Statement in Support of HB 66- No Wrong Door Pilot Program

Position Statement Supporting House Bill 66

Given before the House Appropriations Committee

H.B 66 Opens New Doors for Marylanders to Economic Security

The No Wrong Door Pilot Program makes Maryland’s greatest anti-poverty tool, the safety net, more available to Maryland’s most vulnerable residents. The programs and credits that make up the safety net cut the federal poverty rate in half in 2012. We know that the impacts are similar in Maryland. Last year the Food Supplement Program put over 780,000 meals on tables in Maryland. The Earned Income Tax Credit injected nearly $900 million into Maryland’s local economies. [1]

These programs also help Maryland’s economy by keeping Maryland’s families on the road to the middle class. They are an investment in Maryland’s future that make sure we have a healthy and well-educated workforce. Poverty and the effects of poverty are a drain on our economy. For instance, when children don’t have regular meals, they do worse in school. If a parent doesn’t have child care, they can’t work. Families without health care seek treatment in emergency rooms. These are costs to the state.

We can do more to help families make ends meet and move into the middle class. We can improve how people access these life-saving and life-changing programs and credits. No Wrong Door would be a significant step forward. HB66 helps families achieve their dream of moving into the middle class while reducing cost to the state. We have a chance to strengthen our economy and our middle class and therefore The Maryland Center on Economic Policy respectfully requests that this committee report favorably on House Bill 66.

[1] Internal Revenue Service Tax Year 2012 Data as of June 30, 2014, analyzed by Maryland CASH Campaign