NEWS CONFERENCE 539

tant single thing that's happened for the State, and that the results
have been advantageous. When you look around and see that the tax
burdens of the localities have increased an average of 19 percent over
last year without any need to increase property taxes except in a few
isolated instances where the burden increase was over 19 percent, I

think what we've done is obvious. Baltimore City got f-18 million in

increased revenue from this tax program, including that which they
raised with their own levy, which replaced the earnings tax.

Q. After you've achieved excellence in this area, in what area do you
intend to strive toward excellence within the next Legislature? In other
words, what programs are you going to present to the next Legislature?

A. This very morning I met for over £1/2 hours with my staff to see
how our legislative program for the coming session of the General
Assembly was progressing. We will present a very important package,
including several highly important and comprehensive programs in the
areas of transportation and pollution, along with other more volatile
and interesting legislation that I don't care to get into right now, but
which will be developed as the session becomes more imminent.

Q. Is rapid transit on the agenda?

A. Yes.

Q. Would you give us a few of the details on it?

A. No.

Q. Governor, in line with your legislative program, a couple of weeks
ago you came out here and gave us a statement in which you said you
would ask the General Assembly to abolish the death penalty, except
in certain specified instances. On television a couple of nights ago,
and I won't mention the station, you said you were considering doing
this. How come you softened your position on that?

A. I don't know whether it's been softened or hardened. I guess it's
how you look at it. But I think we are going to make a proposal. It
may be modified in some instances over the program that I released
fairly definitely several months ago. We are seeking the abolition of
capital punishment. We want to make sure it's attended by safeguards
to protect the public. We also want to be sure it's compatible with
not placing the administrators of the penal system, of the correctional
system, in a position where they have custodial problems. That is one
of the reasons why I decided to modify that statement, which if you
remember called for life imprisonment without possibility of parole
in some instances. After talking with Mr. McCabe and Mr. Cannon