Candidate name: Richard S. Madaleno, Jr.

Party affiliation: Democrat

Place of residence: Kensington

Date of birth: June 16, 1965

Place of birth: Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Current occupation: Legislator and Full-time Parent

Education: M.A., Public Administration, Syracuse University; B.A., History and Soviet Studies, Syracuse University

Community associations, involvement: Maryland Democratic Party; Equality Maryland; Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church

Professional associations: National Conference of State Legislators

Family: Partner; One child

Campaign office address and telephone: 11117 Dewey Rd., Kensington, MD 20895, 301-933-5212

Candidate web site (if applicable): www.RichardMadaleno.com

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

1. Continued and increased support for public education from kindergarten through higher education. These are our most important investments for our future and cannot be sacrificed or ignored.

2. Restoring fiscal responsibility in Annapolis. The state still faces a structural budget deficit. Our revenue structure needs to be updated to reflect today’s economy through new corporate taxes such as a gross receipts tax and through a more progressive personal income tax.

3. Expanding commitment to fairness and justice. Our state needs to develop policies that protect and respect all of our families, including immigrants and same gender couples.

How would you rate the performance of the current representatives of your district: excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

This is a difficult question since I am one of the current representatives. I believe that the four incumbents in District 18 have worked hard to represent their constituents. Because I believe there is always opportunity for improvement, I would rate our performance as good.

Do you support amending the constitution to give the legislature more budget authority?

I support this idea. I believe the General Assembly should be given the powers that every other state legislature already possesses. A well crafted proposal, like the one introduced over the past several years, would provide the General Assembly with added common sense authority without threatening our state’s excellent fiscal reputation.

Is the rate of growth in Maryland too fast, too slow or about right, and why?

Our local economy is strong and dynamic at the moment which is quite beneficial for our community. However, this growth presents challenges which the government can be slow to address such as crowded schools and traffic congestion. We need to make the infrastructure improvements necessary to retain our quality of life and our competitiveness.

What programs would you like to add or cut from the state budget? How would you pay for additional programs? What would you do with the money from any cuts you make?

There are always roughly $200 million in cuts that can be made around the edges of state government. However, our most significant programs are enrollment driven from education to prisons to health care. I do not support efforts to deny people access to good education or affordable health care so I do not believe there are meaningful cuts that can be made without a dramatic change to our community expectations. To pay for new programs and the programs we already have like higher education, I believe Maryland needs to restructure its tax system to reflect the economy of the 21st Century. I hope to be a leader in the effort to modernize our tax system.

Are there specific taxes or fees that you would cut?

I support the elimination of the personal property tax as part of a tax restructuring plan. I also support a revision on the personal income tax to make it more progressive which would cut taxes for low income earners.

Do you support slot machines for Maryland? Why or why not?

No, I do not believe we should gamble our fiscal future on slot machines. They are a volatile and uncertain revenue source on which we should not base the future of education funding in Maryland. The Ehrlich proposal would award lucrative slots licenses to a favored few costing the state hundreds of millions in potential license fees. We should not award race track owners with an enormous financial windfall to prop up a poorly managed and maintained horse racing industry. No other business sector in Maryland, like the auto making industry, is being rewarded with such publicly sanctioned benefits.

Do you support giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants?

Yes, I believe the state should allow all qualified residents the opportunity to obtain a driver’s license and car insurance. Without developing a plan to issue licenses, we will continue to be plagued by unlicensed and uninsured drivers on our roads. I believe this is a common sense approach to increasing safety on our roads.

Do you support in-state tuition to illegal immigrants?

Yes, I supported and will support again a measure to provide undocumented residents who are graduates of Maryland high schools and spent at least three years of their secondary education in a Maryland school with the opportunity to attend college at the in-state tuition rate as long as they file for legal residence within thirty days of their enrollment. This is the approach used by several other states including Texas, Florida, and California. Unfortunately, this thoughtful compromise was vetoed by Gov. Ehrlich.

What is the biggest problem facing higher education and what would you do to solve it?

I believe that advanced education is the key to continued economic prosperity both for individuals and our community. Unfortunately, our public colleges do not have the resources or facilities necessary to meet the fast growing demand for their services. I believe we need to establish a funding formula for our colleges which would give the students a predictable level of support. We also need to move forward with an aggressive building campaign to make sure that we have adequate and competitive facilities.

Where would you get more money for the Transportation Trust Fund?

With the extreme volatility of oil prices, it may not be the time for a gas tax increase. Therefore, we will need to continue the exploration of tolls and other user fees to pay for transportation improvements.

What specific transportation projects do you see as priorities for the state?

I believe the ICC remains the state’s top transportation priority. In addition and in no particular order, we need to widen I-270 north to Frederick, improve commuter rail, build the Corridor Cities Transitway, improve bus rapid transit, widen I-95 north of Baltimore, and assume control over more of the commuter roads in Baltimore City.

Should there be a dedicated funding source for Washington and Baltimore mass transit?

There should be a statewide dedicated funding source for mass transit across the state. However, it should supplement and not replace the funding currently provided through the Transportation Trust Fund.

Would you re-regulate the electricity industry?

I believe that the legislation passed in the last special session (SB1) provides the framework for a new PSC to provide more effective oversight of the electricity industry. As a result of corporate decisions made by PEPCO and BGE over the past five years, I do not think we could re-regulate the industry even if we wanted to. For example, I do not believe the state has the authority to require PEPCO to purchase its former generating facilities. However, SB1 does allow the PSC to require the utilities to build new generating facilities if it is in the public interest.

Do you believe Maryland’s gun control laws are too strict, not strict enough or just right?

I believe we need to enact an assault weapons ban in Maryland. Sensible gun control is a necessary part of modern public safety strategy.

What is your position on abortion?

I am pro-choice and oppose efforts to change Maryland’s law protecting reproductive freedom.

Should the Maryland constitution be changed to allow same-sex marriages?

There is no such proposal under consideration. While I support full marriage equality for same gender couples, I would not propose such a measure since no legal authority or expert has suggested that our state constitution currently prohibits such marriages. However, our state law currently prohibits marriage equality. I support efforts to change this prohibition. A court case is currently in the appeal process so I would expect no legislative action on this issue until the case is resolved. I strongly oppose any effort to deny same gender couples with their fundamental American right to turn to the judicial and⁄or legislative branches to have their rights defined and expanded. Therefore, I oppose the proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit marriage equality.

Does the state need stricter controls to protect the environment?

As the home to the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland has a special role to play in restoring the health of this critical natural resource. We need to be a vigilant enforcer of our current laws and regulations and look to ways to expand regional planning to control the effects of sprawl.

Do you favor widening the Beltway? Do you favor toll lanes? How would you pay for them and how would implement them into the system?

I do not favor widening the Beltway and will fight any plan to widen the Beltway in its narrowest section through Montgomery County. The impact would be devastating to a number of neighborhoods. I believe the ICC is a better solution for our traffic problems. As to the issue of toll roads, absent an unexpected change in our transportation revenues, we will need to use tolls to fund new construction. The state is currently using tolls to cover part of the cost of the ICC and the widening of I-95 north of Baltimore. I oppose any effort to put tolls on current highway lanes. They should only be on new lanes.

Do you favor building the Purple Line? What kind of transportation do you favor? How would you pay for it and how would you reconcile the effects as it cuts through dense established neighborhoods?

I do not support the construction of the Purple Line as a light rail line or a busway on the Capital Crescent⁄Georgetown Branch trail system. I believe we need to look at expanding our current heavy rail Metro system outside the Beltway. We need to build transit that gets people out of cars. Virginia’s Metro expansion plan is heavy rail outside the Beltway; we need to look at similar options in Maryland. I think we need to be aggressive in reviewing and realigning bus routes for maximum ridership as well as investing in better, more efficient buses.