H.B. 653                                                 VETOES

MARYLAND, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the Maryland State
Department of Education has not reported by January 31, 1996, that the Baltimore City
Public Schools has made substantial progress toward implementing the Towers
Perrin/Cresap recommendations, including implementing a merit based, systemwide
personnel evaluation system, for Fiscal Year 1996 only, the State share of basic current
expenses as provided under § 5-202(b) of the Education Article for the City of Baltimore
shall be reduced by $5,873,943, and the corresponding reduction in this appropriation for
the State share of basic current expenses is hereby authorized, ratified, and sanctioned
$5,873,943 shall be withheld from the City of Baltimore until the Baltimore City Public
Schools reduces by 5% for the final quarter of Fiscal Year 1996 the salaries of the Baltimore
City Public Schools administrators identified in the MGT report submitted in January 1996, as
responsible for not fully implementing 36 Cresap management reform recommendations, and
provides evidence of this action to the State Board of Education.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That if the State share of
basic current expenses for the City of Baltimore is reduced in accordance with Section 1
of this Act, it is the intent of the General Assembly that the City of Baltimore reduce by
$5,873,943 the budget for salaries, wages, and benefits classified as expenditures for
administration for the Baltimore City Public Schools, once the condition set forth in Section
1 of this Act is met, the $5,873,943 shall be released to the City of Baltimore and shall only be
spent to:

(1) restore to each school the $30 per student systemwide reduction made during
the 1995/1996 school year, which shall be verified through the submission of supporting
documentation by the City of Baltimore to the State Board of Education; and

(2) improve the performance of Baltimore City Public Schools students by
offering school improvement team and professional staff development programs and by
purchasing additional instructional materials, subject to the approval by the Maryland State
Department of Education of a detailed plan submitted by the City of Baltimore for these
expenditures.

SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That no portion of the $5,873,943
shall revert to the State General Fund.

SECTION 3. 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take
effect April 15, 1996.

May 23, 1996

The Honorable Casper R. Taylor, Jr.
Speaker of the House
State House
Annapolis MD 21401

Dear Mr. Speaker:

In accordance with Article II, Section 17 of the Maryland Constitution, I have today
vetoed House Bill 653.

This bill authorizes recounts in general and special elections by specifying that a petition

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