Message From Governor Larry Hogan

Dear Friend, Throughout the month of May, we have been incredibly busy working hard on your behalf. Since day one, it has been a focus of our administration to increase transparency and to make state government more accessible and responsive to our citizens. As part of that ongoing effort, earlier this month we hosted a regional cabinet meeting in Carroll County – directly connecting Marylanders to their elected leaders and dedicated public servants. It was a tremendous day, and we look forward to hosting many more regional cabinet meetings in the months to come. Immediately following the cabinet meeting, myself, Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, and our entire cabinet spanned out across the county meeting with local citizens, business owners, and even some future community leaders at Hampstead Elementary! Check out the picture above. I was also very excited to kick off the inaugural Maryland Governor’s Business Summit in Baltimore. Saying we are “Open for Business” isn’t just a catchy slogan on road signs – it defines our mission, and it’s why I ran for governor. We said we were going to help our businesses grow, put more Marylanders to work, and turn our economy around, and we have been doing exactly what we said we would do. Read more about the summit and our exciting new Excel Maryland Initiative below. Back in Annapolis, our fight against the heroin and opioid crisis continues, and I was proud to join with Senate President Mike Miller and Speaker Mike Busch in signing several bills to help strengthen our response to this epidemic. These initiatives will provide us with additional tools to save the lives of Marylanders in real trouble – before it’s too late. As summer begins, keep an eye out for future editions of the newsletter to see how we’re continuing to Change Maryland for the Better! Your Governor,

Regional Cabinet Meeting – Bringing Annapolis
to Carroll County

Governor Larry Hogan joined his Cabinet and leadership team to host a regional cabinet meeting in Westminster, Md. in Carroll County. This marks the administration’s second regional cabinet meeting, continuing the governor’s promise to directly connect local communities and citizens with state government. The public event was held at Scott Theater at Carroll Community College and was attended by students, local leaders, and members of the community.

Governor Hogan opened the meeting by detailing the progress the administration has made in Carroll County. He highlighted more than $35 million in investments for vital job creation projects, nearly $460 million dollars toward K-12 education funding, and record investments in transportation infrastructure in the county since 2015.

“During my campaign for governor we promised that Carroll County, and the rest of rural Maryland, would no longer be ignored, forgotten, or neglected, and this public cabinet meeting is just one more example that we are doing exactly what we said we would do,” said Governor Hogan.

Following the regional meeting, the governor, lieutenant governor, and secretaries dispersed across the local community, holding more than 60 meetings, tours, and visits with local leaders and organizations. Governor Hogan visited Land Sea Air Manufacturing, the Carroll County Public Safety Training Center, Hampstead Elementary School, and the Arc of Carroll County.

Governor’s Business Summit – Helping Maryland Excel

Governor Larry Hogan opened Maryland’s inaugural Governor’s Business Summit before a crowd of more than 700 business, education, and community leaders at the Hilton Baltimore. The day-long economic development conference hosted by the Maryland Marketing Partnership highlights the issues and industries driving Maryland’s economy, including developing workforce through innovation training, protecting businesses from cyber threats, tapping into global markets, and attracting venture capital, among other key topics.

To build on the progress of the last two years, Governor Hogan announced that the administration is launching a new comprehensive, statewide economic development strategy called Excel Maryland. The initiative will be focused on developing new collaborative strategies to accelerate growth in the life sciences and cybersecurity industries, which are already flourishing in the state.

“With the launch of our comprehensive, statewide economic development strategy called Excel Maryland, we will focus on new collaborative strategies to accelerate growth in some of the sectors where Maryland already leads, including the life sciences and cybersecurity industries,” said Governor Hogan. “Excel Maryland will help pool the talents of our state agencies, our universities, and our private sector industry experts to help us create an environment in Maryland where more companies can start up here, and never stop growing here.”

The initiative will culminate in a report by the end of August, which will serve as a roadmap to securing Maryland’s position as the epicenter of cybersecurity and advancing Maryland’s leadership position in biohealth and life sciences.

Read more about the Governor’s Business Summit and Excel Maryland at bit.do/ExcelMaryland.

Heroin & Opioid Crisis – Taking Action Before It’s Too Late

The Hogan-Rutherford administration launched “Before It’s Too Late,” a new web portal designed to provide resources and raise public awareness of the rapid escalation of the evolving heroin, opioid, and fentanyl crisis in Maryland.

“For nearly three years, our administration has been focused on combating the heroin and opioid crisis from every angle, including prevention, treatment, and recovery,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “This new web portal is another tool to raise awareness and provide critical resources to all Marylanders so that we can save thousands of lives, before it’s too late.”

The new website is a one-stop shop for individuals, families, educators, and health care professionals to get the educational resources they need to prevent this epidemic from spreading—because education goes hand-in-hand with prevention. This public awareness effort also includes a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. The governor also signed the administration’s 2017 Heroin and Opioid Prevention, Treatment, and Enforcement Initiative legislation, including The Prescriber Limits Act of 2017, which requires health care providers to prescribe the lowest effective dose of an opioid, and the Distribution of Opioids Resulting in Death Act, which allows prosecutors to seek an additional 10 years for drug dealers who knowingly sell fentanyl and its analogs, including carfentanil, which recently caused at least four overdose deaths in the state.

Heroin & Opioid Educational Forum – Discussing the Realities of Drug Use and Abuse

Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford hosted the first-ever Maryland Heroin and Opioid Educational Forum for students at Westminster High School in Carroll County. The forum was part of a full day of events in the county with the Hogan-Rutherford administration, following a Regional Cabinet Meeting hosted at Carroll Community College. “Any third grader can tell you that smoking is dangerous, and we must work to make sure that our kids fully understand the dangers of the opioids that are ravaging our communities and taking the lives of Marylanders every single day,” said Lt. Governor Rutherford. “Education and public awareness go hand-in-hand with prevention, and are an essential component of our efforts to turn the tide in this heroin and opioid crisis.” During the forum, panelists discussed Maryland’s evolving heroin and opioid epidemic, for which the Hogan administration declared a State of Emergency this past January. The forum highlighted the work being done by the Hogan-Rutherford administration, including the newly established Opioid Operational Command Center, a joint effort of twelve state agencies to facilitate better and more rapid collaboration between state and local public health, human services, and public safety entities to reduce the harmful impact of opioid addiction on Maryland communities. Learn more about the forum at bit.do/HeroinEducationalForum.