Message From Governor Larry Hogan

Dear Friend, The holiday season is over and the New Year is upon us! 2017 is sure to bring some exciting events and announcements. To take a look back at many of the incredible moments we experienced in 2016, watch our slideshow. Although we’ve been very busy gearing up for the 2017 legislative session, I did get to take some time to enjoy the holidays with family. Sadly, our beloved dog Lexi passed away on December 28, but we were very lucky to spend one last Christmas with her. We are starting the new year full steam ahead with the unveiling of our 2017 Maryland Jobs Initiative and our 2017 Environmental Agenda. You can read more about both of these legislative priorities below. As we look forward to the upcoming legislative session and plan for the year ahead, stay tuned to future newsletters for a firsthand look at the progress we are making to change Maryland for the better. Your Governor,

2017 Priorities – Creating Jobs & Protecting Our Environment

With session less than one week away, the Hogan administration is busy announcing our legislative priorities for 2017. Earlier this week, Governor Larry Hogan unveiled the 2017 Maryland Jobs Initiative, a comprehensive legislative package that provides incentives for employers to create thousands of jobs, as well as investments in education and workforce training to put even more Marylanders back to work. Governor Hogan made the announcement in Baltimore City, one of the areas his initiative will target.

“We are very excited about this Maryland Jobs Initiative, which will help us create thousands of jobs, particularly in those areas of our state where we desperately need them the most,” said Governor Hogan. “There should be very broad bipartisan support for these common sense, job-creating proposals. We look forward to working closely together with our local partners and with our colleagues in the legislature to make this Maryland Jobs Initiative program a reality.”

The Maryland Jobs Initiative includes the More Jobs for Marylanders Act, which eliminates all state taxes for ten years for new manufacturing employers that create jobs in high unemployment areas; expanding the state’s P-TECH school program to prepare students for the jobs of the future; the Maryland Partnership for Workforce Quality program to encourage businesses to invest in employee training; cyber jobs training grants to address skills gaps in Maryland’s growing cyber and tech industries; and the Cybersecurity Investment Incentive Program to provide tax credits for investors in Maryland-based cybersecurity startups.

To learn more about the Maryland Jobs Initiative and its components, click here.

Governor Hogan this week also announced his 2017 Environmental Agenda, a package of four initiatives designed to protect Maryland’s natural resources while fostering economic and job growth.

“The proposals in our package are innovative, forward-thinking solutions to ensure that Maryland continues to lead the way to safeguard our environment,” said Governor Hogan. “We owe it to the next generation to continue to find cost-effective ways to protect Maryland’s environment and stimulate economic growth.”

The package includes a $3 million investment in Maryland’s EARN Program to train 1,500 workers for jobs in green energy industries; the Clean Cars Act of 2017, which will increase the investment in the Electric Vehicle tax credit program and double the Charging Station rebate; $7.5 million in funding to create the Green Energy Institute, a collaboration between the University of Maryland Energy Research Center and the Maryland Clean Energy Center; and the Clean Water Commerce Act, which will allow up to $10 million of the Bay Restoration Fund to be used to purchase nutrient reduction credits.

To learn more about the governor’s 2017 Environmental Agenda, click here.

Road Kill Bill – Saving Transportation Projects

Governor Larry Hogan reaffirmed that the administration’s top legislative priority for the 2017 session of the Maryland General Assembly will be the immediate and full repeal of House Bill 1013, more commonly known as the Road Kill Bill. At a State House press conference, the governor was joined by Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn in announcing the administration’s plan to submit emergency legislation to repeal the Road Kill Bill and return the prioritization of transportation projects back to local jurisdictions. The bill was passed and became law over the governor’s veto during the 2016 legislative session.

“We will submit emergency legislation for our top priority for this legislative session, which is to push for the full and immediate repeal of this disastrous bill which will absolutely be responsible for the elimination of nearly all of the most important transportation priorities in every single jurisdiction all across the state,” said Governor Hogan. “It will wreak havoc on the entire state transportation system and usurp important authority away from local governments and away from the executive branch of state government, giving authority instead to lobbyists and special interest groups.”

“The repercussions of this law are quite simply disastrous for our state, and I can assure you that on behalf of our citizens, I will not stop fighting until this catastrophic bill is repealed,” the governor continued.

Due to an extremely flawed and biased scoring system implemented by the law, major priority transportation projects will be canceled in every jurisdiction in the state. Under the legislatively mandated scoring system, 66 out of 73 transportation projects are fully canceled. To see a full list of projects in jeopardy, click here.

A Special Surprise – Granting a Wish

“I was excited to join the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Macy’s for an amazing announcement. Andrew Oberle, a good friend of mine, is six years old and has T-cell leukemia. He made a Wish to go to Hawaii with this family this winter. I had the sincere privilege of telling him that his Wish is coming true!” – Governor Larry Hogan

Click here to watch the full reveal!