With midterm elections and a gubernatorial race just weeks away, the Maryland Public Policy Institute has a second edition of “The Annapolis Report,” a review of the state’s 2010 legislative session.

Authored by Senior Fellow Gabriel J. Michael, this year’s report examines legislation in the areas that matter most: budget and fiscal policy, taxes, healthcare, education, regulation, unions, pensions, and more. While the legislature once again received above average scores in the areas of education and ethics and transparency, performance on budget and fiscal policy and taxes was below average.

Unlike legislative report cards, The Annapolis Report is not dominated by a single issue, nor does it evaluate the performance of individual legislators. Rather, it considers the actions of Maryland’s General Assembly as a whole. The bulk of the report is made up of brief yet cogent analyses of selected legislation. Its goal is to act as an issue guide for Maryland’s citizens, taxpayers, and residents, by explaining policy and grouping related legislation together.

According to Michael, “This year, some 2700 bills were introduced during the three months of the legislative session. It’s very difficult to get a sense of what exactly happened, to know what’s important or what’s likely to be on next year’s agenda. Traditional media help to a certain extent, but this report fills a gap that exists between newspaper-length articles and the book-length reports produced by the state. Given the upcoming election, it’s even more important for voters to be informed about important political issues.”

The report details some of the major steps taken to balance the state’s budget, which included a number of one-time transfers and the issuance of additional debt. It documents some positive steps for education that helped Maryland to win federal Race to the Top dollars. Significant proposals relating to unions and pensions for state employees are also examined. For a more detailed look at these and other important issues, read the full report.