Making Investments That Support a Strong, Resilient, and Inclusive Economy

Maryland has spent years cutting and capping its investment in public services as policymakers continue to deal with slow economic growth and increased need for public assistance in the years following the Great Recession. While these steps were a necessary and responsible approach in the short-term, the need for significant new investments is continuing to pile up. To ensure that more Marylanders experience an economy that offers broad prosperity and a widely shared, rising standard of living, we must make meaningful investments in things like schools, health care, affordable housing, and transit.

Policy Tools

• Invest in transit. An effective transit system helps people get to work, students travel to school, and reduces congestion on the roads – which in turn makes it easier and more cost effective for people and goods to get around. We have immediate needs for investment in transit. In the D.C. area, restoring the Metro system to a well-functioning, affordable system is critical for the region’s workers and our economy. In Baltimore, residents in neighborhoods most in need of investment were left without access to job centers when the Red Line project was cancelled in 2015. People in more rural areas of the state would benefit from innovative transit models that allow them to travel to work, school, and other destinations without a car. Expanding and improving our state’s transit options is essential if we want Maryland to continue to be an attractive business destination.
• Increase broadband internet access. Access to affordable, high-speed internet service is critical for any business or individual in their day-to-day life today. But, despite years of discussion about increasing rural broadband access, there are still too many people in rural parts of Maryland who can’t get this service because major companies don’t see it as profitable. Maryland needs more flexibility in its policies to make it easier for rural Marylanders to develop creative, community-based solutions.
• Increase availability of affordable housing. Maryland’s high housing costs make it difficult for many families to find and keep stable, decent housing. It also makes it harder for many businesses to recruit the workers they need. The federal government now allocates only enough money to assist one of every four eligible families, leaving the majority without any help in the face of rising rents. Last year, more than 8,000 Marylanders were homeless, including about 2,000 children.[i] Additional investment in housing assistance at the state level would bring even greater benefits to Maryland families and our economy.
• Reduce or eliminate waiting lists. When Maryland families hits a rough patch, economic supports like nutrition assistance, public health programs, and tax credits help them get back on their feet. However, these supports are often inaccessible to many people who need them. Insufficient funding levels mean some families still can’t meet their basic needs, even with assistance. Long waiting lists keep people from accessing child care assistance, services that help low-income seniors live independently, and supportive services for people with disabilities. Increasing funding levels to reflect the needs in the state will help struggling families and put money into local economies.

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[i] http://www.mdeconomy.org/federal-housing-assistance-is-a-good-investment-that-helps-more-than-tenants/