Baltimore lawmakers vow 'any means necessary' to regain state funding

Infuriated Baltimore state lawmakers vowed Thursday to reverse Gov. Larry Hogan's budget cuts that revoked money for programs passed last year to help the city's poorest residents.

"This is a watershed moment," said Sen. Bill Ferguson, a Democrat on the Budget and Taxation Committee. "We are prepared to take any means necessary."

Hogan erased at least $32 million planned for new or expanded Baltimore initiatives, including scholarships to poor students, extended hours at Enoch Pratt Free Library branches and mentorship programs for students who hope to go to college. Other new programs would pay for after-school programs, teacher retention and encouragement of development in blighted areas.

Meanwhile, Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh, who lobbied for many of the Baltimore bills as a state senator last year, predicted dire consequences if state funding for city schools is reduced by $42 million from last year, as the budget proposes.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-baltimore-budget-cuts-20170119-story.html