Marylands budget would be two-thirds its current size if lawmakers followed the same spending limit guidelines that 28 other states use, according to a new report by economist Eileen Norcross.
While most states strictly rely on mathematical formulas to determine their spending limits, Maryland relies on a committee of lawmakers, called the Spending Affordability Committee, to set its target budget growth each year. Norcross says the committee should be eliminated because its guidelines arent working.
The committees spending guidelines have led to an average 5 percent increase in Marylands budget every year since 1985, increasing the budget from $7 billion to $34 billion, said Norcross, who is the lead researcher on the State and Local Policy Project at George Mason Universitys Mercatus Center. Her report was published in Maryland Journal.