall in the long distance across the hall. He's been insulated for so long he seems to have so many supporters right around him but not anymore especially dealing with the Washington suburbs now that's something different and I think he was a little taken aback that perhaps not government county didn't come out and support his. So the funding for education right away wants comments about my gunnery count I

am able to or as I was surprised when I see them recount if you read it is that Washington is a Virginia or Maryland I have to learn I have to learn more about what I have already counted he said how he's going to learn a lot and then and he's going to have a treasurer for my grama County I'm pretty sure that. Do you. Do you think that. That Mary Shafer has What's the reaction of the people down in Annapolis. The bureaucrats and the legislators to his incipient arrivals to different people the legislators are excited legislators are excited they think that this is great we can get something done and really do something. Bureaucrats are a whole nother different group of people these are people that have to worry about keeping their jobs so they have to jump on a set of that absolutely they're nervous and how hot is the question. When he walked through the press room a few weeks ago and said This is a dirty place. You know normally in Florida they have and one of the General Service people came. By him there was no water no command given but by heavens it was a it was a copying on that on that pressroom floor within a few days.

Let's let's us everything everything let's change direction here just a bit. It's been nearly two weeks since the tragic Amtrak Conrail collision in Chase Maryland which killed 16 people I believe as is the death toll as they say and new things continue to surface which cause a lot of public conversation and concern and one of the most recently is it's been found that the Amtrak and the Conrail were both doing considerably more than the speeds that were suggested Conrail a freight train was doing some 63 miles an hour was mostly doing 30. The Amtrak was doing one hundred twenty eight miles per hour with a car on it that's not certified to go over 110. Also there's the question of the of the driving record of Ricky gage the engineer on the continent. It was not that that's a tragedy. I mean we really ought to have rules if you can't drive a car or a taxi should be should you be out there on the rails. I mean I think the rules ought to be changed and that and I think it's also about time. They've been talking about it for years to get we have automatic braking devices for Amtrak but not for Conrail.

I mean that's just stupid and it wasn't recommended since 1978 that all trains operating on this eastern corridor have these automatic braking devices which would have prevented the accident. It doesn't seem right to make a distinction between the freight trains and the Amtrak trains when they're operating on the same set of tracks and the Amtrak trains are going at almost twice the more than twice the speed of the contrail trains they certainly ought to have it seems more than the safety devices they have and you know here here is a perfect place where we're where we need government more of it not less of it I think. To protect ourselves and to provide our safety. Absolutely. There's also happy about the blood test showing that both the brakeman and the engineer had smoked marijuana they couldn't tell how long that was either a lot longer ago or a little bit closer to the time which shows I think maybe some of the you know adequacy inherent in drug testing. Another big story in Maryland has been a startling revelation that perhaps a serial killer is is doing his grizzly that we're going to don't know that well we

don't even know about that is that in this wooded area and soon enough Suitland road. We've had five bodies found all black all female all very tiny tiny small and what stamp. Yes and secondly you know it's so I was right because I think my son died of an overdose. You know what can you say. Not much you can say about it except to say you keep your fingers crossed that if there indeed is a serial murderer it was they they catch and the other thing people to do is to be very careful certainly if you're in that category you just don't go wandering around at night you know you know by all means let's now look at what's been keeping our Maryland congressional delegation busy. Garth Clark has this evening's Capitol Report. The Mellon delegation returns to the 100 session of Congress in Washington and they face a very complex and mixed agenda policy and appropriation questions. But one issue is already dominating I think the word I hear around here the hungers Congress is trade trade trade where two years ago and last

year it was taxes taxes taxes and taxes. I think the highest profile of this Congress is the deficit. First of all trade issues and second. Trade is very important for Maryland. We have a major port in the Port of Baltimore. Trade is critically important to the economy of not only the Baltimore region but frankly our entire state. To that extent we are affected as the nation is as you probably know one in five industrial jobs are related to export import. Trade. We have a critical trade deficit confronting the country probably over 170 billion approaching 200 billion dollars on an annual basis. Historically high levels unprecedented levels. The Reagan administration has been trying to avoid trade legislation asking for more time to let multilateral trade talks work out. Trade deficit problems. But even Republican members of Congress are reluctant to wait apply the same terms to their products coming in the United States as they apply to ours

going to their country. If they don't let our cars going to their country we don't let theirs. Or if they live only so many of our cars on their country. THAT'S ALL WE LOT of there. And so on down the line. I would do a quid pro quo basis and it's simple and they can call us protectionist that those are just plain sound business in my opinion. While trade legislation will take months to work out the house has already passed the Clean Water Act an 18 billion dollar package the president has threatened to veto this bill. But most believe that veto can be overridden and the Clean Water Act is very important for our state as you know. And that's going to provided some 15 million dollars plus over the next four years per year for Maryland programs to clean up our runaways and to assist in what is one of Maryland's principal objectives and that is the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay So it's a very important bill as far as Maryland's concerned. And I'm confident that we're going to see it. And I did last fall during the elections a low voter turnout was blamed on a lack of

issues. But now in January Congress is off to a hectic pace busy with issues that will have far reaching and long lasting impact for both Maryland and the nation. In Washington I'm Garth Clark reporting for Maryland wake. Well ladies and gentlemen we we only have a minute but Trey is this going to be a year of trade protectionism. I'm sure they're going to get into it now his Bentley a good Republican. But I mean even she's going after some trade protection she said it is protectionism plain sound business we have a quid pro quo without protectionism I mean however you want to call it Clean Water Act everybody is for it to get overturned Reagan's veto. That's going to be a wipe away and all of Merrill before that all Democrats all Republicans. So the trade is a trade is this is a huge issue in Baltimore. The port Port of Baltimore is suffering immensely under competition and something needs to be done those jobs need to be protected that was one of the platforms that Helen Bentley and Ben Cardin got themselves elected. Under.

And there that's big time senators as well as a lot of times in with workers compensation because we're losing some of our business because people are taking it elsewhere where it's not so expensive in other states like Virginia. And we know that our new speaker of the house is very much pro trade protectionism. However you want to call it. Thursday was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's birthday and a holiday throughout the state of Maryland yet the national recognition of Dr. King's birthday isn't until Monday the 19th. Making it another of the federal government's Monday holidays. John Grassley asked people how they felt about that. Today is Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday and it's recognized as a holiday here in the state of Maryland yet the federal government doesn't celebrate the holiday. So Monday how do you feel about the separation. I don't know that I feel any particular way about the separation as long as it is celebrated. And as long as we know the reason that it is celebrated. I think it's really dumb because I think it looks lose a lot of its significance when you know it's not all together and people aren't celebrating at the same time. Personally I'd rather have the

holiday or no you know weekend. Making a stand at weekend separation in any way diminishes the recognition of the holiday. No it doesn't diminish it but it is what it splits families up because children might have off one day and friends might not have the same day off. If everybody had the same day off and families could do things together a lot of this man and what he's done for the country. And a reminder that there is still time to vote in the state circle opinion poll. The question this week do you support the five cent increase in the gas tax. Vote yes dial 3 3 7 4 1 6 3 to vote no dial 3 3 7 4 2 8 4. These are Baltimore numbers so if you're dialing outside the Baltimore area remember to dial 1 or 3 0 1 first. And we invite your comments. Write us at Maryland week NPT Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 0 1 7 that's Maryland week NPT Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1. We'll read some of your letters on the air. We hope you've

enjoyed this first program. Thanks for being with us. A week from tonight we'll present a special edition of Marilyn week focusing on the state of the state message for Brad Vicki Peter and all of us on Marilyn week and the state circle team too. I'm Ron Smith. Maryland week is made possible by Waverley press incorporated and the Williams

and Wilkins company by Maryland National Bank. Maryland National Bank is helping the region to grow and buy the members of Maryland Public Television.