Click here to view a complete wrap-up of how the business community fared during the session.
2016 GBC Legislative Priorities
During the 2016 session of the Maryland General Assembly, the Greater Baltimore Committee will focus on the following legislative priorities:
Building and Strengthening Tomorrow’s Workforce
Preparing today’s youths to be successful in tomorrow’s workplace will require innovative educational models and a stronger focus on industry-specific training programs. Lawmakers should support incentives for a broad range of learning experiences to ensure that the state’s workforce is comprised
of well-trained workers for jobs at a variety of skill levels.
Promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovation
As Maryland competes to be a leader in emerging technologies and grow a strong entrepreneurial community, state support needs to reflect these priorities. In order to compete and succeed in the global, 21st century economy, Maryland’s small and startup companies need the state to provide additional incentives to help them raise capital and bring their ideas, services, and products to market.
Expanding Our Economic Assets
The strength of Maryland’s future economy is heavily dependent upon the state’s ability to diversify and take advantage of growth opportunities. Legislators should examine how to better expand the reach of Maryland businesses nationally and internationally.
Advocating for Balanced and Effective Transportation Policies
An effective, reliable transportation system that provides meaningful connections from communities to job hubs across the state is essential for workers and employers alike. Maryland’s ability to provide an integrated, effective, and efficient transportation network will be heavily compromised if transportation
revenues are not readily available. Policy makers should focus on appropriately balancing state and local needs for both well-maintained roads and an effective public transit system.
Building a Competitive and Fair Tax System
A fair and predictable tax structure is one of the key factors that affect business location and expansion, yet Maryland’s tax structure remains largely uncompetitive in some areas. The state’s spending process and tax structure should be reformed to ensure obligations are being met without placing an undue burden on individual or business taxpayers.
This State House Update features a guest commentary by Dr. Wallace Loh, President of the University of Maryland, College Park, and Dr. Jay A. Perman, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Drs. Loh and Perman outline the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership Act legislation passed during the 2016 session...
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This State House Update features a commentary submitted by Michael E. Busch, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates. Speaker Busch outlines legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the 2016 session that impacts Baltimore City. Read the August 10, 2016 State House Update.
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The ink is not dry on any legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly until the Governor takes action on all legislation that reaches his desk. On May 27, Governor Larry Hogan either signed, vetoed or allowed the remaining legislation that was passed by the legislature to become law...
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With the typical scramble that comes at the end of a 90-day legislative session to reach agreement and get last minute bills passed, the 2016 session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned Sine Die at 12 a.m. Though very different from last year when legislators found themselves in a...
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As we enter the final days of the 2016 legislative session, it appears that the annual gathering of the state’s legislative leaders will end the same way it began – with vetoes and veto override battles as the main order of businesses. Read the April 4, 2016 State House...
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Things are heating up in Annapolis with three weeks remaining in the 90-day legislative session. Late last week, the Maryland Senate unanimously passed the FY 2017 budget bill. The budget weighs in at $42.3 million. Unlike the federal government, Maryland’s Constitution requires that the legislature pass a balanced budget...
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Earlier in the legislative session, Senator Bill Ferguson (D – Baltimore City), Senate President Mike Miller and other members of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee proposed Senate Bill 1052, legislation designed to create a strategic partnership between the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland,...
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With five weeks left in the General Assembly session, both House and Senate committees will begin to move key legislation as they work to meet the March 21st “crossover date,” the date by which each chamber sends to the other chamber bills that it intends to pass. Lawmakers are also...
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For the fourth time in as many years, this week the General Assembly will consider legislation that would require private sector employers to provide employees with paid “sick and safe” leave. Under the proposed legislation (HB 580/SB 472) employers that employ 10 or more people would be required to...
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A particular area of interest of the GBC for decades has been in the legislative arena focused on transportation issues. This year is no exception and it is very likely that the GBC will be involved in the discussion on some of the transportation bills unveiled recently by Maryland’s...
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This week, the Greater Baltimore Committee’s top legislative initiative – the Angel Investor Tax Credit – will be heard in Annapolis before the House Ways and Means Committee. A study published in the Small Business Institute Journal noted that 29 states implemented angel investment tax credit programs between 1997...
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Over the past several weeks, Governor Larry Hogan and the legislature’s two Democratic leaders have released a number of legislative proposals and priorities for the current session. There is very little overlap between the two sets of priorities and it would appear that the elected leaders have developed separate...
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In 2013, the Greater Baltimore Committee hosted its inaugural Chesapeake Conference of CEOs, bringing together private-sector business leaders from across the Baltimore region in an effort to create an action-oriented strategy to strengthen the state’s competitiveness. The top recommendation that emerged from the conference was the creation of a commission to study the state’s tax...
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Last week, the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission, known as the Augustine Commission for its chair, Norman R. Augustine, released a report detailing recommendations developed as a result of their comprehensive study of Maryland’s tax structure. Many of the recommendations closely align to hose contained in the GBC’s...
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Session 2016 Opens With a Full Agenda: At the start of last year’s legislative session, much of the discussion was centered on then governor-elect Larry Hogan. A political newcomer, little was known about the leadership style of Governor Hogan or his legislative priorities in his first year in office...
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