January 31st, 2015 by WCBC Radio

Maryland’s lawmakers said Friday that they will work to boost funding for education in the state budget above the amount Gov. Larry Hogan has proposed. House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, D-Calvert, said they will try to find more room in the budget for education. They spoke at an annual summit organized by The Marc Steiner Show and The Daily Record. Hogan, a Republican who entered office last week, said during his appearance earlier in the program that he is open to working with lawmakers. Hogan also noted that he inherited a $750 million shortfall and had to submit a $16.4 billion general fund budget two days after he took office. “If they’ve got some better ideas on how we ought to allocate that money, we’ll be happy to listen, but just to complain and say they want more money isn’t acceptable,” Hogan said. Miller and Busch said they plan to search for alternatives.