Statement Regarding the Impact of Social Safety Net Programs on Poverty in Maryland
Given before the House Appropriations and Senate Budget and Taxation Committees
Poverty is Sixth Largest County, but Investments Make a Difference
Poverty remains a daily challenge for many in our communities. In fact, if the estimated 594,000 Marylanders living below the federal poverty line were their own county it would be the sixth largest, with a population larger than that of Maryland’s eleven smallest counties combined. But poverty would be a much bigger problem without our state safety net.