An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland
During a Friday visit to Easton, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot spoke via videoconference with The Spy.
Franchot talked about Maryland’s tax season, which began Feb. 12; the state’s COVID-19 stimulus checks, processed by his office; and how Maryland’s economy looks after nearly a year of the pandemic.
This video is about 18 minutes long.
After the House of Delegates nixed a last-minute provision that would’ve included broader stimulus checks for Maryland taxpayers, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) plans to sign a billion-dollar relief effort into law Monday.
Hogan’s RELIEF Act, as currently amended and approved by both the House and Senate on Friday, would include sweeping tax relief for small businesses and Marylanders, and direct stimulus checks to certain low-income taxpayers. The proposal was overwhelmingly passed by the legislature Friday after a day of contentious debate over whether to include taxpayers without Social Security numbers, including undocumented immigrants, in the bill’s direct stimulus.
Hogan, who has repeatedly called on the legislature to quickly pass his relief proposal, lauded lawmakers’ fast action in a Friday statement.
“The RELIEF Act will deliver more than $1 billion in tax relief and economic stimulus for struggling families and small businesses,” Hogan wrote. “It will help Marylanders barely hanging on right now as we work to bring this global pandemic to an end. While Washington gears up for yet another partisan fight, here in Maryland we are once again setting an example of what effective and bipartisan leadership looks like.”
A spokesperson for Hogan confirmed that the governor plans to sign the emergency relief package into law on Monday.
The relief package includes direct stimulus payments – $500 for families and $300 for individuals – to low-income taxpayers who filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in 2019. But because the EITC requires a Social Security number, advocates have warned that thousands of Maryland taxpayers would be excluded from those stimulus payments.
House Democrats on Thursday added people who file taxes with individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITIN) who meet the EITC income guidelines to the RELIEF Act’s stimulus checks.
ITIN filers also include undocumented immigrants and “some people who are lawfully present in the U.S., such as certain survivors of domestic violence, Cuban and Haitian entrants, student visa–holders, and certain spouses and children of individuals with employment visas,” according to the National Immigration Law Center.
But the proposal to send ITIN filers stimulus checks was withdrawn Friday after Republican objections and questions over its viability threatened to hold up the bill. Instead, lawmakers plan to pass separate legislation next week to provide assistance to ITIN filers.
More than 86,000 ITIN filers paid more than $100 million in state and local taxes last year, according to Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), and many of those taxpayers meet the EITC income qualifications.
House Majority Leader Eric G. Luedkte (D-Montgomery County) said the removal of ITIN filers from the relief proposal was a compromise. He promised to quickly pass an “equivalent program” that would provide relief for those taxpayers as early as next week.
“Every Maryland taxpayer in poverty deserves help,” Luedtke said.
In a joint statement, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) promised to pass legislation to “include every Maryland taxpayer in the Earned Income Tax Credit” next week.
“No Marylander deserves to wonder where their next meal will come from, how to buy their child’s diapers, or how to pay for life saving medicine – especially when they go to work every single day,” the statement reads.
Ferguson and Jones wrote that, combined with the newly passed RELIEF Act, the proposal will be “the best anti-poverty legislation to have passed the General Assembly in years.”
That relief won’t include immediate stimulus payments to ITIN filers, a spokesperson for Ferguson said. It’ll extend EITC benefits to ITIN filers for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 tax years, Ferguson said at a Friday evening media briefing. He noted that Hogan currently holds “all the cards” in determining how to distribute relief funding.
In a Friday statement, CASA Research and Policy Analyst Cathryn Paul demanded the fast passage of that legislation, including a veto override if necessary.
“Today, leaders of the Maryland House and Senate issued a joint statement committing to immediately passing EITC reform expanding coverage to include ITIN filers,” Paul said. “While EITC reform is certainly needed, it is unimaginable that an anti-immigrant Governor like Larry Hogan will not veto the bill when it reaches his desk. Only a veto-proof majority and rapid veto override vote will provide the critical relief needed by immigrant tax filers.”
(Hogan’s wife, First Lady Yumi Hogan, immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea.)
After the House approved of the relief proposal Friday, the bill returned to the Senate floor just before 5 p.m. on Friday and was passed by a unanimous vote, 45-0.
“We have seen livelihoods destroyed and we have seen lives lost. And this is a clear message to Marylanders everywhere … relief is on its way. Not next year, not in the next month, but now. That is why we put partisanship aside and put public service first,” Sen. Craig Zucker (D-Montgomery) said.
Senate Minority Whip Michael J. Hough (R-Frederick) commended the chamber for working through a compromise quickly
“I think the Senate really showed leadership here and did a good thing. We’re going to get direct aid to people, relief,” Hough said. “It’s not a perfect bill, compromises are never perfect … but nonetheless I think this is a good bill overall.
In a Friday press release, leaders of the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus said Maryland would join California and Colorado if it expands EITC benefits to ITIN taxpayers. According to that release, Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) said that the previous proposal to include ITIN filers in the RELIEF Act “would not be viable.”
“Now, more than ever, we must ensure there are no barriers to help those in need,” Latino Caucus Vice Chair Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s) said in the release. “Immigrants have been working to keep our communities afloat during this time, so we absolutely need to step up for them.”
Franchot, in a statement after the vote, said he still believes the RELIEF Act “falls considerably short,” but was improved by legislative amendments.
“I was disappointed that tax-paying immigrants were excluded from receiving direct stimulus payments,” Franchot said. “They are our friends and neighbors who are also struggling to feed their families and pay their bills. The taxes they pay provide financial relief to others, but they are being cast aside without immediate assistance. This is economic injustice, plain and simple.”
His office will work with the General Assembly to “provide EITC benefits to all eligible Marylanders ― regardless of whether they file their taxes with a Social Security Number or an ITIN ― as soon as possible.”
By Bennett Leckrone and Danielle E. Gaines
Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) touted the state’s vaccine plan and urged state lawmakers to quickly pass his COVID-19 relief proposal in an unusual State of the State address Wednesday evening.
While normally Hogan would have delivered his annual address to a midday joint gathering of the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates, the governor live-streamed his comments. In the address, Hogan urged Marylanders to get the vaccine – but acknowledged it may be some time before everyone is vaccinated.
And as in past years, Hogan emphasized bipartisanship and cooperation in his address.
“Over this past year, as we have faced unimaginable challenges, those words were truly put to the test,” he said. “But together we rose to the challenge, and it is because of the courage, the sacrifices, and the strength of the people of Maryland that the state of our state is more resilient than it has ever been before.
Here’s what Hogan said in his seventh State of the State address:
On the state’s vaccine plan
More than 570,000 Marylanders have received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday, Hogan said, and the state is ready to vaccinate many more when the federal government allocates more doses.
“Unfortunately, right now the amount of vaccines being allocated by the federal government is just a tiny fraction of what we need,” Hogan said. “That is the hard truth not just for us in Maryland, but for every state in America.”
Hogan echoed his Acting Secretary of Health Dennis R. Schrader in saying that the state is building “infrastructure” to cope with a larger supply of the long-sought vaccine. He noted that the new single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine could soon receive federal approval – and that it’s being manufactured in Maryland.
Despite the limited supply, the state recently opened up eligibility to a much larger portion of Marylanders, leading some Democratic lawmakers to question the rapid expansion. In his rebuttal to Hogan’s address, House Majority Leader Eric G. Luedtke (D-Montgomery) pointed out that Maryland has lagged behind other states in its vaccine rollout.
Luedtke called the state’s vaccine plan “bungled” and criticized Hogan for “abysmal communication” on vaccines.
“The single-most important thing is communication. The public is deeply confused about how to get access to the vaccine,” Luedtke said during a conversational, interview-style response, unlike the pre-filmed rebuttal speeches of the past.
Hogan acknowledged that vaccination will take time, and urged Marylanders to be patient and continue following COVID-related precautions while they await the vaccine.
“It is going to require a great deal of patience for many months while states continue to push the federal government and the manufacturers to increase the production and to drastically increase the allocations they provide to the states,” Hogan said. “In the meantime, we must continue to take the necessary precautions, which keep our families, our friends, and our neighbors healthy and safe.”
On COVID-19 relief and the economy
Hogan again urged lawmakers to pass his billion-dollar relief plan, but made no mention of an additional $520 million amendment that senators tacked onto his proposal this week.
Hogan’s RELIEF Act of 2021 consists mostly of tax cuts and money from the state’s reserves, and includes relief checks of up to $750 for families and $500 for individuals who filed for the earned income tax credit.
“I am once again calling on the legislature to pass this bill and get it to my desk as soon as possible, so that I can sign it into law, so that it can take effect immediately,” Hogan said. “There is absolutely nothing more important for the legislature to do, and Marylanders simply cannot afford to wait.”
The amended bill received preliminary approval in the Senate on Wednesday. Final debate is currently scheduled for Friday.
But the proposal might see even more additions in the House. Luedtke said there’s bipartisan agreement that relief needs to get to Maryland families and businesses fast but said the House may take a “slightly different position” than the Senate on how to best help Marylanders.
“We believe that the bill should absolutely be focused, laser-tight, on making sure Maryland middle class families and small businesses have the support they need,” Luedtke said.
Hogan touted his proposed budget as “structurally balanced with absolutely no tax increases,” and no layoffs for state employees. He said he’s also proposing more than $1 billion in tax cuts for retired Marylanders, which he said will keep “tens of thousands of Marylanders from feeling our state.”
“Now more than ever, Marylanders need to be able to keep more of their hard-earned money in their own pockets,” Hogan said.
Luedtke said the problem isn’t high taxes, but rather low taxes on wealthy Marylanders and businesses. He slammed Hogan’s veto on the proposed digital ad tax, which legislators plan to use to fund the also-vetoed Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reforms.
“It’s not that taxes are too high, it’s that we let too many people get away without paying their fair share,” he said. He noted that House and Senate leaders are set to unveil unemployment insurance reform tomorrow.
On Maryland’s recovery
Hogan said he’s issued more than 85 emergency health orders since the onset of the pandemic and noted that it was only a few days after his 2020 State of the State address that he met with other governors and federal officials in the District of Columbia to learn more about the spread of the coronavirus.
He lauded Maryland small businesses, essential workers and teachers for their actions over the past year and noted the Maryland National Guard’s role in distributing COVID-19 tests and, more recently, at the Capitol on Jan. 6. “When our democracy itself came under attack, they were first to arrive to protect our nation’s capital,” he said.
He also praised health care workers, and noted Daisy Solares, a Baltimore City resident and respiratory therapist at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He said Solares, who lost her father to COVID-19, was one of the first Marylanders to get the vaccine. She described it as a “step forward at healing,” Hogan said.
The pandemic “will not end overnight,” but Marylanders working together can “get life back to normal once again,” Hogan said.
“A better future is on the horizon where we can get back to doing the everyday things we all miss, like celebrating with friends and family at a crowded restaurant or taking our kids and grandkids to a baseball game,” he said. “A better future where our kids are thriving, our communities are safer, and our economy is booming once again. We will get there, but we must continue looking out for one another and continue working together to build that better future.”
In his response, Luedtke said the Democratic majority in the General Assembly will be focused on racial equity in the state’s pandemic recovery. He said he hopes Hogan works with the legislature as they attempt to pass police reform and pursue House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones’ (D-Baltimore County) racial justice agenda.
Luedtke said Maryland is “well-positioned” to lead the nation in economic recovery in the next few years but said an equitable recovery will be important as the state moves forward.
“The inequalities that exist in our society have been brought to light like never before,” Luedtke said.
A report released by the Maryland Center for Economic Policy suggests decreasing the state’s prison budget will lead to a healthier economy and increased public safety.
The report, released Wednesday, found that Black Marylanders are 4 1/2 times more likely to serve prison sentences than any other racial or ethnic group. Indigenous Maryland residents are twice as likely to be incarcerated than any other racial or ethnic group.
“None of what we’re doing is making any of us safer and it’s most certainly not making those Black communities that are being robbed of human capital ― it’s not making them any safer,” Tara Huffman, director of the criminal and juvenile justice program at the Open Society Institute-Baltimore, said during the Maryland Center for Economic Policy’s third annual policy summit Thursday afternoon.
“It’s destabilizing them even more and you cannot contain destabilization; it will eventually spread.”
Christopher Meyer, research analyst for the Maryland Center for Economic Policy, a liberal think tank, said at the summit that the state currently spends about $1 billion of its budget on incarceration.
“We’re spending all of that money locking up all of those Black folk, and we’re not any safer for it,” Huffman asserted. “We’re not any safer for it.”
Maryland has the highest rate of incarceration for Black men among the 50 states. Despite making up just 31% of the state’s total population, 70% of the prison population is Black.
According to Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spokesman Mark Vernarelli, there were 18,300 sentenced individuals in the custody of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services at the end of October.
The agency also runs Baltimore City’s pre-trial facilities, which, according to Vernarelli, has population changes “very often.” At the end of October, those facilities held about 2,000 people.
According to a February 2015 Justice Policy Institute report, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spent $288,304,000 of its $1 billion budget incarcerating Baltimore City residents, alone.
Huffman said that one-third of the state’s incarcerated population comes from the city. According to a 2019 estimate conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 63% of the city’s population is Black.
“What we know is that taxpayers in the state of Maryland are paying a lot of money from year to year to lock up a whole lot of Black folk,” she said. “Period.”
The report from the Maryland Center for Economic Policy said that there is “scant evidence” that heavy-handed sentencing policy leads to healthy economies and safer communities.
Instead, their report points to cutbacks in housing, healthcare, public transportation and economic opportunities and the criminalization of underground economy jobs, like sex work and the sale of illicit drugs, as factors that lead to increased incarceration and declining public safety.
For example, Marylanders who live in the 50 zip codes with the highest unemployment rates are five times more prone to being incarcerated than those living in other areas of the state.
The Maryland Center for Economic Policy recommends legalizing jobs in the underground economy, abolishing policies in the criminal justice system that criminalize poverty, and implementing comprehensive sentencing reform to decrease the state’s prison population.
Additionally, the findings of the report suggest that investment in public schools, public spaces and adequate drug treatment is the pathway towards a healthy economy and public safety.
“Then thinking about how we ensure that those investments are benefiting … communities,” said Meyers. “Again that comes back to measuring equity as part of the budget-making process [and] making sure that our investments are distributed geographically in an equitable way because we know housing discrimination makes geography really kind of a fulcrum of racial justice and injustice.”
By Hannah Gaskill
More people voted in this year’s election than ever before, some motivated by fear, some by peer influence, some by the wide options available for voting, some by social media and still others by love or hate for President Donald Trump.
As of Thursday, an estimated 159 million people, accounting for 66.4% of the eligible voting population, cast ballots in this election, according to the University of Florida’s United States Elections Project. That exceeds the turnout percentages for the past 120 years, going back to the 1900 race, when 73.2% of the voting eligible population cast ballots, ultimately re-electing President William McKinley over Democratic challenger William Jennings Bryan.
“High turnout is a sign of a healthy democracy,” Michael McDonald, who runs the Elections Project, wrote in USA Today on Wednesday.
He also pointed to a pre-election Gallup Poll in which 77% of registered voters said the 2020 election mattered more to them than previous elections – the highest level since the polling firm started asking that question in 1996. Still, over one-third of voting eligible people did not cast a ballot in this election.
Experts say fear of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and about the economy, strong feelings about Trump, the current social climate and peer influences, among other factors, spawned this historic turnout. And many states still are tabulating ballots.
Following an established pattern since at least 2000, turnout rates were especially high in key swing states. Over 75% of eligible voters cast ballots in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Iowa, while over 70% of eligible voters did so in Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina and Florida. Georgia received ballots from just under 70% of eligible voters.
“There’s a couple of things going on there,” said Michael Hanmer, research director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civil Engagement.
“The feeling that something more is at stake could be part of the internal motivator” for individual voters, Hanmer said, in states where, because of the Electoral College system, a vote for Trump wouldn’t have much impact in a state that voted Democratic, and a vote for Biden wouldn’t count for much in a state that voted Republican.
Voters in the battleground states don’t have that concern. Campaigns spend more energy and money in states that could go either way.
“It’s harder in those states to ignore what’s going on. It’s going to be on TV, it’s going to be on radio, it’s more likely to be on their social media, they’re more likely to get a door knock,” Hanmer said.
Non-swing states with especially high turnout rates, estimated by the Elections Project, were Maine, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington and Oregon – all saw three-quarters or more of their eligible voters cast ballots. Maryland ranked fifteenth in voter turnout, with just over 72% of eligible voters, according to the Elections Project estimates.
The availability of mail-in voting and early voting due to the coronavirus pandemic may have contributed to high turnout in some states. In Maryland, about half of the state’s voters mailed in their ballots.
Historically, states that regularly conduct elections by mail, such as Oregon, have greater voter turnout than those states that traditionally do not use the mails for balloting.
In Pennsylvania, where ballots still were being counted, Secretary of State Kathy Bookvar told reporters Thursday that she expected a very high turnout in the battleground state.
“Pennsylvanians have had more choices this year than in the history of the commonwealth,” she said.
Hanmer said that voting law changes to accommodate the pandemic likely generated some turnout, but added that since even many states that did not make these changes, like Texas, saw increased turnout, there were other factors at play as well.
“I really think that the turnout story for this election is more about general interest and mobilization,” Hanmer said.
The pandemic may have been responsible for some of this mobilization: “We’ve had our lives upended and we’re in this environment where our physical social circles have largely shrunk, and we’re really hard pressed to avoid coverage of what’s going on in the news,” Hanmer said.
David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University’s Political Research Center, said usually “what increases voter turnout is the quality of the candidates,” but this year is historic in that high voter turnout seemed to be primarily motivated by fear.
“it’s just ironic to me that Joe Biden … has the ability to get the most votes, ever, ever, and he’s not the person that people are excited about,” Paleologos said.
Memories of Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016 may also have spurred additional turnout for Biden.
“People didn’t get out to vote because they assumed she was going to win,” Paleologos said, adding that there wasn’t “that element of surprise” this time around.
Hanmer also suspects social media and peer influence contributed to the high turnout.
“A lot of people were engaged this year in contacting other people, and I mean just regular people contacting their friends, not necessarily always part of some wider formal campaign activity,” Hanmer said. “That’s just been increasingly common as a tactic.”
Alexandra Palm, a 24-year-old nanny and pizza deliverer in Spokane, Washington, said she did not want to vote this year, but was shamed into casting a ballot for Biden.
“On social media is where I felt shamed a lot,” Palm said. She said that it wasn’t usually personally directed toward her, but “if I ever brought up that I was not voting, there was never a time when someone would just ever respect that decision, ever.”
Instead, she said people told her she couldn’t complain about election results if she didn’t vote, and that if she didn’t vote for Biden it counted as a vote for Trump. Her father and people on social media told her “you have to vote, you have to vote, you have to vote,” she said.
Ralph Watkins, a volunteer with the League of Women Voters, said “just the tone overall seemed to be far stronger than in many recent elections.”
“Democrats were very passionate about wanting to turn (Trump) out of office, and many Republicans were equally passionate about wanting to keep (Trump) in office,” Watkins said.
Watkins said the pandemic and the resulting economic downturn generated turnout along party lines: those who worried more about the economy tended to vote Republican, while those who worried more about the pandemic tended to vote Democrat.
Additionally, “concerns about racism are really critical, and turnout in African American areas was very high and very democratic,” Watkins said.
Marqus Shaw, 35, of Oklahoma City, voted for Biden — his first time voting. He said it was mainly to vote against Donald Trump.
“(Biden)’s better than Trump to me,” Shaw said. “Trump just says things that you shouldn’t say, he shows no compassion, and he’s a racist.”
In the past, Shaw said, he has felt like his vote wouldn’t matter, but this year he said he “just can’t take Trump anymore.”
Paleologos said turnout driven by fear “doesn’t bode well for the system at large” and may indicate a failure of the party system.
“If we’re going to have two parties, the key is for the party system to enable and support candidates who have broad appeal,” he said. “Right now we don’t have that. Right now the party system thrives on negativity.”
By Gracie Todd and Luciana Perez Uribe
The headline news is that the governors of Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia signed a compact on Thursday to collaborate and advance offshore wind projects and to promote the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast as hubs for the industry.
In reality, it’s another twist in the tortured debate over bringing wind turbines to Maryland’s waters.
The announcement by Maryland Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) of his pact with Virginia Gov. Ralph S. Northam (D) and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) was pure Hogan, on-brand with his oft-repeated message of bipartisanship and collaboration.
“Maryland has been leading the charge when it comes to real, bipartisan, common sense solutions and we are proud to continue setting an example for the nation of bold environmental leadership,” Hogan said in his statement. “Joining this multi-state partnership to expand offshore wind development will further our strong record of supporting responsible energy projects that provide jobs, clean air benefits, and energy independence.”
Creation of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Energy Resources (SMART-POWER) provides a framework for the three states to cooperatively promote, develop and expand offshore wind by removing regulatory burdens and providing economic incentives for the industry and related construction and supply operations.
It’s a nod to the potential of offshore wind energy at a time when states are scrambling for economic rejuvenation and job growth and are feeling intense pressure to address climate change.
“Harnessing the power of offshore wind is key to meeting the urgency of the climate crisis and achieving 100% clean energy by 2050,” Northam said.
The governors cited a U.S. Department of Energy study estimating that Atlantic Coast offshore wind projects could support up to 86,000 jobs, $57 billion in investments, and provide up to $25 billion in economic output by 2030. Virginia leaders in particular have aggressively promoted offshore wind in recent years, and the state’s largest power company, Dominion Energy, signaled this year that it plans to put more resources into developing its clean energy portfolio.
In a statement, the Sierra Club hailed the agreement.
“This partnership between Mid-Atlantic States is only the start of unlocking the region’s massive potential for clean affordable offshore wind energy,” said David Smedick, the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal senior campaign representative. “The region must move quickly to attract investment in this burgeoning industry and help ensure we bring clean energy and family-sustaining, union jobs to Maryland.”
But Hogan’s own record and rhetoric on two long-proposed offshore wind projects off the coast of Ocean City have been decidedly mixed — and some environmental groups have grumbled for years that he and his administration could be doing more to promote offshore wind. A year ago, when the Maryland Department of Environment issued a detailed draft proposal about how the state would reduce greenhouse emissions, environmentalists and their allies in the General Assembly argued that offshore wind notably received short shrift — a contention that state Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles pushed back on.
Maryland has two offshore wind projects under review by the U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The Skipjack Wind Farm Project, to be built by Ørsted Offshore North American, is set to be located 19.5 miles off the coast of the northern part of Ocean City and adjoining Delaware beach towns.
Also under consideration is the MarWin Wind Farm project, which would be situated roughly 17 miles off the Ocean City coast, proposed by U.S. Wind.
Both projects were enabled by the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013, which was heavily promoted by then-Gov. Martin J. O’Malley (D) and passed by the Democratic supermajorities in the General Assembly after a years-long legislative fight. But after receiving approval from the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) in 2017, the wind projects have proceeded at a sluggish pace — and amid increasing vocal opposition from political and business leaders in Ocean City, Maryland’s No. 1 tourist town.
Ocean City hired Bruce C. Bereano — arguably the most enthusiastic Hogan supporter in the Annapolis lobbying corps — to try to derail the proposals or push them farther offshore, and hired Timothy F. Maloney, a former state lawmaker and close Hogan friend, for some legal work related to the wind turbines, even though Maloney had no prior experience arguing cases before the PSC.
In the past year, Ørsted has had to fend off a challenge in the PSC after the company announced that it would be using larger turbines than it had originally said it would — to meet changing standards in the industry. The PSC, whose commissioners all have been appointed by Hogan, could have simply noted the change but instead initiated a lengthy hearing process to gauge community opinion — a process endorsed by the Hogan-controlled Maryland Energy Administration.
In August, the PSC signed off on Ørsted’s bigger turbines, at the MEA’s recommendation. But the PSC proceeding may have delayed the project’s completion by almost a year.
Without knowing how long the federal regulatory process will take — and the outcome of the presidential election could make a difference — both Ørsted and U.S. Wind said they hope to turn the turbines on in 2023, which seems like an optimistic estimate.
Both Ørsted and U.S. Wind issued statements Thursday that applauded the three-state wind energy compact.
Brady Walker, Ørsted’s Mid-Atlantic manager, hailed the governors’ “forward-thinking approach,” and said the company is “excited to engage with their effort to grow this new American industry.”
Salvo Vitale, the U.S. Wind country manager, said the agreement will be good for both Maryland and the region.
“We believe this strategic multi-state partnership will be critical leverage right now as many regions compete to attract the larger economic development that comes with the full offshore wind manufacturing supply-chain,” he said. “Locally based supply chain options will bring cost savings to Maryland rate-payers as we expand offshore wind development. We stand ready to be a creative and dynamic partner, with global expertise, as we work together to meet Maryland’s renewable energy goals, while creating high-quality jobs and driving significant local investment in the Baltimore area and across Maryland.”
Notably, neither company said Thursday’s announcement would improve the prospects for their projects in Maryland’s waters.
By Josh Kurtz
Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) on Wednesday pulled $250 million from the state’s rainy day fund, intending to keep small businesses open during the COVID-19 pandemic through help with rent, employee salaries, upgrades and other efforts.
During a State House press conference, Hogan said the state’s economic and health recoveries depend on everyday Marylanders continuing to follow safety guidance, while he also pushed some of Maryland’s larger counties to reopen businesses further.
The governor also chided the rate that smaller counties have spent federal stimulus money; only about one-third of $362 million in CARES Act funding directed to 19 counties in the state has been spent so far, with a deadline of Dec. 31.
Hogan said the new state funding would also be required to be spent by the end of the year, and suggested that counties use their unspent federal stimulus money to create matching grants.
“I have directed our teams in each agency to ensure that this much-needed funding gets out the door to our struggling citizens and small businesses as quickly as possible,” Hogan said.
The governor’s relief plan announced Wednesday includes:
Another $100 million is set aside as an “emergency response fund,” which would allow the state to immediately direct money to areas of economic concern in the future, Hogan said.
The spending will be “critical to the thousands of struggling restaurants, small businesses and main streets across the state who are attempting to weather this crisis,” the governor said.
“Equally important to their survival will be all 24 jurisdictions finally moving into stage three of the Maryland strong roadmap to recovery plan,” Hogan said. State law allows counties to reopen at a pace slower than the statewide recommendations, depending on local health concerns.
Some of Maryland’s larger jurisdictions, where COVID-19 case rates have been higher, continue to limit certain businesses, including indoor dining.
“They had particular situations on the ground that caused them to go a little slower, which they thought was prudent,” Hogan said. But now, he said he believes health metrics in the counties warrant wider reopening efforts.
“We’re trying to get the schools open, we’re trying to get the businesses open,” Hogan said.
Overall, Maryland’s economy is rebounding faster than other states, but more help is still needed for small businesses, Hogan said.
“Our economy is doing better than the country and most almost all the states in America, but it’s still really bad. It’s not it’s not a great situation for all these hardworking, struggling folks,” he said.
The governor continued to call on federal lawmakers to get moving on a second round of nationwide stimulus relief.
“We need both parties in Washington to stop playing politics to end the gridlock and to get this done for the American people,” Hogan said. “Our small business community and our struggling Marylanders who depend on them for their jobs cannot afford to wait any longer.”
Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), who has been instigating for a state-level small business stimulus, including at Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting chaired by Hogan, said after the announcement that the proposal was insufficient.
Franchot, a likely candidate for governor in 2022, has suggested an infusion of at least $500 million, either from 2020 surplus funds, the state’s rainy day fund, or through borrowing.
“Today’s announcement by Governor Hogan is a good start, but it’s simply not enough,” Franchot said. “Contrary to the Governor’s analysis of our fiscal posture, we are in a position to do more without taking another penny from the Rainy Day Fund.”
Franchot also noted that $100 million of Hogan’s proposal is not yet earmarked for relief.
“Just two years ago, the State of Maryland was willing to pony up $8.6 Billion to lure Amazon’s East Coast headquarters. Surely, we can do better than letting tens of thousands of small businesses, nonprofits, and Main Street communities fight over scraps,” Franchot said in a statement.
Hogan said during the press conference that his administration landed on the $250 million figure because it would leave the state’s rainy day fund with about $1 billion, which has been the state’s longtime recommended reserve level.
Hogan also cautioned Wednesday that the state is monitoring a small uptick in coronavirus-related hospitalizations in the past week and that small gatherings and parties continue to be the number one source of new cases in the state.
“We can’t let our guard down and we should remain vigilant ― even when we are in close contact with the people that we know and love,” Hogan said. “Outdoor activity continues to be much safer than indoor activity, and frequent hand washing remains a critically important tool. Following these simple guidelines will keep us firmly on the road to recovery and help us slow the spread, prevent the surge and keep Maryland open for business.”
By Danielle E. Gaines
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot urges Gov. Larry Hogan to provide additional COVID-19 relief to small businesses in the state. Franchot, who made the request Wednesday morning during the Maryland Board of Public Works meetings, wants the state to provide $500 million to help small businesses.
Hogan said the state has provided $250 million for small businesses and passed through billions in federal funds to aid businesses and those who are unemployed.
The governor said he would be announcing additional measures to benefit small businesses on Thursday.
Both men agreed that Congress needs to put aside party differences and pass a federal stimulus package to help citizens and businesses.
Franchot is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022; Hogan is term limited and has been the subject of speculation about a future presidential bid.
Nearly half of all Marylanders have experienced financial hardship since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and people remain concerned that they or a loved one will get sick, according to a just-released survey.
Skepticism about a potential vaccine is high across the state, regardless of ideology.
Republicans are much more skeptical about the benefits of mask-wearing and social distancing than Democrats.
And Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) continues to get very high marks for his handling of the crisis — particularly from residents of the Washington, D.C. suburbs, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by wide margins.
The wide-ranging poll’s cross-tabs, which look at gender, ideology, race, geography and other characteristics, reveal fairly broad demographic differences.
The Goucher College poll of 1,002 Maryland residents was taken between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4 by the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College. It had a 3.1-point margin of error.
The main takeaways:
A strong majority (58%) of residents said Maryland’s approach to reopening the economy has been “about right.” Nearly a quarter (23%) believed the state moved “too quickly;” 16% said reopenings came “too slowly.”
Half of survey respondents (51%) said they believe the worst of the pandemic “is behind us,” a view that runs counter to the warnings being expressed by public health experts. Forty percent of Marylanders believe the worst “is yet to come.”
Just under half (45%) of residents have experienced “severe” or “moderate” financial hardship since the virus hit the state in March; 55% said they had endured no money woes.
Nearly seven in 10 Marylanders said they have some or a great deal of concern that they or a loved one will become infected, while 31% who have little or no concern.
By an overwhelming margin, residents remain happy with Hogan’s coronavirus leadership. The former head of the National Governors Association moved aggressively to close schools, limit business activity and ramp up the public health response when the virus first hit.
By a better than 5-to-1 margin, Marylanders give the second-term executive, who has started to position himself for a potential White House bid in 2024, a thumbs-up for his decision-making and rhetoric.
The poll’s cross-tabs reveal a lot about the ways race, age, political ideology and geography shape Marylanders’ attitudes toward the epidemic and public health.
Exposure concern, masks and the future of COVID-19
Republicans are much less concerned about COVID-19 infection hitting their family. Overall concern about an infection is high (69-31). Among Democrats it’s even higher (82-18). But only 47% of Republicans say they’re worried about exposure.
Party affiliation also affects residents’ views of public-health precautions.
By an 11-1 margin, residents believe that wearing masks and social distancing “can help stop the spread” of the virus. Support is highest among Democrats (98-2) and women (94-5). It is lower among Republicans (77-19) and men (84-13).
Echoing the concerns raised by scientists and public health leaders, Democrats (52-38), Blacks (54-40) and women (46-45) believe the pandemic will get worse. Conversely, Republicans (74-18), whites (56-33) and men (57-33) believe “the worst is behind us.”
Although a majority of residents of all stripes think the pace of the state’s reopening has been “about right,” women, Democrats and younger adults were more likely to say that the state has moved “too quickly.”
“Women are displaying more caution than their male counterparts,” said political science professor Mileah Kromer, the director of the survey, in an interview. “It seems to be on the basis of caution. It’s slight, but it’s present.”
Financial hardship
The COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the state’s economy, and while some rehiring has occurred, the impacts on families have been widespread. Jobs have been lost and tens of thousands of people have been forced to dig into their savings and rely on help from friends, family and food banks to meet basic needs.
Younger adults (56-44), Blacks (53-47), people of “other races” (54-46) and people who didn’t go to college (52-48) reported moderate or severe financial hardship due to the economic slowdown.
People aged 35 and up, college graduates and whites — those more likely to be able to work from home or are retired — were more likely to say they had not endured any financial woes due to the coronavirus.
In an analysis for Maryland Matters, Goucher revealed that residents of the Baltimore region were more likely to have experienced financial distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Residents of Baltimore City and Baltimore County (56-44) said they have had money woes. People who live in the Washington, D.C., suburbs (43-57) were less likely to have struggled financially. The same was true for the residents of Central Maryland, the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland (41-59).
Hogan
Hogan turned over the reins of state government to Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R) in March, so that he could focus on the pandemic full time.
Like his overall job-approval numbers, Hogan’s handling of the virus (82-16) would be the envy of any leader.
His support is highest, remarkably, in two counties dominated by Democrats, Prince George’s (91-9) and Montgomery (85-12).
Democrats (86-13) like his COVID game plan even more than Republicans (75-23). And his support among Blacks for the way he has handled the public health crisis (85-14) edges out his white backing (81-17).
Kromer thinks the stark contrast between Hogan and President Trump works in the governor’s favor in the D.C. suburbs.
“I have to wonder if there is something there, given how prominent the federal government is in the D.C. suburbs,” she said. “They are in a hot spot and they’ve been in a hot spot for a while.”
Hogan is part of a group of Northeast governors whose early, aggressive actions have won them applause. Many Southern and Midwestern governors who were outspoken about the need to reopen have seen their poll numbers tank.
Vaccines
President Trump, who has made more than 20,000 false statements since taking office, according to a Washington Post count, has repeatedly promised that a vaccine will be available this year, a statement contradicted by his own to advisers.
The Goucher poll found that Marylanders are skeptical about vaccines.
Asked whether they would take an “FDA-approved” vaccine, 49% said no, while 48% said yes.
Younger adults (56-41) and whites (54-43) were more willing to do so. Adults between 35 and 54 (38-59) and Blacks (38-61) said they would decline.
By Bruce DePuyt
Maryland will pursue a phased approach to business activity, social interaction and recreation, but the timing will be dictated by the state’s day-by-day tracking of its COVID-19 hospitalization rates, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. said Friday afternoon.
In releasing his eagerly anticipated three-part “roadmap” during a State House news conference, he cautioned that a premature rush to resume commerce — or an over-eager return to socializing — would result in a second wave of illness, hospitalization and death.
And until there is a vaccine, life will continue to be different, the governor warned.
“The number of new cases of COVID-19 is still rising here in Maryland,” Hogan said. “Maryland is not yet able to lift our restrictions.”
The governor’s plan for reopening businesses and easing the stay-at-home order will take place in three phases.
In Phase 1, which he said “could” begin in early May, the stay-at-home order would be lifted, many small businesses would be allowed to open and “lower-risk” community activities would resume.
Examples he listed included small retail shops, boating, golfing, fishing, tennis, outdoor religious activities, outdoor fitness and gym classes, and the resumption of outpatient surgeries and hospital procedures in counties with lower coronavirus infection rates.
Phase 1 would also bring flexibility for counties to open parks, playgrounds, recreation centers and libraries — “if they deemed that appropriate safety protocols could be followed,” a reference to the use of masks and social distancing.
If Phase 1 doesn’t result in “a spike in deaths” or ICU use, Maryland could move to Phase 2, the governor said. If hospitalizations see a sustained rise, there are clusters of new infections, or people aren’t complying with social distancing, the state can pause Phase 1 and not advance to Phase 2 until conditions improve.
In Phase 2, a “larger number of businesses would open” and “other public activities would come back online.” Those would include indoor religious gatherings, larger social gatherings, more normal transit schedules, and — potentially — restaurants and bars.
Phase 3 would allow for the return of “higher-risk activities” such as larger social events and entertainment venues, non-emergency hospital care and an end to restrictions on nursing home visits.
For Maryland to reopen, individuals must continue to be vigilant, Hogan said. And they should be prepared to wear masks and avoid crowds until there is a vaccine, which experts have said could take more than a year.
“If we try to rush this, and if we don’t do it in a thoughtful and responsible way, it could cause a rebound of the virus, which could deepen the economic crisis, prolong the fiscal problems and slow our economic recovery,” he said.
Dr. Thomas V. Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, speaks Friday afternoon at a press conference. Photo courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor.
Dr. Thomas V. Inglesby, the director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, echoed Hogan’s warnings.
“It’s clear that if we open the state today, we would risk a fast acceleration in the epidemic to very high numbers,” he said. “New daily cases are plateauing. … For the state to move forward in easing social distancing in a lower-risk way, there needs to be a period of declining hospitalization, and ICU stays and deaths from COVID, in Maryland.”
“There isn’t a decline yet,” he added.
In linking the start of the phased recovery to the COVID-19 data that are compiled by the Maryland Department of Health each day, Hogan implicitly rejected the demands from ReOpen Maryland, the group which formed two weeks ago.
ReOpen, one of several groups to spring up around the country, held a noisy protest last Saturday in Annapolis, urging Hogan to allow normal social and business activity on May 1.
The administration has created 15 advisory groups, made up of health experts, business people, religious leaders and nonprofit organizations, to guide the state’s decision-making on when and how to allow for greater business activity and social interaction.
Though he expressed a desire to get his plan moving in “early May,” the governor stressed that it can’t precede a downward trend in the key metrics. “We won’t be able to just flip a switch. Unfortunately, life is not going to just immediately go back to normal. In fact, it is important to recognize that until a vaccine is developed, the way we go about our daily lives and the way we work is going to be significantly different for a while longer.”
Reaction to the rollout of the governor’s plan was generally positive — though there is a desire to see more detail and a wider outreach.
Mike O’Halloran, head of NFIB-Maryland, said small business owners who have been forced to close face a “very harsh reality” and are in greater need of “reliability.”
“This is their livelihood,” he said. “Their homes are collateral and if they don’t pay their bills, they are looking at some pretty dire consequences.”
“We understand that the administration is between a rock and a hard place,” O’Halloran added, “but we’re hopeful that moving forward that more details will be released — and in short order.”
ReOpen Maryland was highly critical, however.
“Destroying a state’s economy, restricting civil liberties, and straining families’ emotional well-being requires a far higher level of certainty than ‘guesswork,’” the group said in a lengthy statement. “We advocate for an end to the overly broad, economically and socially destructive shutdown and lockdown policies that have injured countless Maryland families and businesses and had a chilling effect upon civil rights.”
Howard County Executive Calvin S. Ball said he appreciated the governor’s conservative approach to reopening the economy, but he urged a greater voice for local governments — perhaps through the Maryland Association of Counties or the Maryland Municipal League.
“There will be specifics that relate to each of our counties and the City of Baltimore that we need to consider, and I think that we can do that collaboratively, working together,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Nancy J. King (D-Montgomery) said she was “totally impressed” with Hogan’s approach.
“I’m sure not in any big rush to go running out,” she said. “I want to get ahead of this thing before I’m ready to leave my home and go out and do stuff.”
Hogan said he is relying on a team of advisers that includes Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, American Enterprise Institute President Robert Doar, Under Armour Executive Chairman Kevin Plank, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Ingelsby.
As of Friday, Maryland reported 16,616 confirmed cases of coronavirus, an increase of 879 from the day before. Nearly 800 people have died (723 confirmed and another 75 considered “probable”), with 24 fatalities occurring in the last 24 hours alone, according to the state Department of Health.
The state’s population centers account for more than half the state’s cases. Prince George’s County had 4,403, Montgomery had 3,227 and Baltimore County had 2,234.
Go to https://governor.maryland.gov/recovery/ to read the governor’s “Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery.”
By Bruce DePuyt
