Four Victories for Working Marylanders: The 2014 Legislative Session in Review

With the 2014 legislative session in the books, it is time to assess the General Assembly’s achievements as well as take stock of the work left undone. Today, we focus on several measures the legislature passed that will help move the needle toward broadly shared prosperity in Maryland.

 

1. Minimum wage increase. The General Assembly’s high-profile passage of legislation to raise the minimum wage in Maryland to $10.10 by 2018 will benefit nearly half a million workers and their families as well as boost the state’s economy (though compromises made by legislators will leave others behind). Maryland is now a leader in the nationwide effort to lift the stagnated earnings for workers, becoming the second state after Connecticut to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.

 

2. Expansion of tax credit for working Marylanders. Less noticed, but just as important, the expansion of Maryland’s Refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to 28 percent of the federal credit from 25 percent will benefit over 422,000 Maryland households and lift many Marylanders out of poverty. The EITC enjoys bipartisan support because it encourages work, promotes personal responsibility, and helps struggling families get by. 

 

3. A budget that protects Maryland workers and businesses.  Lawmakers in Annapolis passed a $39 billion budget while minimizing deep or unnecessary cuts to important programs that benefit working Marylanders. The General Assembly began their work under the cloud of reduced revenue estimates that were cut even further in the middle of the session, so it is important to recognize their efforts to balance the budget while avoiding damage to important programs that benefit working families and businesses alike.

 

4. Stopping corporate tax giveaways. Success is not just about passing good legislation but also preventing harmful laws from enactment. This session, the General Assembly wisely blocked legislation that would cut taxes for large, multistate corporations (though they did pass a misguided tax cut for the top 3 percent of estates). And – though it came down to the wire – lawmakers did not allow themselves to be blackmailed into providing more film tax credits for out-of-state production companies.

 

The victories achieved during the 2014 legislative session will help improve the lives of Marylanders and strengthen the state economy. Of course, important work remains to foster broad prosperity in Maryland. Check back tomorrow for our discussion of the work that remains in the 2015 legislative session and beyond.