On Wednesday, Maryland’s top leaders announced another $3.9 billion in federal funding would be distributed to help handle various agencies and departments in Maryland impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Hogan was joined by Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones in accepting the funding, which is coming to Maryland through the federal American Rescue Plan for economic relief from the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Hogan announced that he had worked with state legislators on how to spend the money, saying that the federal money will be used for a combination of new spending and paying for programs (in addition to paying off parts of the recent $1 billion RELIEF Act).
According to the Governor, the new spending plan includes $1.1 billion provided to the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund to help stabilize tax rates on unemployment for businesses in 2022 and 2023. The plan also includes $800 million set aside for economic relief programs and stimulus (through the RELIEF Act and the governor’s “Maryland Strong” aid programs), $600 million sent to the state’s schools for reopening costs and addressing the long-term effects on learning, $300 million for improving broadband access across the state, $300 million to help continue aid for people receiving temporary cash/disability assistance (including enhanced benefits), $100 million for job training, and another $100 million set aside for enhanced pay for state government workers in public-facing jobs (to make up for the pay that was halted last September).
Many praised the combined efforts of the state’s legislative and executive branches on setting priorities for the federal money, including House Speaker Adrienne Jones, who said the budget accord represented “another great day for bipartisanship in the state of Maryland”.
Watch the Budget Announcement
View the Supplemental Budget
For Further Reading:
The Governor’s Press Release
Maryland Matters
The Baltimore Sun
