I wanted to take the time today to send you all a quick message and to thank the General Assembly for all of their support and hard work this legislative session.  By working together with a sense of bipartisanship, we achieved real results on behalf of business and job development, consumer protection and tax fairness.  

Before adjourning earlier this week, the General Assembly adopted my top 2010 legislative priority - Senate Bill 858, which will enable Maryland's growing wine industry to increase their sales, create new jobs and become more vibrant tourist destinations.  The General Assembly also passed House Bill 88, a bill I sponsored that will allow the Office of the Comptroller to exercise stronger regulation of tobacco products, crack down aggressively on tax avoidance and safeguard against illegal sales. 

Also approved this year was House Bill 1206, which I personally supported, that will help educate and protect Maryland consumers from predatory Refund Anticipation Loans.  Finally, I was honored to have supported House Bill 963, which was sponsored by Del. Galen Clagett and adopted by the General Assembly this year.  This overdue legislation will provide my Office with another tool to help collect delinquent child support payments on behalf of children and families throughout Maryland. 

I'd like to thank the General Assembly for their support during this important legislative session, and for providing my office with the resources we need to remain a national model in the areas of innovative taxpayer service, compliance and enforcement.  

At a time when the state of Maryland is facing extraordinary fiscal and economic challenges, we need to reward those taxpayers that are dutifully paying their taxes on time, and identify and collect from those who are not. 

Overall, this was a successful session that saw many important issues addressed.  I look forward to continuing to work with Governor O'Malley and the General Assembly to address the fiscal and economic challenges that lie ahead, and to keep our great State moving forward.