By: Nicholas Sohr

Gov. Martin O’Malley unveiled his fiscal 2013 budget proposal in an hour-long press conference complete with a three-page news release and 38 PowerPoint slides that left members of the media swimming in proposed cuts, taxes and spending figures.

One number, however, never made an appearance. The big one. The actual size of O’Malley’s proposed budget.

The answer can be found on page 7 of the budget highlights book  – more of a Patriots blue this year as opposed to Ravens purple last year.

The budget proposed by O’Malley contains $35.9 billion in spending, up 3 percent from the $34.8 billion budget for fiscal 12.