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In Closing MACo Remarks, Hogan Reflects on Counties’ Role in Combating COVID

August 21, 2021 by Maryland Matters

In his penultimate gubernatorial speech at the annual Maryland Association of Counties summer conference, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) touted the state’s high vaccination rate and pandemic relief funding — and urged counties to quickly distribute that money to residents who need it.

Closing out the MACo summer conference at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City Saturday, Hogan outlined a slew of relief measures the state has undertaken from the onset of the pandemic, including the emergency funding and tax breaks in the RELIEF Act passed earlier this year.

“It has offered a real lifeline to those hardest-hit, families who are struggling just to get by and small businesses who are desperately trying to stay afloat,” he said.

He also cautioned that, while counties have recently received rent relief funding from the federal government, some of that money has been slow to get to residents and businesses.

“I just can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to try to get this relief out to the people that need it most as quickly as possible,” he said.

Some county officials have blamed federal red tape and cumbersome applications for slow progress on distributing rent relief funding. Hogan’s statewide protections for tenants, which allowed for an affirmative defense in failure-to-pay rent eviction filings, expired earlier this month despite calls from local leaders and advocates to renew them.

After three days of policy panels and partying, the MACo summer conference traditionally ends on Saturday with a speech from the governor. Often the platform is used to unveil new proposals or for political messaging.

Caroline County Commissioner Wilbur Levengood Jr. (R), the president of MACo, accidentally began to introduce Hogan, who is thought to have White House ambitions, as “the 62nd president…governor of the state of Maryland.” He laughed at the mistake.

During his speech, Hogan underscored the partnership between the state and county governments in Maryland over the past year and a half. He said counties and the state worked together to ramp up the state’s hospital surge capacity, procure and distribute personal protective equipment, complete millions of COVID-19 tests and undertake a massive vaccination campaign that has led to Maryland’s high statewide vaccination rate.

“It’s never been more important to have the collaboration and the partnership that we’ve had over the past 18 months,” he said.

The governor went on to say that transportation officials will be rolling out a new consolidated transportation program that will include funding for expanding Route 90 near Ocean City — a project he described as both a boon for public safety and the local economy.

Hogan also highlighted the state’s latest $400 million broadband expansion effort, the Connect Maryland initiative, which he announced alongside legislative leaders Friday. Broadband access, made more salient than ever by the COVID-19 pandemic, was among the most discussed topics at the 2021 MACo summer conference.

While in past years Hogan has occasionally slammed legislation from the General Assembly in his closing speech at MACo, this year’s speech mostly focused on state aid to counties and pandemic recovery. Other than teasing the transportation plan and mentioning his desire to focus on Maryland’s long-term public health and economic well-being, the governor offered no policy prescriptions or initiatives for his final 16 months in office.

Hogan lauded local officials and health care workers for their service throughout the pandemic.

“I’m so proud of the people of Maryland, and I’m grateful for the partnership with the Maryland Association of Counties,” Hogan said. “We are ready to come back from this pandemic stronger and better than ever before.”

By Bennett Leckrone

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Marylanders Could See RELIEF Act Stimulus Payments This Week, Franchot Says

February 17, 2021 by Maryland Matters

Eligible Marylanders could begin receiving RELIEF Act payments from the state by the end of the week, Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D) said at a briefing Tuesday.

Franchot said his office has already started processing roughly 267,000 electronic payments and 149,000 paper checks for 422,531 eligible stimulus recipients, totaling more than $175 million, will soon head out to low-income Marylanders who filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in 2019 and still live in the state.

“Those are out of our office,” Franchot said. “They’re delivered to banks. Banks then have to do a certain amount of protection of the taxpayers by doing fraud protection reviews.”

More than 98% of the state stimulus payments will be processed by the end of the week, Franchot said. He added he expects the electronic payments to start appearing in eligible people’s bank accounts on Friday.

The speedy processing of the stimulus payments came just a day after Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), alongside legislative leaders, signed the billion-dollar RELIEF Act into law. That relief effort was fast-tracked through the legislature in recent weeks, despite heated debate over who should be included in the bill’s immediate stimulus checks.

The finalized RELIEF Act provides immediate payments of $500 for families and $300 for individuals who filed for the EITC in 2019 and still reside in the state.

Franchot said there is roughly $2.7 million in stimulus payments that can’t currently be sent out, since his office doesn’t have a valid bank account for verified addresses for those recipients. He warned that 6,574 Marylanders won’t be able to receive their stimulus checks until they contact his office to update their information.

“Their payments are currently in a holding pattern,” Franchot said.

He added that his office has launched an online portal so Marylanders can tell if they’re eligible for the payments. People can also email their RELIEF Act questions to RELIEFAct@marylandtaxes.gov, or call 1-833-345-0787.

Franchot also acknowledged that the stimulus payments won’t go to every low-income Marylander. He added that he expects a “flood of calls” from people asking why they aren’t eligible for the stimulus payments.

“We’re not the legislature, and we’re not the governor, who made this program,” Franchot said.

He reiterated that, even though he thinks the legislature’s amendments improved upon Hogan’s RELIEF Act, he still feels that the relief effort “falls far, far short of the goal of genuine relief.”

Franchot warned that, because the EITC requires a Social Security number, many tax-paying immigrants who file taxes with individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITIN) won’t receive stimulus checks. He also said the EITC is an underutilized program, with some Marylanders who qualify not claiming the tax credit.

And he again reiterated his call for Hogan and the legislature to provide larger stimulus checks to a broader group of Maryland taxpayers.

“No one can seriously think that a few hundred dollars, a $300 check, is going to make a dent in the mountain of debt that’s been accumulated over the past year by many of these wonderful Maryland families and citizens,” Franchot said.

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) have pledged to quickly pass legislation that would extend EITC benefits to ITIN filers for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 tax years. More than 86,000 ITIN filers paid more than $100 million in state and local taxes last year, according to Franchot, and many of those taxpayers would meet the EITC income criteria.

“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,” a statement from Jones and Ferguson, released shortly after the final passage of the RELIEF Act, reads.

By Bennett Leckrone

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Md. General Assembly Passes Billion-Dollar RELIEF Act; Hogan to Sign into Law Monday

February 13, 2021 by Maryland Matters

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.

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

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Promises to Work Together — But Also Glaring Differences — as Unprecedented Session Begins

January 14, 2021 by Maryland Matters

On the first day of the Maryland General Assembly’s 442th session, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and Democratic leaders of the legislature pledged to work collaboratively on shared priorities — economic relief for needy residents, boosting distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, and aid for struggling businesses chief among them.

But the outlines of differing policy preferences and timetables for action emerged even before lawmakers formally convened at midday Wednesday in Annapolis.

In a live-streamed Wednesday interview with The Daily Record, Hogan (R) urged the Assembly to take up his recently-unveiled $1 billion relief plan immediately. Moments later, the leaders of the state Senate and House of Delegates signaled they would spend at least the first couple weeks of the session crafting their own multi-pronged package.

Similarly, lawmakers said they intended to make good on a long-held pledge to override Hogan’s veto of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a bill to dramatically boost education spending, despite the governor’s assertion that doing so would be “one of the biggest mistakes” the legislature has ever made.

The promises to work together — and the early outlines of disagreement — occurred on an opening day like none in state history.

The Senate floor as seen from one of the galleries above. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines, Maryland Matters

The joviality that accompanies opening day sessions was gone. There were no squirming babies in the House or Senate chamber, fidgeting children hoping to escape fancy clothes, or spouses. There was no back-slapping and there were no receptions.

Forearm-grabbing lobbyists were almost nowhere to be seen, and the galleries were empty, except for a small number of socially-distanced journalists.

The hearty laugh and larger-than-life presence of Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., whose history-shaping 50-year run as a legislator ended in December, was also absent.

In the Senate, lawmakers sat at desks that had plexiglass partitions with swinging half-doors. Staff also sat in isolation booths that had been constructed over the interim. The proceedings were live-streamed to a public that was otherwise shut out of the State House.

Around State Circle, security was tighter than normal, a response to online threats of violence against state capitols in the wake of last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Newly re-elected Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), fighting back emotion, called this session “something very, very different.” But he said lawmakers have the potential to “change destiny.”

“Over the next 90 days, we have an unbelievable opportunity to truly change destiny,” he said. “It’s going to take very, very tough conversations. It’s going to take creative problem-solving, long hours, and working across the aisle in ways and spaces and formats that you have never used before.”

House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County), like Ferguson, was reelected unanimously.

Before Jones spoke, House Majority Leader Eric G. Luedtke (D-Montgomery) read the invocation on behalf of Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg (D-Baltimore City), who traditionally delivers the prayer on the opening day of the legislative session, but was one of more than 40 House members who did not attend the opening ceremony.

“Since we last met, some words have new meanings: ‘Zoom,’ ‘House annex,’ ‘virtual hearing,’” Luedtke read. “Some phrases have not changed: ’propose,’ ‘persuade,’ ‘count to 71,’ ‘the rule of law.’”

“Some issues have come to the forefront, like our commitment to racial and economic justice” Luedtke continued. “As we work together to address these and other challenges in the days ahead, may we remain committed to the people who sent us here to make policy on their behalf.”

Following her swearing-in, Jones thanked the chamber.

“I’m going to spare you of a speech, I just want to thank each and every one of you and we’ve got the people’s business to do, so let’s get started,” Jones said to applause.

The pandemic yielded some unusual seating arrangements in the House chamber: Del. Tony Bridges (D-Baltimore City) sat in a tall chair — no desk — in a back corner, while 14 of his colleagues were spaced out in the public gallery above.

A limited number of House lawmakers — enough for a quorum to start the session and make necessary rule changes — were on hand for opening day.

At one point during the short House floor session, a small group of Republican delegates assembled outside, wanting to take part in the proceedings. House aides arranged for them to come through the chamber in a single-file line and raise a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the rule changes.

“We were told not to show up, but we were upset about that, so we wanted to be recognized that we were here to do our job,” Del. April Rose (R-Carroll) said.

The changes to the rules will allow roughly half of the House chamber to sit in an annex created in the House office building. The make-up of the seating arrangement was drawn by lottery and Republicans are present in both chambers at the same ratio.

While members in the annex will be able to vote on and debate measures on the floor in real time, via video, there will be something of a hierarchy in that auxiliary room, with Speaker Pro Tem Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore) presiding and committee vice chairs sitting in the front row. Lawmakers who want to speak will not be able to do so from their desks, but will go to a protected area that looks a little like an old phone booth.

House Speaker Pro Tem Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore) will preside over the “chamber annex” in the weeks ahead. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines, Maryland Matters

Even as dramatic measures are being taken to keep members safe and socially distanced as the coronavirus continues to rage, state officials are also mindful of the heightened security threat in Annapolis.

“The confluence of events in which we are operating – the pandemic, the threats on democracy, the health precautions that we have to take – it doesn’t feel like anything I ever imagined,” Ferguson told reporters virtually after the first floor session had ended.

Hogan, who faulted federal security officials for a “terrible lack of preparation” in the lead-up to last week’s riot in Washington, D.C., said “we’re taking every precaution we can to make sure that that does not happen here in our State House.”

“While we’re not expecting that kind of a situation, we’re prepared for whatever eventuality might come up, and we’re going to try to keep people safe,” Hogan said during The Daily Record’s “Eye on Annapolis” Summit, which is held annually on the first day of session. “We’re going to keep everybody from causing any trouble.”

Dueling relief plans

Hogan’s $1 billion relief plan would use a mix of targeted tax cuts and taps a portion of the state’s rainy day fund to aid struggling families and small businesses. It would offer stimulus checks to Marylanders who qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2019 or 2020. The payouts would amount to $450 for individuals and $750 for families, with no application needed.

Hogan’s stimulus package would provide $180 million in tax relief for unemployed residents by repealing all state and local income taxes on unemployment benefits. It would also allow small businesses to keep up to $12,000 in sales tax over the next four months, amounting to $300 million statewide.

Legislative leaders have yet to release their full relief plans, but they have signaled that they are looking for more robust spending, and also want to help renters on the verge of eviction, homeowners on the verge of foreclosure, and Marylanders struggling to pay their utility bills.

They have also committed to enact police reform, ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants and repeal the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights.

In the wake of the ongoing public health, governmental, social justice and economic crises the state and nation are facing, the governor said “our normal big legislative package has been slimmed down to a very focused agenda.”

“Our most important piece of legislation is the relief act,” he added. “That’s really the only thing I care about, frankly. … If the legislature passed the budget, passed some relief, I’d call it a huge success and call it a day.”

Jones and Ferguson said they had not seen Hogan’s proposal, and they shrugged off his request to pass it on opening day. “We have a relief package and we’re going to prioritize that,” the speaker said.

“Marylanders are hurting in ways that are unimaginable,” Ferguson added. “We all share the urgency to make sure that we help the most vulnerable Marylanders to be able to get through this crisis.”

The Senate leader said proposals to improve the state’s beleaguered unemployment insurance system would be part of the legislature’s recovery package.

Lawmakers prepare to override Hogan veto

Legislative leaders are determined to override Hogan’s veto of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a measure to pump an additional $4 billion into the state’s public schools system, partially funded by a new tax on digital downloads.

In his morning interview, Hogan acknowledged that the Democratic-led Assembly has the numbers to overturn him — but he warned that doing so would fly in the face of public opinion.

“The legislature does have the power to override those vetoes, [but] I think it would be one of the biggest mistakes they ever made,” Hogan said.

“We have provided record funding into education six years in a row,” Hogan said, “and our budget [for next year] is going to put more money than the legislative formulas call for.”

Supporters of the education legislation made their presence felt in Annapolis Wednesday with a small rally featuring 20 cardboard cutouts of Maryland public school students.

The groups Progressive Maryland and Working Families sent a billboard truck to downtown Annapolis to rally for more funding for COVID-19 relief efforts. The truck carried videotaped messages of Marylanders who have seen their livelihoods jeopardized by the pandemic.

With restaurants, hotels and stores largely quiet, the truck playing the video messages was one of the few overt signs that the General Assembly is back in session for the first time since lawmakers cut short the 2020 session last March.

“It looks like a ghost town here in Annapolis,” Hogan said.

By Bruce DePuyt, Danielle E. Gaines, Josh Kurtz, Hannah Gaskill, and Bennett Leckrone

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

As COVID-19 Cases Spike, Hogan Provides More Economic Aid

November 13, 2020 by Maryland Matters

As the coronavirus continues to surge across the nation, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) dispensed more federal money to boost the state’s emergency response to the virus.

“The sad truth is that the next several months will likely be by far, the most difficult that we have faced,” Hogan said in a State House news conference late Thursday afternoon. “Unfortunately we have more tough times ahead of us, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

On Thursday, the state reported a positivity rate of 5.65%, the highest it’s been since May 27, as well as an additional 1,477 cases over past 24 hours. For nine days in a row, the state has reported over 1,000 new daily cases.

Maryland is currently in the “red zone” for COVID-19 cases as designated by the federal government, along with many other states, Hogan said. The average number of cases per 100,000 residents has risen to 22.8, which is a 52% increase in just the last seven days.

On Sunday, Maryland’s coronavirus positivity rate passed the 5% benchmark, a metric set by the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization to track the spread of COVID-19, for the first time since June 25, and has only increased since then.

Half of Maryland’s jurisdictions have positivity rates higher than this benchmark: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Charles, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Somerset and Washington.

In response to the recent spike in cases, Hogan announced an additional $70 million in state spending through the federal CARES Act:

$20 million for a strategic stockpile of personal protective equipment; Maryland currently has a 90-day supply, Hogan said.
$15 million for more staffing support in call centers, customer service and fraud detection programming in the Maryland Department of Labor
$10 million for rental assistance for low-income tenants
$10 million for vaccination planning and equipment, such as syringes
$10 million for food banks
$2 million for the Maryland Department of Human Services for foster care assistance
$2 million to the Maryland Department of Human Services for food (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and energy assistance
$1 million to sample wastewater to test for coronavirus outbreaks in vulnerable communities

Hogan urged the counties to spend their remaining CARES Act funding as soon as possible, emphasizing that the money would be forfeited if not spent by the end of the year. “We have a desperate need right now,” Hogan said.

Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus increased by 53% in the last two weeks, with 863 patients currently hospitalized in Maryland, which is the highest level since June 11. Meanwhile, 199 patients are in intensive care units in Maryland.

The number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations in the nation surged to its highest to over 65,000 patients on Wednesday.

“We are experiencing an out of control spike across the United States and we are seeing widespread community transmission here in Maryland,” Hogan said.

Even so, Dr. Jinlene Chan, deputy secretary of public health services for the Department of Health, and Hogan said the state’s health metrics for reopening schools have not changed.

“It [school reopening decisions] ultimately is the decision of the local school board in conjunction with the local health department,” Chan said. She encouraged school districts to balance the needs of education and mental health for children.

As funding from the Paycheck Protection Program and CARES Act trickles out, Hogan blamed Congress for its inability to reach a compromise on the next COVID-19 stimulus package.

“We’re very, very concerned with the continued gridlock, divisiveness and dysfunction in Washington, while people’s lives are at stake and people’s economic lives and their mental health,” Hogan said.

As “people in the White House are focused on fighting elections and the people in the Biden administration don’t have any information…there’s a little bit of a vacuum right now,” Hogan said.

In the spring, the state had to rent an ice rink as funeral homes and morgues became overloaded with people who had died from COVID-19, Hogan recalled. “We do not want to be in that situation again,” he said.

On Tuesday, Hogan reduced dine-in capacity for bars and restaurants from 75% to 50%, advised against traveling to states with a positivity rate above 10% and encouraged telework.

He said his goal is to keep as much of the economy open as possible, but so is preventing the hospitals from overflowing. “Might we have to take more restrictive action over the coming weeks or months? Absolutely, we might,” Hogan said.

By Elizabeth Shwe

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Hogan Announces Second $250 Million Business Relief Plan

October 23, 2020 by Maryland Matters

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:

$50 million for the Maryland Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Fund; the new infusion brings total state spending for fund to $145 million since March and will clear a backlog of all applications that have been submitted.
$50 million in new relief for restaurants, which can be used to help them buy improvements including HVAC filtration, outdoor dining amenities, technology upgrades to help with carryout and delivery orders, protective equipment for employees, or to help with rent. This money will go to counties, which will distribute it to qualifying restaurants.
$20 million for grants from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to help businesses and entertainment venues in the state’s “Main Street Maryland” and “Baltimore Main Streets” programs.
$20 million to the COVID-19 Layoff Aversion Fund. This program already disbursed $20 million through the Maryland Department of Labor, and has saved 9,000 jobs, Hogan said.
Additional funding includes $5 million to the Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority, $2 million for local tourism efforts, and $3 million for arts organizations and artists.

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

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Franchot Urges Hogan to Help Md. Small Businesses

October 21, 2020 by John Griep

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.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

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