Maryland

Federal Recovery Dollars Fund another $137 Million in Highway Projects; Governor Directs $62 Million to Counties for Local Priorities; Funding for Local Transit Systems Increases to $43 Million

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 17, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today announced the second phase of Maryland transportation projects to be funded under President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Statewide road and bridge projects will receive an additional $137 million.    » read more »

March 11th, 2009 -- The news on the economic front is still grim, but already the recovery package is saving and creating those jobs in towns across the country, stemming losses and spurring growth in ways that affect real families and communities. Here are just a few stories plucked from the local news over the past few days.

California [U.S. News and World Report, 3/9/09]:    » read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 9, 2009) – U.S. Senators Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin (both D-MD), and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today met with Bowie State University students and administrators and other local elected officials to discuss steps they’re taking on the national and state level to make higher education more affordable for American families.    » read more »

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 2, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley announced today the introduction of legislation that will apply a “rational reregulation” policy for energy markets in Maryland moving forward. The legislation will call for reregulation of electricity markets in Maryland moving forward when the Public Service Commission (PSC) deems it is in the best interest of consumers.    » read more »

Governor Unveils Performance-Measurement Tool Using StateStat Program; Officially Launches Maryland’s Recovery and Reinvestment Website

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 27, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today announced Maryland’s plan to monitor and track Recovery and Reinvestment funds in the State of Maryland, and announced the launch of Maryland’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act website, www.recovery.maryland.gov to allow Marylanders to track recovery projects in the State of Maryland.    » read more »

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 26, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley issued the following statement today on President Obama’s FY 2010 budget:

“It is clear from President Obama's proposed FY 2010 budget released today that President Obama shares our commitment to protecting our priorities and invest in our shared future. President Obama's proposed budget supports Maryland's efforts to improve public education, make college more affordable for our families, expand access to affordable, quality healthcare, and begin once again investing in our nation's roads, bridges, tunnels and the green infrastructure of tomorrow.    » read more »

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 26, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley issued the following statement today on unemployment insurance funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan:

“As State and local governments throughout the country work to distribute funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in ways that will rebuild our economic infrastructure and create jobs, some have expressed reservations about certain provisions of the plan, including the available funds for unemployment insurance.    » read more »

Governor and Lt. Governor Applaud Support by MacArthur Foundation for Preservation of Affordable Housing for an Estimated 9,000 Families in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 26, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today announced that Maryland will be receiving a $4.5 million investment from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to help preserve 9,000 units of rental housing over the next ten years. The project is part of the MacArthur Foundation’s $32.5 investment in a national initiative to preserve more than 70,000 affordable rental homes in 12 states and cities.    » read more »

More than $720 million from Obama Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will help fund America’s number one school system

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 20, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, joined today by Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, announced more than $720 million of funding for Maryland public education resulting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. Under Governor O’Malley’s plan, every school district in Maryland will be made whole and the Geographic Cost of Education Index will be funded at 100 percent for the first time.    » read more »

Smart, Green, and Growing Public Transit Leads the Way

Baltimore, MD (February 13, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today unveiled the first of thirty new hybrid diesel electric buses that the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) which will hit the streets of Maryland this spring. Today’s announcement represents the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s continued commitment toward a smart, green and growing State, and comes just months after Governor O’Malley committed to converting Maryland’s entire MTA bus fleet to hybrids within a decade.

The debut of the 60-foot hybrid bus took place on the exhibition floor at the 2009 Motor Trend International Auto Show at the Convention Center in downtown Baltimore.    » read more »

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 14, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley issued the following statement today following the passage of the Obama Recovery and Reinvestment Plan late yesterday:

“I want to thank Senators Mikulski and Cardin, Leader Hoyer, and Congressmen Cummings, Ruppersberger, Van Hollen, Sarbanes, Edwards and Kratovil for their hard work over these past several weeks to deliver the Obama Recovery and Reinvestment plan, which will create or save up to 66,000 jobs here in Maryland.    » read more »

Feb. 9, 2009 -- LAUREL, MD – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senator Benjamin Cardin and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Congressman John Sarbanes today visited Patuxent Research Refuge and Wildlife Research Center in Maryland to highlight the job creation and conservation benefits of President Obama’s economic recovery plan, which is currently before Congress.    » read more »

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 3, 2009) – As Maryland’s working families file their state taxes this year, they are eligible for increased exemptions and may qualify for an expanded tax credit thanks to measures passed during the 2007 Special Legislative Session to expand the safety net for low- to moderate-income earners.

Today, Governor Martin O’Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., House Speaker Michael E. Busch, and Comptroller Peter Franchot joined Robin McKinney, Director of the Maryland CASH Campaign, to remind eligible taxpayers of the new tax policies for their 2008 tax filings. Under the new policies, tax filers may be eligible for an expanded state Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC) as well as an increased personal income tax exemption.    » read more »

Address focuses on protecting progress in public education, a strong safety net for families in tough economic times, improved public safety

ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 29, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today delivered the 2009 State of the State address to the citizens of Maryland and the Maryland General Assembly. In his address, Governor O’Malley focused on the need to protect our shared priorities and strengthen Maryland’s safety net for families in need during these tough economic times.    » read more »

Improving Public Safety, Strengthening Safety Net for Maryland Families and Workforce Top O’Malley’s Agenda

ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 26, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today released his 2009 Legislative Agenda focused on improving public safety in every region of our State and strengthening the safety net for Maryland’s families and workforce during this national economic recession. Just days after introducing his FY 2010 budget that closes a projected $2 billion shortfall, O’Malley’s top legislative priorities include initiatives to expand unemployment benefits for those families hardest hit by the recession, efforts to improve juvenile justice, and take firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers.    » read more »