Introduction to come
Below are the Pertinent issues. Click each subject topic to go directly to that subject are or scroll down
PERTINENT ISSUES
Capital Budget
Economic Development
Financial Aid and Scholarships
General Education
General Health Care
Health Care Facilities
Health Care Practitioners
Health Insurance
Higher Education
Meidcaid
Mental Health
Nursing
Pharmaceuticals
Public Health
Research
Taxes
Tobacco Settlement
Tort Reform
Miscellaneous (Baltimore City)
Capital Budget
The 2003 General Assembly passed a capital budget totaling $2.4 billion
including $1.4 billion for the transportation program. Of the total,
$740 million is funded with general obligation bonds; about $1.3 billion
is funded through pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) funding in the operating budget;
and $406 million is funded with revenue bonds, including higher education
academic bonds ($33 million) and transportation bonds ($370 million).
Johns Hopkins regularly benefits from the capital grants program because of
the significance of our faculty�s contribution to the higher education,
research, health and economic vitality of the State and region. This year,
Johns Hopkins received $7.15 million in the capital budget for two projects
that are detailed below. Our colleagues at MICUA received a total of $7 million
for three projects and our colleagues at MHA received $5 million for 9 capital
projects, all of which are detailed in the below chart.
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Economic Development
As the State�s largest private employer, and a major economic development
engine for both the City and the State of Maryland, Johns Hopkins takes positions
on a wide array of legislation having to do with business, economic development
and policy initiatives that not only benefit the economic development goals of
Maryland, but those of Johns Hopkins as well. While much of the attention this
Session focused on the budget, those policy initiatives whose enactment would
cost the State operating funds to implement were automatically rejected. As a
result, policy initiatives focusing on the economic development needs of Maryland
were limited in numbers. Several promising pieces of legislation, such as allowing
portions of the State�s pension funds to be invested in biotechnology parks, and
the creation of a commission to study the State�s procurement initiatives to ensure
that our businesses and institutions were benefiting were not passed into law this year.
Johns Hopkins will usually benefit from the passage of such legislation and as a result,
we regularly monitor and advocate on behalf of these bills. Following are the top
legislative priorities of Johns Hopkins for economic development.
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Financial Aid and Scholarships
The total fiscal 2004 appropriation for State financial aid is $80.2 million, a decrease
of 3 percent from fiscal 2003. Of that total, 48 percent is for need-based financial aid
($39.1 million) and 24 percent is for the HOPE Scholarship Programs ($19.2 million). The
following 27 percent includes several workforce shortage and merit-based financial aid programs.
On average, most State scholarship programs retained the same amount of funds as appropriated in
fiscal 2003, except the HOPE Scholarship programs, which saw an 8 percent decrease for all the
HOPE scholarships including the General, Science and Technology, Teacher and Transfer Scholarship
awards. [[The chart below demonstrates the total amount of State dollars appropriated for the
State Scholarship programs.]]
Our students from Johns Hopkins are large beneficiaries of many State Scholarship Programs and
the inclusion of funding for these programs in the State budget help to offset the ever-increasing
costs of higher education for our students. For the 2002-2003 academic year, Johns Hopkins students
received a total of $1.9 million in grants and scholarships from the State of Maryland, an increase
of 4% over last year. [[The next chart demonstrates the total number of Johns Hopkins students who
received State grants and scholarships, and the total dollars for each grant and scholarship program.]]
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General Education
Through the expertise of our faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Professional Studies
in Business and Education, Johns Hopkins regularly advocates on behalf of various primary
and secondary education initiatives. The primary focus in education this year was on budgetary
support to help pay the first year of the phase-in schedule for the new education finance structure
that was established by the Bridge to Excellence In Public Schools Act of 2002. Full funding for
the first year of the program, slated at $238 million was included in the Governor�s proposed fiscal
2004 budget, however reductions by the General Assembly reduced that amount to $206 million. That
amount still represents a 6.6 percent increase for public education and preserves the integrity of
the financing structure. The State�s remarkably difficult fiscal situation made additional policy
initiatives difficult to pass, however Johns Hopkins was able to help support legislation focusing
on creating greater financial incentives for our principals which in turn helps to strengthen our
schools. However, the State�s dire fiscal condition once again forced any initiatives that cost
money to implement to not get enacted by the Legislature. The following bills are the top legislative
priorities for our primary and secondary education issues.
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Health Care Facilities
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Health Care Practitioners
Following failed legislation that would have extended the Board of Physicians Quality Assurance
during the 2002 session, and contentious negotiations down to the final week of the 2003 session,
SB500 was passed that constitutes a new Board of Physicians (see summary below). A major compromise
was achieved regarding the evidentiary standard, allowing the clear and convincing standard to remain
in effect when assessing the charge of failure to meet the appropriate standard of care.
The Maryland Hospital Association, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Board of Nursing, and others collaborated
to secure passage of HB343 (summary below) that will allow a hospital�s designated infectious
disease/communicable disease officer to order an HIV test if there has been an exposure between a
patient and a health care provider that, in accordance with CDC guidelines, would warrant recommending
or offering chemoprophylaxis treatment when informed consent or substitute consent was sought and the
patient was unavailable or unable to consent.
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Health Insurance
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Higher Education
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Medicaid
The FY 2004 Medicaid budget totals $3.5 billion, which represents an increase of 8% over FY 2003.
However, due fiscal crisis facing the State, the General Assembly made several changes to the program
to limit rapidly increasing costs. Through budgetary actions, the State froze enrollment in the
Children�s Health Insurance Program for families with incomes greater than 200% of the federal poverty
level and now requires a 2% contribution for families with incomes between 185% to 200% of the federal
poverty level (See Budget Summary). In addition, included in the provision of HB935 � Budget Reconciliation
and Financing Act, the Children�s Health Program Private Option Program was eliminated and the 200 children
enrolled in this program will be transferred to the Medicaid Managed Care Originations.
SB709 � Specialty Care Networks, which would have required the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to
adopt regulations regarding the MCOs specialty care networks failed to receive final approval in the Senate
before the session closed at midnight. Other bills, such as HB232 creating a separate department for Medical
Assistance and HB 793 would have created a Reimbursement Rate Commission failed to be passed out of the House
of Delegates.
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Mental Health
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Miscellaneous
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Nursing
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Pharmaceuticals
While continued financial support for the Medbank Program was in question, the General Assembly adopted
language requiring the program to receive funding from the HealthChoice Performance Incentive Fund for FY
2004, 2005 and 2006. In addition, the program will receive $800,000 in General Fund support for FY 2004.
Several bills effecting pharmacists and pharmaceutical manufacturers were defeated during the session.
For example, HB 188 would have required pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to report on the value,
nature, and purpose of any gift, fee, payment, subsidy, or any other economic benefit provided directly
or indirectly through marketers. HB 548 would prohibit physicians and nurse practitioners from accepting
gifts greater than $50 from a pharmaceutical manufacturing company or a pharmaceutical marketer.
Several bills were adopted (see summaries below) to include SB450/HB211 which allows removes the enrollment
cap for the Senior Prescription Drug Program. The bill allows the program to enroll the maximum number of
Marylanders subject to available funds. The Senior Prescription Drug Program provides drug coverage to all
Medicare-eligible residents over 65 and individuals who have annual household incomes at or below 300% of the
federal poverty level.
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Public Health
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Research
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Taxes
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Tobacco Settlement
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Tort Reform
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STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
Please contact Government Relations if you have concerns or would like additional information.
Your input assists us greatly in evaluating
and formulating the position of Johns Hopkins on all legislation.
Legislative Session Office
47 State Circle, Suite 203
Annapolis, MD 21401
410-269-0057
fax 410-269-1574
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Legislative Hotline is a collaborative service of The
Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine
offices of Government Relations.
© 2003 The Johns Hopkins University. Baltimore, Maryland.
Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs.
Last updated 03may06
