The local piece of legislation that came from Anne Arundel County, Maryland, failed in the General Assembly after it was voted down by a House Committee earlier this week. The legislation called for a moratorium on the construction of wireless communication towers on Anne Arundel County school property for a year. This bill, that only affected Anne Arundel County, was sponsored by Delegate Herb McMillan, R-Annapolis. McMillan told the Capital Gazette that he was surprised the bill failed, as it had the support from a majority of the delegates, 12 to 0, when it was approved by the delegation on March 20. “It is highly unusual, due to local courtesy,” McMillan said. “I believe the school board should be focused on educating our children and not leasing their property to private businesses.” (Capital Gazette) Last Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee voted unfavorably on the bill by a 19-3 vote. The Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis voted against the bill immediately after it was amended to only include county school property instead of all county property. Busch wasn’t at the March 20 meeting, but felt the bill was overstepping the bounds and that he “had issues with state lawmakers trying to dig into the contract negotiations between the Anne Arundel County Board of Education and Milestone [Communications].” (Capital Gazette) McMillan said he, along with other lawmakers who share his concerns, will have to reword the language of the bill for next year.
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