Free Republic

I say “probably” because I haven’t had time to research the factual claims behind the legislation. But if anyone thinks conservatives are against all government action, then this might be a time to set the record straight. If the facts are correct then I think if is quite likely that the NY legislature is doing exactly what it needs to do. In that case, I hope other states, or even the Federal Government follows their example. Here is Newser.com’s summary:

Residents of Maryland may or may not know that over 100 new laws will be effective July 1. The laws include myriad new or adjusted rules on licenses to serve alcohol, requiring union representation fees for those in public education institutions, and fifteen million dollars in potential bond debt.Garrett County Memorial Hospital is a 55 bed hospital. Senator Edwards (Republican, D-1) sponsored the successful bid to authorize the County Commissioners to borrow up to $15,000,000 in order to assist in financing the cost of hospital improvements. The votes for this legislation were 135-0 in the House and 46-0 in the...

Maryland lawmakers gave final approval Friday to the first increase in the state’s gas tax in 20 years, acting to replenish a transportation fund that is rapidly running out of money for highway construction and long-planned mass-transit projects. Under the bill, which passed the Senate 27 to 20, motorists can expect to pay between 13 and 20 cents more per gallon by mid-2016, according to legislative analysts. The increase would be phased in, with the first bump of about 4 cents a gallon coming in July. The legislation, which transportation officials say would yield $4.4 billion for new projects over...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)—Maryland is a step closer to enacting some of the strictest gun control legislation in the country. The Maryland Senate passed an amended bill that keeps the governor’s original plan for gun control intact. ... Since their rally Feb. 6, gun advocates have continued to protest what they believe is a violation of their Second Amendment right to bear arms. And those arguments were echoed in the Senate chamber Thursday. “We are taking that right away from law-abiding citizens,” argued Senator Nancy Jacobs, (R) Harford County. In marathon sessions, the senate amended and passed the Firearms Safety Act...

Are you getting the feeling that the Maryland General Assembly seems to have lost its grip on reality? Last year the Maryland Legislature decided that they would attempt to redefine the institution of marriage. To attempt to redefine what God Himself has defined is to declare either that there is no God or that you are God. In either case, it is a foolish and dangerous thing to do. It is an indication of a reprobate mind. Now this same group is attempting to repeal the God-given right to self defense. They are preparing legislation that would pretend to make...

Oregon gun owners cheered by the demise of Sen. Ginny Burdick's proposals to ban large magazines and scary-looking semiautomatic weapons should leave the Champagne in the fridge for the time being. The Legislature's gun-control advocates are still hard at work, and the direction in which they're heading would create problems for law-abiding citizens over the long term and, perhaps, do nothing to enhance public safety. We're leery of slippery-slope arguments, but two concepts supported by Burdick and Sen. Floyd Prozanski, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, could grease the transformation of concealed-handgun policy into something resembling smoking policies around the...