Moore Delivers First State of the State Address

Governor Wes Moore highlights priorities and touts public service in his first State of the State address.

Remarks as published in the Governor’s press release:

Good afternoon.

Madame Speaker, Mr. President, members of the General Assembly, members of our Congressional delegation, colleagues in state and local government, and my fellow Marylanders…

For almost three years, I have traveled our state, talking to Marylanders from every region, every race, every creed, in many of your districts, and I listened to what they had to say. Some of the voices we heard are here today, but all of the voices I heard ring in my heart, my head, and my memories.

Marylanders are worried about our economy, and whether it can keep pace with the cost-of-living. We worry about safety in our communities. Families struggle to find affordable child care and Pre-K. People of all ages get lost in the maze of behavioral health crises and trauma.

Yet, despite the challenges, the Marylanders I talked to were not only fast to offer solutions but expressed a deep desire to be part of the solution.

They were the first to organize a food drive at their local school. They raised their hands to watch the kids in the neighborhood. They agreed to serve on the board of a local non profit. They are willing to work in our local government and our state government.

In short, Marylanders are ready to serve.

I am only here right now because of people in my life who stepped up even when they were not called. People who served, even if they did not call it that. People who were willing to sacrifice in the moment for the hope of a better tomorrow.

The teachers, who gave me the tools to think for myself. The coaches who pushed me, even when I wanted to stop. The ministers who prayed for me and my family, even when there was no clear path forward. And the school counselors who helped me see a horizon I was not ready to see for myself.

This state is full of those individuals. People who refuse to quit, who lift you up when you are down, and who will spark a light in yourself even if it only glimmers in the dark.

This state was built by them. Built by people who stepped up to serve.

They are the educators, who get up before the crack of dawn, and stay after dark, to make sure their students get the extra help they need.

They are the linemen, who after a disaster, work double shifts to ensure we can turn our lights back on.

They are the social workers, who reach into their wallets to ensure their clients have enough to eat.

And yes, it’s the lawmaker who gets up and comes to Annapolis, who sacrifices time with their family, months from their business, the ones who choose to step into the arena despite knowing the ridicule that oftentimes comes along with it, hoping to leave this state a little better than they found it.

Whether you are in Oakland or Ocean City, in Hagerstown or Havre de Grace, one of the things we can all agree on, is that we’ve got work to do.

This is a state where the opportunities are boundless, but the challenges are undeniable.

It is also a state where there is no obstacle we cannot address, no challenge we cannot tackle, if we are intentional, move in partnership, and commit to promoting service as a state ideal.

I only realized recently, Service, the word, comes from the Latin, servitium, which meant “slavery.” It is fitting as the first African American to deliver this speech, in a building that was built by the hands of enslaved people, that we are now putting “service” towards the good of all.

The irony is that it is service that will help save us.

On day one of my administration, I ordered the creation of the Department of Service and Civic Innovation. This was not a stunt. This was not because it sounded nice. This was because it is a fundamental part of who I am, and it’s in the DNA of this state.

Our order consolidates and elevates the agencies of state government that support service opportunities. We need to follow it with legislation, The Serve Act, that will create a Service Year Option. While our young people give back, they also lay the foundation for their future success through job training and mentorship programs, and create a lifelong habit of service to our state. Something we so desperately need.

Whether they’re preparing our state for climate change, tutoring our students, or caring for the sick, young people should have the option to perform important service today and build a foundation for our shared future.

This is the first effort of its kind in the nation, and Maryland will lead the way.

Some may ask, “Why is this important? Why should state government do this?”

Because, and you’ve heard me say this before, service is sticky.

Service, will save us.

It will save us money, through a more strategic plan and better use of resources.

Building a workforce of dedicated public servants saves us the expense of costly contractors and external vendors, and if properly managed, delivers us better results.

Spending $100 million on inefficiencies and patchwork politics is not the way to run a government.

We have the assets, we need to harness them. That’s what my plan does.

It will save us time by adding urgency, because our people will be more involved in their state government and helping one another, expediting the changes we know we need.

And it will save one another.

At a time when civic bonds are frayed, where many feel more disconnected from their neighbors than ever before, service is the antidote to the epidemic of loneliness and otherness.

Service is how we re-engage our people in the project of forming a more perfect state.

It’s time we confront the demagoguery of false choices. The idea that if one group of people wins, another must lose. Or that when a political party loses an election, they are excluded from the process of governing for the next four years.

It is time for our state to be bold, but that doesn’t mean we are being reckless.

Our administration has put forth a plan to make historic investments in people, AND it spends $1 billion less than the last fiscal year.

We made the largest investment in public education by any governor in our state’s history AND introduced $200 million in targeted tax relief for children in poverty with the Family Prosperity Act and veterans in retirement with the Keep our Heroes home act.

We put forward a plan to make Maryland the first state to end child poverty, AND we kept 10% in the rainy day fund.

Let’s put an end to the belief that we cannot invest in the future today, while also preparing for the uncertainty of tomorrow. It’s Just. Not. True.

Service, public service, is what will help our state reach its full potential.

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