A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

An Extra Charge at the Courts for Technology Projects

creative commons

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Members of the Maryland House of Delegates have passed a bill they voted down late last week.

In an 82-58 vote, the delegates reconsidered and approved legislation that adds a Maryland court filing surcharge to support judiciary technology projects.

Baltimore City Democratic Del. Luke Clippinger made the motion for the reconsideration. He said a number of people in the Democratic caucus were able to get more information on what the bill did and its impact on the judiciary's budget.

The surcharge would support the Maryland Electronic Courts initiative, which aims to build an electronic case system used by all Maryland courts.

For a bill to be reconsidered a lawmaker who previously voted against it has to switch to a "yes" vote. The bill failed Friday in a 59-77 vote.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.