Contact: Valerie Connelly or Kurt Fuchs
(410) 269-0656        (410) 269-0081 – fax

No. 1  1/19/06

Welcome to the first Hotline of the 2006 Maryland General Assembly session.  The Hotline will be sent to you each week during the session to make you aware of upcoming hearings for bills that will impact Maryland’s agricultural community. In some cases we will ask you to take action on proposed legislation to help further the Maryland Farm Bureau agenda.  Hotline is distributed to more than 800 farmers across the state and to all 188 members of the Maryland General Assembly. 

Valerie Connelly and Kurt Fuchs will staff Maryland Farm Bureau’s Annapolis office.  The office is located at 68 State Circle, above Johnson’s Men’s Store on the corner of Maryland Avenue.  Our telephone number is (410) 269-0656 and our fax number is (410) 269-0081.  The best time to reach us is during the morning hours.  If we are out at a hearing or attending another meeting you may leave a message on the answering machine and we will return your call as soon as possible.  You can also reach Valerie on her cell phone at (443) 690-2411 or by email at valeriec.mdfb@erols.com. 

The information in the Hotline will be presented to you in a standard format that indicates the date of the hearing, bill number and title, sponsor, committee, room number and time of the hearing. Below that information will be a brief explanation of the bill and the position of Maryland Farm Bureau.  Please keep in mind that the positions taken in each Hotline by the Maryland Farm Bureau are based on the information available on the bill at the time of publication.  Our position may change if the bill is amended after publication.

The Hotline will be posted on the MFB website at the end of each week.  Our website address is www.mdfarmbureau.com.  The Maryland General Assembly’s website can also serve as a valuable tool for legislative information.  The Home Page offers the proceedings and agendas of the House and Senate, hearing schedules, bill information and status, and other data about the Maryland General Assembly.  Plus, there are links available to other related websites.  The website is updated nightly, and may be accessed at www.mlis.state.md.us .

Hearings and briefings next week include:

S.B. 5 – Agricultural Stewardship Act of 2006 – Senator Miller, et al
ED, HEALTH & ENVIRON. AFFAIRS and BUDGET & TAXATION, 2 West Miller at 1:00pm
This bill is the result of the work of the Agricultural Stewardship Commission that was appointed by the leadership of the House and Senate to meet over the summer of 2005.  The bill recommends increased funding for several Best Management Practices on farms to help reduce pollution in the Bay.  These increased funds include:  $ 7 million for MACs, $3 million per year up to a total of $14 million for Cover Crops, $750,000 for Manure Transport, $20 million for MALPF, $5 million for MARBIDCO’s Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program and $5 million for MARBIDCO in general, $2 million for Maryland Cooperative Extension to reestablish the soil testing lab and to hire staff for BMPs, and $2.5 million for staff in the 23 Soil Conservation District offices. (Funding recommendations may be acted on by the Governor in the annual budget or by legislators in negotiation over supplemental budget requests.)  The bill also requires County governments to include Priority Preservation Areas for agricultural land in their comprehensive plan.  The PPAs must be submitted to the state for approval based on land mass and zoning.  The bill encourages the University of Maryland to establish a major in Agricultural Education and requires the University to establish an agricultural internship program that would allow students to get hands on experience working on Maryland farms.  Finally, the bill creates a Task Force on Incentives for Agriculture to look at tax incentives and others that would benefit the industry.  MFB has a seat on the Task Force.  The report is due by December 2006.
MARYLAND FARM BUREAU SUPPORTS S.B. 5.

H.B. 85 – Task Force to Create Standards of Ethics for Planning and Zoning Boards – Del. Smigiel
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS, Room To Be Announced, Wednesday at 1:00pm
This bill creates a task force to determine what should constitute an ethical violation for planning and zoning board members and attorneys appearing before them and to make recommendations for statewide ethical policies and procedures for planning and zoning boards.  FOR INFORMATION ONLY

H.B. 86 – Planning Commissions and Boards of Zoning Appeals – Members – Residency Requirements – Delegate Smigiel
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS, Room TBA, Wednesday at 1:00pm
This bill would require any person serving on a planning commission or zoning appeals board to maintain a permanent residence in the area over which the board has jurisdiction.  The residency requirement will be effective for all planning commissions and appeals board appointments after Oct. 1, 2006. FOR INFORMATION ONLY

H.B. 87 – Land Use – Planning Commissions and Boards of Zoning Appeals – Notice of Time, Place and Agenda – Delegate Smigiel
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS, Room TBA, Wednesday at 1:00pm
Except in emergency situations, this bill would require planning commissions and zoning boards of appeals to publish in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the local jurisdiction once each week: a notice of the time and place of each meeting open to the public and a summary of the proposed agenda for that meeting.  The first notice is to be published at least 15 days prior to the meeting.  If the agenda contains an item that by law must be decided by the planning commission or zoning board of appeals within a certain time period, the decision must be stayed up to 30 days to allow for public notice.  Effective Oct. 1, 2006.  FOR INFORMATION ONLY

H.B. 88 – Board of Appeals or Zoning Actions – Appeals to Courts – Delegate Smigiel
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS, Room TBA, Wednesday at 1:00pm
This bill would add consumer and civic groups to the list of those entities permitted to appeal a decision or action of the Baltimore City Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals or a zoning action by the city council, to the Circuit Court of Baltimore City.  Consumer and civic groups will also be added to those entities permitted to appeal a board of appeals or zoning action taken by the local legislative body to the Circuit Court of the county.  FOR INFORMATION ONLY

S.B. 58 – Horse Racing Reform Act of 2006 – Senator Lawlah
FINANCE, 3 East Miller, Thursday at 1:30pm
This bill removes the night time and Sunday racing restriction on live thoroughbred racing at facilities in Maryland.  The one exception would be at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, which could only hold races on Sunday during the State Fair.  The bill also amends the law concerning pari-mutuel betting.  It restricts the betting to mile thoroughbred facilities and only upon the approval of the Racing Commission.  The bill mandates that if the Commission approves pari-mutuel betting for any qualifying facility, it may not withhold its approval to any other qualifying facility. The bill allows the facility licensee to retain the proceeds of the betting and prohibits the Commission from requiring a licensee to pay a premium to another licensee or contribute the takeout to any other licensee or entity.  FOR INFORMATION ONLY

 S.B. 98 – Thoroughbred Racing – Restrictions on Night and Sunday Racing – Repeal – Senator Della
FINANCE, 3 East Miller, Thursday at 1:30pm
This bill removes the night time and Sunday racing restriction on all live thoroughbred racing facilities in Maryland, including the Maryland State Fairgrounds. FOR INFORMATION ONLY

S.B. 130 – Mile Thoroughbred Racing – Allocation of Takeout – Improvement of Facilities and Marketing – Senator Della
FINANCE, 3 East Miller, Thursday at 1:30pm
This bill alters the takeout allocation at mile thoroughbred racing facilities to require that one quarter of one percent be allocated to facilities improvement.  FOR INFORMATION ONLY

---USDA FUNDING COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION PROJECTS---The Agriculture Department has made about $38 million in funding available for conservation projects. The money will fund “competitively selected proposals from state and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, federally recognized Indian tribes, and individuals,” the department news release explains.

 The four areas of emphasis and funding to be allotted are Conservation Innovation Grants, $20 million; Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program, $9.5 million; Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, $4 million; and Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative, $4 million.

 ---USDA OUTLINES FOOD SAFETY INITIATIVES---The Agriculture Department issued a news release Tuesday outlining steps that are being taken to manage and coordinate efforts of government agencies, state governments and private industry to protect the nation’s food supply from terrorist threats, as required under directives previously issued by President Bush.

 USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will conduct five food defense exercises during 2006. These exercises are to practice reporting a “non-routine incident” and collaborating to keep the food supply safe. Assessments of food sector preparedness will be conducted throughout the year including meat packing, frozen foods, swine production and grain export.

 -- AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION POLL FINDS WIDE CONSENSUS ON EMINENT DOMAIN  - -  A poll conducted recently by Zogby International found that 83 percent of Americans oppose the use of eminent domain for private development.  The poll found that Americans approve of the traditional uses of eminent domain for public uses only – new roads, schools and utilities.  When asked,  95 percent of Americans said they disapprove of the Supreme Court’s decision in Kelo v. City of New London. 

 ---AFBF ANNOUNCES PANEL TO REVIEW PRODUCTION COSTS---The American Farm Bureau Federation recently announced the appointment of a six-member 2006 Input Cost Review panel.  To help producers manage production costs, the panel will identify available resources for reducing costs, survey the regulatory environment to pinpoint any opportunities for relief, and identify financial planning and risk management tools to enable producers to maximize their returns.

“A firestorm of economic uncertainty, fueled by skyrocketing production costs, will hit many of America’s farmers and ranchers this spring,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “With higher costs for energy prices, crop inputs and interest rates converging during our key spring planting season, this panel will consider steps that could be taken to provide relief during this expected period of extreme economic difficulty.”

The state Farm Bureau presidents named to the new panel are: Stanley Reed, Arkansas, chairman; Lacy Upchurch, Tennessee; Scott VanderWal, South Dakota; Bob Peterson, Ohio; Alex Dowse, Massachusetts; and Alan Foutz, Colorado. The panel will launch its review in February and hold follow-up meetings at the discretion of the chairman. The group is scheduled to present its report at the AFBF board of directors meeting in March.