2024 Summer MACo Conference Keynote Address

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Thank you, Ryan: And I am very clear about the fact that we will be Maryland Strong because we will be Union Strong. 

I also want to thank: Johnny O., 

Executive Director Michael Sanderson and 

Deputy Director Virginia White. 

To our county leaders – legislators – mayors – local electeds – friends – and partners:

Thank you for making this year’s Summer MACo Conference so memorable. 

I’ve gotten to speak with most of you during receptions, panels, and policy conversations. And I got to speak with those I missed at Candy Kitchen!

We’ve been working together for just over a year and a half now.

So I’d like to use this opportunity to take stock of the work we’ve already done to get Maryland back on track –

And I want to talk about the work we still have in front of us to build a state that leaves no one behind.

Now – our first year and a half in office has been guided by a single question:  How do we get Maryland’s economy growing again?

When I entered office, our economy wasn’t just stagnant – it had stalled. 

From 2017 to 2022, the national economy grew by 11%. Maryland’s economy grew by just 3%.

We ranked consistently low on affordability, wages, population, education, labor force participation, and employment. 

But spending increased by 70% during the seven years just before I took office. So we were spending more but we weren’t growing more.

Problems beneath the surface were hidden by billions of dollars in federal money to get us through COVID.

But billions of dollars from the federal government was not a “structural surplus.” It was a sugar high.

So to balance the equation, we knew we had to prioritize growth.      

Our strategy has been centered on building new pathways to three north star priorities: Work, wages, and wealth.

First: We had to focus on getting Marylanders back to work.

In the status quo, too many parents were having to choose between a job and making sure their child is safe at home.

This administration has delivered historic investments in child care – And together, we have helped an additional 16,000 children through those investments.

We also recognize no one should be barred from entering the workforce because of a conviction for something that is now legal. 

That’s why our administration pardoned 175,000 cannabis convictions – the most sweeping state-level mass pardon in American history.

On top of that, we’ve delivered record funding for job training and apprenticeships – Because not everyone should have to attend a four-year college to be successful.

In twenty months, we have seen over 3,000 new apprentices graduate and enter the workforce.

And just last month, we celebrated the first-ever commencement of our history-making Service Year Option and Maryland Corps programs.

Our approach is already showing signs of success.

Just yesterday, the newest data showed Maryland added 6,100 jobs in July, and our unemployment rate remains one of the lowest in the nation.

To boost wages, we introduced legislation in our first 100 days to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

That law took effect in January, and it raised wages for 163,000 Marylanders.

We also moved in partnership with federal leaders to draw more funding from Washington to help create jobs with strong wages and benefits.

That push includes resources for the historic Frederick Douglass Tunnel Project in Baltimore City, which will create 30,000 good-paying jobs.

And we’ve also been tireless in our efforts to boost wages for Marylanders who serve the State so we can recruit and retain top-notch public servants.

We partnered with AFSCME and the U.S. Department of Labor to provide $23 million in backpay to current and former State employees who’d been underpaid by our predecessors.

And we worked together to give state workers a raise – not once, but twice.

To help Marylanders build wealth, we’ve focused both on supporting entrepreneurs AND uplifting Maryland families.

Under my leadership, the State of Maryland has made critical reforms to the procurement process to ensure small businesses can compete fairly.

To date, we have delivered over $2.3 billion in State contracts to our Minority Business Enterprises.

We also worked with the General Assembly and many of you in this room to pass the most comprehensive housing package of any Maryland governor in recent history.

It’s going to help us turn more renters into home-owners, drive generational wealth, and bolster the state housing market.

TODAY, more Marylanders are getting to work – Wages are up – And we are building stronger pathways to prosperity for all.

But let’s be clear: This next leg of our mission to address Maryland’s fiscal problems will be harder than the last one.

And right now, everything is on the table. 

Last month, we made mid-year budget adjustments as a first step to focus our investments.

In partnership with the Board of Public Works, we reduced spending by nearly $150 million. 

And don’t forget: We did it without cutting a penny from child care, Medicaid, or K-12 education.

We chose to protect those priorities by studying the data…

Because we know when the cost of child care INCREASES, female employment DECREASES.

We know when Marylanders DON’T have health care as children, it’s harder to move up the economic ladder when they’re older.

We know when our children AREN’T learning how to read and write, they WON’T be able to compete in the modern economy.

The facts told us to protect and child care, health care, and education – and we did.

This administration doesn’t move based on blind hope – we move based on data. And that will be the standard going forward.

Over the last year and a half, our administration stood up a new Performance Cabinet to help us track data on a number of State programs.

That work is being coordinated by Asma Mirza, the first Chief Performance Officer in Maryland history.

When I worked in the private sector, data was everything: Every program and priority was closely watched for its return.

Now, we are applying that mindset to State government.

This year, we will put data at the center of the budget process.

I am asking State agencies to cite evidence when proposing new budget investments.

That way, we can consider what we know works when making decisions about State dollars.

I also recognize that the data-driven mindset of this administration is going to force hard conversations over the next twelve months – both about our State operating budget and other areas.