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Maryland

   Hot issues

Procurement:  On December 12, 2003, Gov. Ehrlich bound Maryland to CAFTA's restrictive procurement rules. However, on April 11, 2005, the Maryland General Assembly enacted legislation over the Governor's veto that revoked the approvals given by Maryland governors to bind the state to the procurement rules of existing and future trade agreements (such as CAFTA and the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement). It also required that any future requests to bind the state must be approved by the legislature.

However, Maryland is STILL bound to all of the following trade agreements’ restrictive government procurement provisions:

• World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement (For a list of the countries party to the WTO AGP, click here.)
• U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
• U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement 
• U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement
• U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement 
• Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)

Correspondence

• Maryland State Senator Paul G. Pinksky's letter to Attorney General J. Jospeh Curran, Jr. expressing dismay that Maryland is still officially on the list of states that have signed on to the government procurement rules of CAFTA
• Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr.'s letter to USTR Portman explaining Maryland legislation revoking the approvals given by Maryland governors to bind the state to the procurement rules of existing and future trade agreements (6/23/05)
• Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr.'s letter to Governor Ehrlich approving for constitutionality and legal sufficiency Senate Bill 401 and House Bill 514 concerning the State's participation in international trade agreements between the federal government and foreign parties (4/4/05)
• Gov. Ehrlich's letter to USTR Zoellick signing onto CAFTA's restrictive procurement rules (12/12/03)
• Gov. Schaefer's letter to USTR signing onto the WTO's Agreement on Government Procurement (10/8/93)

Legislation

• Senate Bill 401 - International Trade Agreement - Government Procurement Rules - General Assembly Approval

In the news

• Legislature Overrides Ehrlich on Free Trade (Washington Post, 4/12/05)
• Wary States Resist Free Trade Deals (Washington Times, 4/4/05)
• Legislators want governor out of trade discussions (Gazette, 1/14/05)
• Outsourcing a losing fight to some officials (Gazette, 12/15/04)

Services:

Correspondence

• Letter from the National Association of Attorneys General to USTR Zoellick on GATS (7/2/03)

more resources

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