Many of the critical services that the Maryland Department of Human Services administers are threatened by federal funding cuts. Maryland’s budget for these services is now more critical than ever as a result, but the budget advancing through the General Assembly includes few new investments. However, legislation under consideration outside of the budget process is poised to provide additional supports to low-income Marylanders, such as expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit to include 18 to 24-year-olds, increasing temporary disability assistance, and increasing child care assistance so that parents have greater access to high-quality child care providers. Energy Assistance One of the critical sources of funding for Maryland’s energy assistance programs, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has been underperforming, a trend that is likely to continue. The budget includes a proposal to withdraw Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF) money from the fiscal year 2018 budget to make up for the deficiency,…

The Senate’s education budget improves significantly on Gov. Hogan’s budget proposal. Adopting a proposal from the Budget and Taxation Committee, the chamber restored more than 70 percent of the cuts to public schools in the governor’s budget and set aside additional money for Maryland schools’ unmet needs. At the same time, both plans leave in place a flawed school funding system under which too many children can’t access the supports they need to learn and thrive. The Senate deserves credit for rejecting the governor’s harmful cuts, but we still need to make comprehensive reforms to ensure every child in Maryland gets a world class education. The amended budget restores $13.25 million of the $19.25 million in cuts Gov. Hogan proposed in January: The Senate fully restored $5 million in funding for extended day and summer academic programming. Under a bill introduced by the state’s Innovation and Excellence in Education Commission…

The recently announced state revenue estimates offer an opportunity to make some long-overdue investments in Maryland’s future. The Board of Revenue Estimates’ updated revenue estimates for the next budget year, which begins July 1, brought some welcome news after years of budget shortfalls and cuts. The board estimates are $18.1 billion for FY 2019, $434 million more than the assumptions Governor Hogan built his proposed budget around. Source: Maryland Board of Revenue Estimates These funds should support much-needed investments in the future of Maryland families, such as child care assistance, education funding, and income supports for low-income Marylanders. For example, this additional revenue would support expanding Maryland’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which gives a much-deserved break to thousands of Marylanders who work hard but still struggle to get by on low wages. Low-wage workers not raising children who would qualify for an expanded EITC were largely left out of…

Maryland’s Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (also known as the Kirwan Commission) laid out an ambitious set of policy recommendations in its preliminary report last month. The commission’s proposals for early childhood education, funding equity, and building a world-class teacher workforce would make big changes to the way we deliver education in Maryland—and potentially big improvements in student achievement. But significant gaps remain in the commission’s plans, which so far do not include specific funding recommendations. The real test of how serious policymakers are about improving Maryland’s education system will come when they decide whether to invest the resources needed to make the commission’s framework into reality. The Kirwan Commission’s preliminary report is the product of more than a year’s work since the commission held its first meetings in 2016. During this process, members heard from local and national education experts on the state of Maryland’s education system.…

As the home to nearly 150,000 federal government employees, Maryland is hit harder than most other states during a government shutdown. Families miss vital paychecks, and past shutdowns were estimated to cost the state as much as $5 million in revenue per day. Fortunately, the recent government shutdown ended after only three days, when Congress passed another short-term spending resolution to fund the federal government through this Thursday, Feb. 8. What happens next depends in part on legislators’ ability to come to a bipartisan agreement on immigration, including a pathway to citizenship for immigrants protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The future of DACA has been uncertain since September, when the Justice Department announced an end to the program, as created by an executive order under President Obama, but suggested that Congress create a legislative fix for the program. A federal injunction has temporarily revived the program, allowing…

Last week, Gov. Larry Hogan released his proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. As a whole, the governor’s budget maintains the status quo for many core services, without significant new investments that could address unmet needs or move our state forward. As he did last year, the governor attempts to cut back on investment in new priorities the legislature has set in recent years, such as recruiting and retaining good teachers and increasing reimbursement rates for behavioral health providers to ensure people can access mental health and substance use treatment. The legislature will consider the governor’s budget over the coming weeks. While they have some ability to reject proposed cuts in spending that is mandated by state law and move funding around, they cannot add funding to the budget. And whatever they do, the approved budget must be balanced. Pre-K-12 Education State aid to public…

Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders will soon be able to earn sick days, thanks to state lawmakers that overturned the governor’s veto. This is a major victory for working Marylanders and for the state, as a growing body of research demonstrates that a healthier workforce leads to greater productivity due to workers recovering faster when they stay at home and reduced spread of illness in the workplace – a good thing for business and the economy. The new law applies to Maryland businesses with 15 or more employees. When it goes into effect in the next few months, employees who currently have no paid leave will be able to earn an hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours they work. As a result, most working Marylanders will be able to earn up to five days of paid sick days a year – and more if their employer opts…

Tomorrow is the deadline for Gov. Larry Hogan to propose his budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. In the coming weeks, we’ll be breaking down what the budget means for Maryland families. These are some of the big questions we’ll be trying to answer as we dig into the details. How will he balance the budget? In order to make up an anticipated funding shortfall, the governor had to identify at least $300 million in cuts or new revenues to state programs and services. Where we invest our money is the strongest reflection of our state’s priorities, so we’ll be taking a close look at where Gov. Hogan is cutting back and where he’s investing more. After years of cuts and tight budgets, using budget gimmicks to close even a relatively small gap may not be enough. Does the budget leave some Marylanders behind?  Choices about…

Photo by K Whiteford As the 2018 General Assembly session begins today, policymakers will be facing decisions that will have significant consequences for working families in Maryland. Topping the list, lawmakers will strive to protect Marylanders from the negative effects of federal actions, advance priorities that didn’t make it through last year’s session, and begin to address long-term funding needs in education. Here is a quick look at a few of the top issues we’re watching this year. Guaranteeing Earned Sick Leave The Healthy Working Families Act would grant 700,000 the ability to earn sick leave to take care of themselves and family members when they are ill. The Maryland General Assembly passed the bill last year, but Governor Hogan chose to veto it, leaving many Marylanders forced to choose between a paycheck or their health. Overturning the veto will be a top priority for legislators this session, and a…

The General Assembly committee that makes annual recommendations about the state’s budget made two things clear at its final meeting of the year last Tuesday: The state currently underinvests in the services Marylanders rely on, and the federal government’s budget and tax priorities will make it even harder to make those investments in the future. The committee’s recommendation to take a cautious approach to the state budget for the fiscal year that will begin in July was the right one, for now. Ultimately, if we follow the federal government’s lead and continue to underinvest in Maryland communities, it will do lasting damage to families and our economy. The Spending Affordability Committee meets each fall to assess the state of Maryland’s economy and make recommendations for the budget that must pass during the next legislative session. While these recommendations are not binding, the governor and legislature have almost always followed them.…