Miller’s bill is last ‘rain tax’ repeal measure standing

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ANNAPOLIS — And then there was one.

A bill sponsored by the Democratic Maryland Senate president is the last hope for Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and opponents of the state’s controversial stormwater management fee.

A Senate committee voted Tuesday to kill three bills, including one proposed by Hogan, that would repeal the controversial stormwater management fee.

The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee voted 6-4 to kill the three bills.

Despite the second defeat for Hogan in four days on one of key issues in his campaign and one of his top priorities in his first session, Hogan remained upbeat.

“We’re very excited about that,” Hogan said of the remaining bill sponsored by Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. “You know, it doesn’t matter to me who gets the credit, whose name is on the bill. Everybody knows I’m the leading driver behind this movement. We called it the rain tax. I got 100,000 people involved in the effort. I was elected mainly on this issue.”

The exact roll call vote and debate were not immediately available. The committee discussed and voted on the bills before the hearing room was opened to the public. Senate rules permit live streaming of voting sessions over the Internet at the discretion of the chair. Traditionally, those voting sessions are not broadcast to the public even though the sessions are open to the public.

A House committee Friday voted to reject similar bills — just two days after the House Environment and Transportation Committee held a hearing on the legislation.

Del. Kumar Barve, D-Montgomery and chairman of the House Environment and Transportation Committee, said last week that votes taken on House bills affecting the 2012 stormwater management fee would not have an effect on any bills sent over from the Senate.

The only stormwater management fee repeal bill with a chance of reaching the House of Delegates is Miller’s bill, which has 29 Senate co-sponsors.

Miller’s bill is essentially similar to Hogan’s proposal but also adds reporting requirements for counties that opt to not charge a fee. Counties that opt out of charging a fee would be required to seek approval from the state on its remediation plan. It also provides relief for nonprofit organizations.

“It’s not surprising that his bill is more popular than mine because it has his name on it instead of mine, but we’re just happy we’re going to actually repeal the rain tax,” Hogan said. “We believe it is going to pass by huge numbers in the Senate, and we believe we’re going to get it done in the House. As I’ve said repeatedly, there is an overwhelming super-majority of Marylanders somewhere in the 70, 80 percent range that want this tax repealed, and it’s going to happen.”