Many hotly contested issues are on the table for the closing day of this legislative session in Annapolis.
One of O'Malley's signature measures will be debated: money for a state-sponsored venture capital fund. The governor wants to offer seed funding to start-up technology companies in an effort to spur business growth in the state. To get the cash, he wanted to auction off $142 million in tax credits. The House of Delegates has knocked that number down to $100 million.
Two of O'Malley's major legislative efforts have already been taken off the agenda. Last week, his plan to tie state utilities to wind-energy producers was tabled, to be studied further this summer. The Governor was also seeking a law banning new septic tanks in the state - a measure that was killed by the House.
Funding for the state's horse racing industry has yet to be resolved. The state's cash-strapped tracks want to borrow government money to keep their doors open. Under the latest legislative proposal, a condition for such funding would be an agreement for the tracks to simulcast each other's races.
One of the most contentious issues is the proposed change to the state alcohol tax. The bill that was passed through the House of Delegates on Saturday would increase the tax by 50 percent, all in a single year. A previous plan had called for the tax to rise from 6 percent to 9 percent in increments over three years.
The revenue generated by the tax hike would go to school funding. But opponents say that with the weak economy, now is not the right time for a higher excise. "We have significant business in alcohol and jobs," said Republican Minority Whip Sen. E.J. Pipkin. "You know we're supposed to be preserving jobs, not killing them."
On Friday, the House of Delegates voted in favor of a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition for state colleges. If the proposal passes into law, Maryland would be the 11th state in the country to allow such a tuition structure. The measure has the support of Gov. O'Malley.
Sen. Paul Pinsky, a Democrat from Prince George's County, said "Hopefully we'll get the legislation for in-state tuition for our immigrant population. I'm pretty optimistic about that."
Hours after the General Assembly adjourns on Monday night, Gov. O'Malley will sign into law the first batch of bills passed by lawmakers.
Budgetary, tax, and revenue bills will take effect on July 1, and most other bills would become active on October 1.
