Governor Larry Hogan’s Top Legislative Priorities Passed by Maryland General Assembly

April 11, 2017

Major Jobs Bill, Ethics Reform, and Road Kill Bill Repeal Achieve Final Passage

Governor Larry Hogan’s top legislative priorities have achieved final passage by the Maryland General Assembly, ensuring that the governor’s proposals to create thousands of new jobs, restore integrity to state government, and move forward with dozens of critical transportation projects across the state will become law. These priority items included the More Jobs for Marylanders Act, the Public Integrity Act, and the Road Kill Bill Repeal.

“Today is a great day for the legislative process and a win for bipartisanship – but most importantly, it is a win for the people of Maryland, who deserve more jobs, improved roads, and the highest level of integrity from their elected officials,” said Governor Hogan. “Creating jobs, building roads, and ensuring ethical and transparent government will always be top priorities of our administration. I want to thank Senate President Mike Miller, Speaker of the House Mike Busch, and all of the members of the Maryland General Assembly who worked with us to achieve these tremendous results for the citizens of our great state.”

The governor’s More Jobs for Marylanders Act continues the administration’s focus on creating jobs and improving the state’s economy. While over 105,000 jobs have been created and employment reduced to 4.2% – the lowest in nearly a decade – since Governor Hogan took office, some regions of the state continue to experience higher unemployment. This legislation will target job creation to the areas that need it the most – such as Western Maryland, Baltimore City, and the Lower Eastern Shore – by incentivizing manufacturers to relocate and expand in these areas. The legislation provides major tax incentives for new manufacturing companies that move into these areas, as well as tax credits for any new jobs created by existing manufacturers.

Governor Hogan campaigned on a promise to clean up the mess in Annapolis and restore public trust in state government. As part of these efforts, the governor introduced the Public Integrity Act of 2017 to help expand transparency in government and eliminate conflicts of interest that erode confidence in public institutions and officials. In a great example of forward progress and bipartisanship, this legislation was unanimously passed by the Senate and House of Delegates. The Public Integrity Act of 2017 legislation reaffirms the administration’s and state’s commitment to provide the accountability, transparency, and fairness that Marylanders deserve.

From the outset of the 2017 legislative session, Governor Hogan made it clear that repealing the disastrous Road Kill Bill passed in 2016 would be a top priority. As a result of close collaboration between the administration and leadership in both houses of the legislature, the governor’s Road Kill Bill Repeal passed unanimously in both the House and Senate. This important, bipartisan progress will enable the Maryland Department of Transportation to move forward with 73 top priority transportation projects in every jurisdiction of the state – 66 of which would have been jeopardized had the legislation remained in place.

These three initiatives are part of the robust legislative agenda Governor Hogan proposed at the beginning of the 2017 session, the vast majority of which have been passed or are nearing final passage in the Maryland General Assembly.