Gov. Larry Hogan’s continued refusal to release available education funding is disproportionately hurting students of color throughout Maryland, putting those students at further disadvantage because they are more likely to attend schools that don’t have all the resources they need to help students succeed. A quick history lesson: In the last budget battle, Governor Hogan cut Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI) funding in half. The GCEI helps schools in high-cost parts of the state pay for the additional expense  of educating students. The legislature set aside the $68.1 million needed to restore this cut, but it can’t force the governor to spend the money. Governor Hogan continues to refuse to release the funds to local schools, even though state revenues are coming in at a rate that exceeds what was expected.  However, the budget doesn’t allow him to use the funds for anything else, so they’re just sitting in…

Despite rising incomes in our state, one in eight Maryland families still struggle to put enough food on the table each day. It is clear that not all Marylanders have benefitted from the economic recovery that those at the top have been fortunate to experience. The rate of households in Maryland that at one time or another aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from has remained the same, even with falling unemployment and a rising household median income, suggesting that many hard-working people still aren’t paid enough to meet their families’ most basic needs. One of the wealthiest states in the country, Maryland ranks 17th among states in the percentage of households unable to afford sufficient food for their families to live an active, healthy lifestyle. Nearly 13 percent of Marylanders (757,430) experienced this situation in 2014, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, including about one…

Companies in Maryland are getting millions in taxpayer dollars without being subject to adequate scrutiny, according to a recent audit report. Among other concerns, auditors found that the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development was unable to verify that companies receiving tax credits through the One Maryland program actually created the jobs that they promised. The One Maryland tax credit is intended to promote job creation in areas such as Baltimore and western Maryland. Nine companies received credit for creating 473 jobs, even though 427 of the hires did not take place within the appropriate time period. These workers were hired before the tax credits were awarded, according to the report. The department, which was renamed the Maryland Department of Commerce October 1, responded by saying it would rewrite the rules governing the tax credit program to make them more flexible (presumably so that jobs created before the company…

The annual price of childcare in Maryland now exceeds the average cost of in-state tuition at public universities in the state, putting this necessity out of reach for many families. This causes a real dilemma for people struggling to make ends meet: they need to work to support their families but if they can’t afford childcare they can’t work. There is something Maryland can do to help. Policymakers should give all Maryland children the opportunity to succeed by expanding the childcare subsidy program, which provides financial assistance for the cost of care to income-eligible working families. There are more than 14,000 families who remain on the waiting list for support that they need to afford quality child care. Parents of young children are typically at the beginning of their careers so they are the least likely to be able to afford childcare. One of the biggest expenses in a family…

The rising cost of health insurance is forcing many Maryland families to make tough choices between taking care of their health and meeting other basic needs. Insurance premiums have grown three times as fast as household incomes in Maryland since 2005, meaning that workers and families end up with less money to spend on housing, transportation, child care and other essentials. Increasing health insurance costs also make it more difficult for Maryland small businesses to continue providing health coverage for their employees and expand their businesses. Although the Affordable Care Act enabled thousands more Maryland residents get health insurance and slowed cost growth, it has not completely thwarted rising costs. Over the past year, the average cost of a family health insurance plan increased 4 percent. Working men and women have shouldered most of the insurance price increases over the past decade. People who get their insurance through their employer…

Hard-working families in Baltimore and across Maryland struggle to pay their bills because they aren’t paid enough to cover their basic needs. Many are forced to rely on public assistance to put food on the table or to pay their utility bills. In fact 56 percent of public assistance recipients in Maryland are in households in which at least one member works. In other words, the state and federal government have to subsidize low-wage employers. The state alone spends more than $1 billion annually providing health care and cash assistance to working families. Raising the minimum wage would change that. Still, opponents of that common-sense policy claim  a dramatic increase would result in companies hiring far fewer workers, causing greater unemployment and resulting in the government subsidizing even more people. That’s just not the case, a growing body of credible research finds. In a letter to President Obama and congressional…

More than 40,000 Maryland kids aren’t covered by health insurance, and that needs to change. These are kids at risk of not seeing a doctor or getting medicine when they are sick, and unlikely to get routine preventive care, like physical exams and flu shots. This lack of medical attention can put them at a disadvantage throughout their lives. The good news is that, thanks in part to federal health reforms, a smaller percentage of children in Maryland go without health coverage than in many other states – about half the national average. The number of children without health insurance is down by more than one-third over the past four years; 97 percent of children in the state now have coverage. Lawmakers must continue to work to ensure that all kids are able to get the care they need, with particular focus on reaching kids in families who might earn…

Millions of Maryland residents will continue to see reductions in key state services, even though it is now clear the state can afford to better support its critical needs, due to the Governor’s unwillingness to adjust his overly rigid approach to state finances. As a result of his inaction, schools will continue to deal with overcrowded classrooms, the termination teacher and staff positions, inadequate technology, and cuts to instructional materials and programs. On Monday, the Maryland Board of Revenue Estimates released its most recent report clearly showing the state will have $80.6 million in unanticipated revenue this year and a total of $212 million over the next two years due to personal incomes rising more than originally projected. Yet there is no plan to reverse cuts to avoid school budgets and reducing access to critical services that millions of Marylanders require each day to get by. Most recently, the governor…

Although incomes have been on the rise for the past decade, many Marylanders are struggling and have not shared in the economic progress that the state’s wealthier residents have benefited from. State leaders must work to ensure that all Marylanders benefit from the growing economy, not just the wealthy few. Since 2006, Maryland’s median household income (adjusted for inflation) has increased 13.5 percent, while the percentage of individuals struggling just to make ends meet and living below the poverty line has increased 29.5 percent. There are now 161,473 more Marylanders with incomes below the federal poverty line — $11,770 for a single person and $15,930 for a family of two — than nine years ago, according to the Census Bureau’s latest official data on poverty and income in Maryland, released today. This dichotomy of increasing average incomes while more people struggle to make ends meet indicates that most economic gains…

The total number of Maryland residents who now have health coverage has increased substantially as a direct result of federal health care reform and Maryland’s expansion of Medicaid, which has helped to improve the state’s economy and made it a better place to live. Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the share of Marylanders without health coverage has fallen significantly. The uninsured rate fell from a peak of 11.3 percent in 2010 to 7.9 percent in 2014, according to the Census Bureau’s latest official data on health insurance rates, released today. In total, 177,861 more Marylanders have health insurance than in 2010, which means they no longer have to worry about how they will get the health care they need to be able to go to work, care for their kids and be productive members of their communities. As part of health care reform, Maryland created a health…