O'Malley's UMd Regents Reneg on General Assembly Agreement 11/09

It was a simple request made by the Maryland General Assembly to the Regents of the University of Maryland system:  Adopt a policy that insures that no taxpayer dollars are used to promote or underwrite the screening of pornographic films on university campuses in Maryland.

During the legislative session, University of Maryland officials agreed to adopt such a policy.  When confronted with proposed legislation, these officials sought and secured a compromise to avoid passage of new laws by a General Assembly mandate that a policy be adopted.  Now they have reneged on their agreement with the Maryland General Assembly.

As Senator Andy Harris has pointed out in numerous interviews this week, this is a University system that has generally been protected by the General Assembly from the worst of the budget cuts during the state revenue shortfalls.

Obviously, this is bad timing for the Regents to be taunting and flaunting the leadership of the General Assembly.  To many, however, it is no surprise that the Regents appointed by Governor O'Malley would turn a deaf ear to Maryland's taxpayers with a hollow excuse of "first amendment rights."