Maryland spending board approves $63 million in state budget cuts

The state Board of Public Works approved $63 million in budget cuts proposed by Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday after dropping a plan to reduce aid to local governments by $6 million.

The Maryland Constitution gives the board power to make budget cuts between General Assembly sessions at the suggestion of the governor. Hogan, a Republican, won the votes of the two Democrats on the board, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp.

“This is not something new,” Franchot said. “This is one of the most important functions of the board.”

The cuts amounted to less than 0.2 percent of the state’s $43.5 billion budget. They included some reductions in aid to local governments, to colleges and to the juvenile justice system. Thirty vacant positions in higher education were eliminated.

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