Eye Opener: Special session starts today

The Maryland General Assembly will convene Monday morning for the first of what will likely be two special sessions this year. This one will likely end with an income tax hike on the state’s top 16 percent and a shift of teacher pensions costs to local jurisdictions.

The legislature adjourned in April after enacting $500 million in cuts to Gov. Martin O’Malley’s fiscal 2013 budget. This session is to reinstate those cuts. Some say the tax hike will have a broad negative impact on the state’s economy, while others say the job loss inherent in the “doomsday” cuts would be far more meaningful.

Here’s a few other headlines around the state:

• The Washington Post reports that O’Malley is seeking federal funding for an $800 million rapid transit bus system in Montgomery County.
• The Herald-Mail reports that, just days from the G-8 Summit at Camp David, Washington County is feeling an impact from the influx of people to the area.
• WYPR reports that even though income taxes may only go up for Marylanders earning more than $100,000 a year and couples earning more than $150,000, a much wider swath of people will be affected.