On the Ballot: Support Question 1 to Give the Public a Greater Voice in State Spending Decisions

Maryland voters finally have the chance this year to fix the state’s imbalanced budget process and make it easier for the public to influence how state policymakers invest our shared resources.

Maryland currently gives almost all authority over budget decisions to the governor. While the legislature holds hearings on the budget each year and ultimately votes on the budget, the only decision-making role legislators have is to reduce funding. They can recommend moving money around to increase investment in the priorities they identify through this process, but the governor can ignore those recommendations. If the governor rejects legislative priorities, the resulting investments are simply deleted – neither the governor’s initial proposal nor the legislature’s recommended change gets funded.

This process sets Maryland apart from every other state in the nation, which all provide some balance between the executive and legislative branches in setting funding priorities. It also severely limits the ability of the public to influence priorities for state investment, as members of the legislature are much more accessible and accountable to people in their districts than the governor or leaders of state agencies. In fact, the public can’t monitor the formulation of the governor’s budget, meaning that many of the most important decisions are all but set in stone before millions of Marylanders even have a chance to observe the process, let alone influence it.

Approving Question 1 will improve the balance of power between the branches of government, allowing the legislature to move funding around within the governor’s proposed budget, without increasing overall spending levels. It also would preserve significant executive power by granting the governor line item veto authority. These changes would not go into effect until the next governor takes office.

Independent reviews have recommended this change since at least the early 2000s, but this is the first time legislators have approved placing the measure on the ballot.

Adopting Question 1 also has the potential to address the biggest complaint of our current governor about the state’s budget process. Gov. Larry Hogan often states that his budget decisions are limited because of funding mandates. This a practice that has developed because of our imbalanced budget process.

The primary tool the legislature has to determine the state’s level of investment in the public good and represent their constituents’ priorities is through funding formulas passed as regular legislation. These actions can mandate certain spending levels in future budget years, but it means the investment is significantly delayed and it is difficult for the legislature to address urgent needs, such as the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn, without action from the governor.

Adopting Question 1 would make it easier for the legislature to act in a timely manner to respond to needs in our communities.

Our state budget should be a reflection of our shared values as a state. Our current process puts too much power to define those values in the hands of one person. Voters should support Question 1 to strengthen the voice of our communities and our elected representatives in decisions about where to invest our shared resources.