Paid for by Citizens for Colburn Committee. Authority John W. Phillips, Jr., Treasurer

Colburn outlines 2006 focus of committee
June 12, 2005
Star Democrat

ANNAPOLIS — The Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee will meet Tuesday to discuss issues the General Assembly will likely face in the 2006 legislative session.

“Two of the items that will likely be considered for interim study are Election of Circuit Court Judges (Senate Bill 730/House Bill 276) and Air Quality (Four Point Pollution/Senate Bill 744),” said Sen. Richard F. Colburn, R-Mid-Shore, the ranking Republican on the committee.

The senator said a suit was filed in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court after the March 2004 presidential primary requesting an injunction to prevent the State Board of Elections from certifying the results of circuit court judge primary elections on the grounds that unaffiliated voters are unconstitutionally disenfranchised from participating in this initial selection process. The trial court and an appellate court found in favor of the election board. House Bill 276 would have allowed circuit court judges candidates to run in a primary for unaffiliated voters and provided procedures for filling vacancies.

State Sen. Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George’s County, introduced SB 744, which would have established specified limits on emissions of pollutants from specified power plants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, carbon dioxide and mercury. The pollutants contribute to a host of environmental problems including smog, acid rain, global warming and water pollution. The limits would have taken effect in 2011 with additional limits on carbon dioxide effective Jan. 1, 2021.

The Governor’s Commission will brief the committee so that it may examine and evaluate state election law. As the use of computerized voted systems, known as direct recording electronic systems (DREs) has grown, so, too, has suspicion of possible vote tampering. A 2003 risk assessment commissioned by the governor and a separate review by the Department of Legislative Services revealed several vulnerabilities in the state’s voting system.

House Bill 479, passed earlier this year, requires the State Administrator of Elections to study various independent verification systems during municipal elections around the state. The bill establishes a nine-member advisory committee to assist and advise the administrator and allows the administrator to seek assistance from various interested communities in academia, computer industry professionals, and community activists.

The committee also will be updated and briefed on the status of charter schools in Maryland; and consider site visits to the Bowling Brook Preparatory School, a private residential school for 16- to 19-year-old male adolescent offenders, and the stem cell laboratories at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

The meeting will be held at 2 p.m. in the 2 West Committee Hearing Room, Miller Senate Building in Annapolis.