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The Latest
Legislature agrees not to eliminate COLA. The
Maryland General Assembly, called into a special session on Oct.
29 to deal with a growing $1.7 billion , ended with legislators
agreeing on about $550 million in proposed spending cuts. The legislature
rejected a proposal to deny state employees a 2 percent cost-of-living
adjustment and agreed to eliminate 500 positions from the FY2009
budget. Public Safety and Correctional Services and higher education
are excluded from the cuts. About $77 million will be taken from
surplus funds in the State Employees and Retirees Health and Welfare
Benefits Fund, but state employees will be granted one additional
"health insurance fee" pay period and retirees will receive an equivalent.
A plan to close the Walter P. Carter Center also was rejected. Because
Maryland works from an executive budget process, the Governor can
present a FY2009 budget that does not hold him to actions taken
by the General Assembly. State and university employees should continue
to urge the Governor and legislators to support state and university
employees and retirees through the budget process!
Marilyn Miller Elected New President. Delegates to the 2007
MCEA Convention, held Oct. 1-2-3 in Ocean City, elected Marilyn
J. Miller, a Parole and Probation employee, to a two-year term as
President of MCEA. Ms. Miller, an 18-year member, most recently
served as the Association's 1st Vice President and as a member of
the Insurance and Benefits Trust, and chaired the 2007 Legislative
Committee and Membership Committees.
The other Officers elected to the Board of Directors are:
- Byron "B.J." Johnson as 1st Vice President. Mr. Johnson is
a 15-year member who works for Carroll County government. He is
an MCEA Past President, president and 2007 Building Committee
Chair. Mr. Johnson is president of Chapter 550.
- Stephen Schaefer as 2nd Vice President. The 21-year member most
recently chaired The Employees Action Movement (TEAM) and is president
of Chapter 202, Public Defenders Office. He is an Investigator
with the PDO.
- Agnes Valenzia, a Motor Vehicle Administration employee and
22-year MCEA member, as Secretary. Ms. Valenzia is president of
MVA Chapter 22 and most recently served as an at-large Board of
Directors member. She is a former MCEA Treasurer.
- Lark Pugh, president of Una Voce Chapter 46, is the new Treasurer.
Ms. Pugh had served one term on the Board of Directors. A long-time
state employee, she works with the Department of Labor, Licensing
and Regulation.
Members elected to non-officer positions on the Board are: Anna
Cluster, a Motor Vehicle Administration employee and 4-year MCEA
member; Marion Barnard Jones, a Department of Juvenile Services
employee and 5-year member; David Stewart, a Prince George's County
Department of Social Services employee and 21-year MCEA member;
and Juanita Witherspoon, a Baltimore City DSS employee who has been
an MCEA member for 20 years. Their terms expire in 2009. The Board
of Directors will fill two vacancies on the board with terms that
expire in 2008. Robert Kirkland, a Rosewood Hospital Center employee
and 35-year MCEA member, agreed to serve as Area II Governor.
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