Lawmakers End Session With Budget Disagreements

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan says he is pleased overall with the way his first legislative session has ended, but he had his share of disagreements with the Democratic-led Legislature.

Lawmakers approved several scaled-back versions of Hogan's priorities, but the governor battled with Democrats over state spending.

Hogan's push to make charter schools more flexible was approved. He also won some tax relief on military pensions for people over 65. With help from Democrats, he also fulfilled a campaign promise to end state-mandated stormwater fees.

But Democrats passed a bill to fully pay for a funding formula that directs about $136 million to parts of the state where education costs more, something Hogan only wanted to fund by half, if he doesn't fund it entirely in the next fiscal year.

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