Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. form letter to constituent, January 1992

4 - Ч щ Robert L. Ehrlich. Jr. TENTH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT BALTIMORE COUNTY Legislative Address: JUDICIARY COMMITTEE GOVERNOR S COUNCIL ON CHILD ABUSE Home Address: 309 LOWE BUILDING I ELPHIN COURT. Ш02 MARYLAND JUVENILE JUSTICE ADVISORY I ’ COUNCIL House of Delegates TIMONIUM. MARYLAND 21093 Annapolis . Maryland 21401-1991 Dear: Thank you for letting me know of your concern regarding the recent budget cuts at the University of Maryland. I apologize for responding by means of a form letter, but the large volume of letters and phone calls received on this issue necessitates that I respond in this manner. Many of the letters I received requested that I "reconsider" these cuts in light of the long term benefits our society derives from quality education. My response is two-fold: 1) I am a past recipient of educational scholarship funds, so my appreciation for the importance of affordable education is second to none; and 2) under Maryland's Executive Budget, the Governor, through the Board of Public Works, has the statutory power to shift or cut up to 25% of previously allocated funds without the permission of the General Assembly. Hence, the General Assembly has no power to shift previously allocated funds once the budget bill is signed into law every spring. Accordingly, the real issue is where do we go from here and can we forestall additional cuts to higher education in the FY93 budget? Before addressing the funding issue, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that many of your letters cited excellent examples of waste in state government that should be eliminated prior to making additional cuts in education. I strongly agree with many of your observations. In this vein, I have included two previous position letters of mine dealing with the first round of proposed budget cuts as well as the Governor's demand for new taxes. These letters more fully set out my views as to the need to downsize government (where appropriate before asking the taxpayers for more of their tax money. Simply put, I will not support a tax increase when so many of you know (as reflected in your letters) about the wasteful spending habits of the past five years. Moreover, it is a shame that you and your children's education are the tools in what is essentially a political power play to increase taxes in our state.