Maryland lawmakers are trying to navigate a $3 billion budget deficit and unpredictable national policy shifts more than three weeks into the 2025 legislative session.
Gov. Wes Moore attributes the deficit to dwindling federal COVID-19 relief funding and “inherited structural deficit,” according to a news release earlier this month about his legislative agenda.
Moore’s $67.3 billion proposed state budget for the 2026 fiscal year would cut taxes for nearly two-thirds of Maryland residents. The budget focuses on economic growth, workforce development and reducing unnecessary government spending.
Legislators in Annapolis are taking President Donald Trump’s second term and surge of executive orders seriously, according to Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel).
“There’s a tremendous danger in the short run and the medium run that the Trump Republicans will have a very disruptive effect on the state,” Rosapepe told The Diamondback.
Here are four key goals for the Maryland General Assembly this session.
Economic growth
Moore’s proposed budget includes more than $750 million for economic development, his office said in a news release on Jan. 14. More than $128 million is allocated to invest in key sectors and expand the state’s workforce.
The budget designates funds toward the new “Capital of Quantum” initiative, a partnership between the state, the University of Maryland and the College Park-based quantum firm IonQ, among other partners. The partnership aims to generate $1 billion in investments to secure Maryland’s role as “a global leader” in quantum information and technology, the release said.
[Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, UMD announce $1 billion quantum technology initiative]
Other funding would support workforce development programs, business expansion and attraction, infrastructure and growth in industries including cybersecurity and manufacturing.
“We will make it easier for businesses to be able to choose Maryland, to stay in Maryland, to grow in Maryland and to invest in Marylanders,” Moore said in a Jan. 14 speech announcing his economic agenda.
The general assembly will also discuss the DECADE Act, which would overhaul Maryland’s business development programs and revise funding for economic development programs. The Housing for Jobs Act also aims to create more affordable housing by assessing regional housing gaps and expediting local jurisdictions’ ability to get new housing approved.
Employment
Several bills this session plan to make jobs more equitable and accessible throughout the state.
The Expungement Reform Act aims to remove barriers to employment for rehabilitated people. The act shortens the waiting period to expunge certain crimes and adds crimes such as alcohol offenses or traffic violations to the list of misdemeanors that can be expunged.
Moore plans to help pass the Procurement Reform Act, which intends to allow small businesses to more easily receive goods and services.
“We are guided by a single, clear principle: build an economy that grows the middle class and gives everyone a pathway to work, wages and wealth,” Moore said in a Jan. 15 news release.
Public safety
Senate Bill 292 would reclassify many first-degree vehicular actions to second-degree actions, such as driving without functional headlights or taillights, having tinted windows or failing to signal. The bill would reduce police officers’ grounds for traffic stops.
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Some law enforcement officials criticize the bill, which would also require police to document all reasons for a traffic stop on the citation or police report.
“Never before in American policing have we been under more surveillance.” Clyde Boatwright, president of the Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police, said during a committee meeting Tuesday. “Nobody stops for red lights and nobody stops for police.”
Education
Moore plans to increase funding for K-12 schools, prioritize strategic investments, invest in childcare to ensure people can join the workforce and bolster opportunities for students who do not attend college.
The RAISE Act would expand registered apprenticeship opportunities, aiming to increase employment opportunities for workers without college degrees.
Moore’s proposed budget includes a $111 million funding cut for the University System of Maryland, The Baltimore Banner reported earlier this month.
“We have some of the best four-year institutions in America here in the state of Maryland,” Moore said in his budget speech on Jan. 15. “But we are going to end this myth that every single one of our students must attend one of them in order to be economically successful.”
The Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act aims to tackle Maryland’s teacher shortages by investing more in teacher recruitment and professional development.