Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. form letter to constituent, April 11, 1994

с Robert L. Ehrlich, Legislative address: House of delegates Annapolis, Maryland 21401-1991 April 11, 1994 Dear Constituent: I wanted to respond to your postcard or letter regarding HB 594 - Maryland State Arts Council - State Budget. As you may know, the Arts Council's final 1995 appro¬ priation is 7.89 million dollars, representing a half million dollar reduction from the Governor's request of $8,390,251, but a sizable increase over current funding levels. HB 594 passed the General Assembly in final form on April 11, 1994. I opposed HB 594 because it would have created a legis¬ lative mandate to the Governor to include in the budget bill an appropriation for the Maryland State Arts Council at least equal to the prior year's proposed appropriation. I do not believe it is sound policy for the General Assembly to force any future administration to fund programs when the future could bring greater demands on other, more critical areas of the budget such as education, prisons, the mentally retarded or public health. Every session seems to bring bills which mandate funding levels and programs. Despite the fact these programs are laudatory (WIC, women, infants & children nutritional programs, education, arts council, local health etc.), such mandates limit the Governor's flexibility to create a budget that meets the needs of the State. For example, the severe budget prob¬ lems experienced over the' past three years impacted funding for critical programs such as the developmental ly disabled, the homeless, and medical assistance. Fiscal constraints also resulted in layoffs, an extended work week, unfilled vacancies, and no raises for deserving State employees. I believe every administration should retain the ability to deal with periodic deficits and recessions by retaining the ability to set its own funding priorities. In any event, I thank you for letting me know your views on the importance of Arts funding for economic development and tourism. I hope you will feel free to call or write con¬ cerning other issues of concern to you and your family. Sincerely, Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. RLE : pd