Assembly seeks to skim $300 million from Md. budget

“The more the legislature dips in to money set aside for that purpose, the greater the likelihood that this responsibility is not fully funded and benefits are eventually cut.”

House and Senate leaders began this morning to hash out a deal over the fiscal 2009 budget that is expected to include more than $300 million in cuts, although negotiators largely put off until tomorrow discussions over the most contentious funding questions.

'We're making good progress,' said Sen. David R. Brinkley, the Senate minority leader from Carroll and Frederick counties, who is one of eight lawmakers on the budget conference committee. 'It's a tough budget year, and there are a lot of hard decisions to make across the board.' Read more