Transportation
Safe and reliable transportation infrastructure is critical to economic growth, job creation, and quality of life. That is why Governor Hogan worked tirelessly from his first day in office to rebuild Maryland’s crumbling roads and bridges and to expand access to public transportation.

During the O’Malley administration, Maryland’s transportation infrastructure fell into disrepair, and important projects were stalled. A billion dollars were siphoned out of the Transportation Trust Fund and diverted to unrelated programs.

Upon taking office, Governor Hogan was determined to reverse this neglect. He announced a historic $2 billion investment to build and repair roads and bridges in every corner of our state - from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore - including fixing all 69 of Maryland’s structurally deficient state-owned bridges.

Governor Hogan continues to focus on delivering much-needed transportation improvements by committing nearly $15 billion to the state’s Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP). This includes over $8 billion dedicated towards fixing roads and bridges. Additionally, more than half of the state’s highways - have been repaved. There are currently nearly 1,000 projects under construction across the state, totaling $9 billion. To address a long-standing concern in Southern Maryland, the governor also announced a $765 million replacement plan for the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (US 301).

Maryland has the second-longest commuting times in the country, particularly in the Washington, D.C. region. Getting traffic moving again along these clogged highways requires bold and innovative solutions. To address this, the Hogan administration has outlined a statewide Traffic Relief Plan that includes major widening and targeted technological improvements to the Capital Beltway, I-270, the Baltimore/Washington Parkway, the Baltimore Beltway, and I-95 north of Baltimore, greatly reducing traffic congestion on these vital roadways.

Governor Hogan believes improving Maryland’s highway system goes hand-in-hand with mass transit solutions. In September, he became the first regional leader to put a substantive offer on the table to fix the Washington Metro system’s funding shortfall, and - with legislation recently passed in Maryland and Virginia - the region is poised to make an historic investment in Metro’s future.

In 2017, Governor Hogan broke ground on the multi-billion dollar Purple Line light rail project in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. In 2017, the governor joined the Maryland Transit Administration to launch the BaltimoreLink bus system in the Baltimore region, transforming and improving the local transit system for the first time in 50 years.

Under the Hogan administration, the Port of Baltimore and BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport experienced record-breaking success and continue to serve as important economic drivers for Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region. The port broke multiple cargo records. Likewise, BWI airport produced over $9 billion in economic activity during three consecutive years of record-setting passenger traffic, all while supporting more than 8,700 jobs. For the first time in 30 years, the Port of Baltimore will accommodate increased cargo and economic activity, while creating new job opportunities, because of the purchase of an additional 70 acres of land.

Transforming Maryland’s transportation infrastructure is yet another way that the Hogan administration is changing Maryland for the better.

Jobs & The Economy
As a lifelong small businessman, Governor Hogan understands that high taxes, reckless spending, and unnecessary regulations mean fewer jobs and lower wages for Marylanders. That’s why he has fought for fiscally responsible budgets that keep more money in Marylanders’ pockets and allow businesses of all sizes to grow. Thanks to the governor’s pro-growth leadership, wages have risen and Maryland has created over 100,000 new jobs. Over the course of the past four years, more Marylanders have been working and more businesses have opened their doors than ever before in our state’s history.

Governor Hogan kept his promise to hold the line on taxes while offering targeted tax relief to working families, seniors, small businesses, veterans, and retirees. He ended the notorious “rain tax,” and - for the first time in 50 years - slashed tolls on Maryland’s highways and bridges. Altogether, the Governor delivered $1.2 billion in tax, toll, and fee relief to Maryland families and small businesses.

Governor Hogan knows that in order to keep more money in the pockets of hard-working taxpayers, Annapolis needs fiscal responsibility. That’s why he introduced the first structurally balanced budget in a decade on the day after being sworn into office, eliminating nearly all of the $5.1 billion structural deficit he inherited from the O’Malley administration. Under Governor Hogan’s leadership, Maryland adopted balanced budgets with no tax increases every year of his first term in office.

He also rescinded or eliminated 72 obsolete executive orders and eliminated or streamlined nearly 850 burdensome regulations that were unnecessarily suffocating job creators and businesses of all sizes.

As a result, Maryland - and Marylanders - are better off now than they were four years ago. The massive job losses under the O’Malley administration have been reversed, and Maryland’s median household income is the highest in the nation.

Maryland is better off today with Governor Hogan’s solid economic leadership.

Education
Governor Hogan believes that every child should have access to a world-class education regardless of the neighborhood they happen to grow up in. That is why he provided record funding for education in each of his four budgets. In total, the governor committed $25 billion for K-12 education over the past four years, more than any other governor in Maryland history, and an increase of nearly $450 million over the O’Malley administration.

In 2007, the O’Malley administration promised voters that revenues from casinos would be used to grow education funding. Governor Hogan has pledged to make sure the State of Maryland keeps that promise. In addition to the historic funding already provided, the governor introduced legislation to create an education lockbox to increase education funding by $4.4 billion over the next 10 years, including an additional $1 billion for school construction. He also called for $125 million from these casino revenues to be dedicated for immediate school safety improvements, plus $50 million per year for mental health counselors, school safety officers, and other schools safety efforts.

In addition to record K-12 education funding, Governor Hogan is committed to advocating for innovative solutions to improve education outcomes with initiatives such as P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) Schools. P-TECH schools are a nationally recognized approach that blends high school, college, and on-the-job work experience into one. Maryland now has five P-TECH schools, including two in Baltimore City, two in Prince George’s County, and one in Allegany County.

The governor is also committed to expanding educational opportunities to historically underserved students throughout Maryland. In bipartisan partnership with the General Assembly, the BOOST scholarship program now provides tuition assistance to students from low-income families. The governor’s ACCESS initiative expands access to K-12 computer science education, especially among girls and minorities who are traditionally underrepresented in high-paying technology jobs.

Governor Hogan also understands that you cannot have a top-rated state education system without real accountability at the county and local level. As widely reported in the media, corruption, mismanagement, and incompetence are too prevalent in far too many of our local school systems. That is why Governor Hogan has proposed the creation of an Office of the State Education Investigator General to investigate complaints of unethical, unprofessional, or illegal conduct in our public schools. Governor Hogan will not allow our children to be cheated out of the quality education they deserve.

While the General Assembly is blocking the governor’s efforts to fix persistently failing schools, the governor is fighting for his Protect Our Students Act to put more emphasis on student achievement, ensuring that Maryland maintains its reputation as a national leader in public education.

Governor Hogan also committed $7 billion to higher education, limiting tuition growth to just two percent, so more Marylanders can afford to attend college without assuming a lifetime of debt. He also launched the Maryland SmartBuy program, which enables homeowners to purchase their home and pay off their student loans at the same time, the first program of its kind in the nation.

Environment
Governor Hogan believes that every child should have access to a world-class education regardless of the neighborhood they happen to grow up in. That is why he provided record funding for education in each of his four budgets. In total, the governor committed $25 billion for K-12 education over the past four years, more than any other governor in Maryland history, and an increase of nearly $450 million over the O’Malley administration.

In 2007, the O’Malley administration promised voters that revenues from casinos would be used to grow education funding. Governor Hogan has pledged to make sure the State of Maryland keeps that promise. In addition to the historic funding already provided, the governor introduced legislation to create an education lockbox to increase education funding by $4.4 billion over the next 10 years, including an additional $1 billion for school construction. He also called for $125 million from these casino revenues to be dedicated for immediate school safety improvements, plus $50 million per year for mental health counselors, school safety officers, and other schools safety efforts.

In addition to record K-12 education funding, Governor Hogan is committed to advocating for innovative solutions to improve education outcomes with initiatives such as P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) Schools. P-TECH schools are a nationally recognized approach that blends high school, college, and on-the-job work experience into one. Maryland now has five P-TECH schools, including two in Baltimore City, two in Prince George’s County, and one in Allegany County.

The governor is also committed to expanding educational opportunities to historically underserved students throughout Maryland. In bipartisan partnership with the General Assembly, the BOOST scholarship program now provides tuition assistance to students from low-income families. The governor’s ACCESS initiative expands access to K-12 computer science education, especially among girls and minorities who are traditionally underrepresented in high-paying technology jobs.

Governor Hogan also understands that you cannot have a top-rated state education system without real accountability at the county and local level. As widely reported in the media, corruption, mismanagement, and incompetence are too prevalent in far too many of our local school systems. That is why Governor Hogan has proposed the creation of an Office of the State Education Investigator General to investigate complaints of unethical, unprofessional, or illegal conduct in our public schools. Governor Hogan will not allow our children to be cheated out of the quality education they deserve.

While the General Assembly is blocking the governor’s efforts to fix persistently failing schools, the governor is fighting for his Protect Our Students Act to put more emphasis on student achievement, ensuring that Maryland maintains its reputation as a national leader in public education.

Governor Hogan also committed $7 billion to higher education, limiting tuition growth to just two percent, so more Marylanders can afford to attend college without assuming a lifetime of debt. He also launched the Maryland SmartBuy program, which enables homeowners to purchase their home and pay off their student loans at the same time, the first program of its kind in the nation.

Heroin & Opioid Epidemic
Since before taking office and over the past four years, Governor Hogan and Lt. Governor Rutherford have been committed to shining a spotlight on the heroin and opioid crisis and using every possible resource to develop solutions and ultimately save lives.

While running for office four years ago, the number one concern the governor and Lt. Governor heard from Marylanders across the state, whether in rural or urban areas, was that the heroin and opioid epidemic was tearing apart communities and families. After taking office, Governor Hogan took immediate action by establishing the Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force.

The task force traveled across the state, gathering input from families, local law enforcement and government officials, and nonprofit organizations. The task force then developed and worked to implement 33 recommendations focused on prevention, enforcement, and treatment to aggressively combat the opioid and heroin crisis.

In March 2017, Governor Hogan was the first governor in the nation to declare a State of Emergency to provide all levels of state government the necessary legal authority to develop even more expansive measures to fight this crisis. Over the course of four years, Governor Hogan committed over $600 million towards wide-ranging prevention, enforcement, treatment, and education efforts, including activating the Opioid Operation Command Center (OOCC) to more rapidly coordinate between state and local agencies.

In coordination with the new OOCC, Governor Hogan and Lt. Governor Rutherford announced the launch of the “Before It’s Too Late” public awareness campaign, with comprehensive resources for Maryland families, educators, and healthcare professionals.

Governor Hogan has also taken this fight to the national stage through advocacy at the National Governors Association (NGA) and testifying before the U.S. Senate. Most recently, he joined Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat from Oregon, in calling on the federal government to increase enforcement efforts to stop the import of lethal synthetic opioids, and to provide more federal funding at the state and local level.

Crime
Every Marylander deserves to feel safe in their homes and businesses, in their schools and in their neighborhoods. They need to know that our criminal justice system is fair, swift and equal in its application and enforcement of the law, and in its imposition of punishment. And they need to know that once people enter the criminal justice system, they will come out newly prepared to live productive, law-abiding lives and contribute to the betterment of their communities. These are guiding principles for Governor Hogan.

When it comes to crime and justice, Governor Hogan seeks to distinguish between non-violent offenders who made mistakes and need a second chance versus repeat violent criminals who belong behind bars.

In 2016, the Governor Hogan partnered with legislators from both parties to enact the innovative Justice Reinvestment Act. Designed to help end the mass incarceration of non-violent criminals, the JRA represented the largest and most comprehensive criminal justice reform to become law in Maryland in a generation. This law is helping transform and modernize the state’s criminal justice system to better protect our communities by providing treatment to non-violent offenders struggling with addiction, and supervising low-level offenders in the community where they can work to get back on the right path.

But Governor Hogan also believes that criminals who threaten our families with violence and deadly, hardcore drugs deserve harsh penalties. That is why he introduced a series of initiatives to combat criminal gangs and repeat violent offenders who participate in violent crime throughout the state - especially in Baltimore City.

First, the governor introduced his promised “truth-in-sentencing” initiative to ensure that repeat violent offenders serve their full sentences by making them ineligible for parole. This proposal goes hand-in-hand with emergency legislation doubling from five to ten years the minimum sentence for violent criminals who use guns to commit crimes.

Governor Hogan also established Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statutes to allow prosecutors to better target drug traffickers and criminal gangs, and unveiled the Criminal Intelligence Network (a system of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies) to allow for greater communication and more effective collaboration to break down drug trafficking and violent crime operations throughout the state.

Utilizing the new Criminal Intelligence Network, Governor Hogan also announced a joint law enforcement effort between state agencies, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Baltimore City Police Department to establish a more visible presence in the high crime areas of Baltimore City and ramp-up coordinated efforts to serve open warrants. This 30-day operation led to 500 arrests, including 259 of the city’s most violent criminals being removed from the streets.

Just three months after the governor was sworn into office, riots erupted in Baltimore City after protests over the death of Freddie Gray turned violent. Governor Hogan acted decisively, declaring a State of Emergency, immediately moving all key operations to the city, and calling on more than 5,000 Maryland National Guardsmen and local law enforcement to assist the Baltimore City Police Department in ending the rioting and violence. Due to the governor’s rapid and effective response, calm was restored preventing continued violence and property damage to public buildings and private businesses.

Responding to the years of frustrations in the African American community that culminated with the riots, the governor signed a series of bills into law that increased civilian oversight and required reporting for the Baltimore City Police Department. The governor also increased, for the first time in nearly 30 years, the limits for a civil lawsuit damage claim against a local or state government.

The governor also announced Project C.O.R.E. (Creating Opportunities for Renewal and Enterprise), a $100 million blight removal program in Baltimore City, with an additional $600 million in financing available for redevelopment, to remove abandoned, dilapidated properties that had become breeding grounds for crime. He also provided expanded job training opportunities in the community. These moves expand economic opportunities in these troubled neighborhoods.

Later in 2015, Governor Hogan again took swift action to close down the deplorable and unsafe Baltimore City Men’s Detention Center that had been overrun by gangs and corruption. Lawmakers had talked about closing it for over a decade, but failed to take any action. But, in a matter of weeks, the governor closed it down and ended the problems. Now, Governor Hogan proposes turning the facility into a mental health and substance abuse treatment center.

Another critical piece to public safety is ensuring that victims of crime are not forgotten and are treated with the dignity and the respect they deserve. Governor Hogan has proposed a number of legislative initiatives to help protect our most vulnerable citizens and create an environment in which victims feel safe coming forward, and empower them to heal and rebuild their lives. These initiatives were bolstered by securing over $110 million in Victim of Crime Act Assistance grants to back these initiatives.

Governor Hogan also pushed for and enacted other multiple pieces of crime-fighting and victim protection legislation.

In 2016, 148 people in Maryland were killed in crashes that involved someone impaired by drugs or alcohol. In response, Governor Hogan enacted Noah’s Law, named for Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta, who was tragically struck and killed by a drunk driver while conducting a stop. This landmark legislation requires ignition interlock devices for anyone convicted of drunk driving in Maryland. Additionally, Governor Hogan reintroduced the Repeat Drunk Driving Offenders Act, which targets repeat offenders by creating a felony drunk driving offense.

The governor also took strong action to protect women and children from sexual predators. It is well known that sexual predators follow patterns of behavior, and that a single victim is rarely the perpetrator’s only victim. That’s why Governor Hogan reintroduced the Repeat Sexual Predator Prevention Act, which allows a court to admit evidence of a defendant’s prior history of sexual assaults during prosecution for subsequent sexual offenses. In addition, Governor Hogan also introduced and pushed for the Felony Human Trafficking Act, which will classify felony human trafficking as a violent crime, ensuring offenders serve more time in prison.

To ensure that rape victims are not forced to interact with their attacker, Governor Hogan signed into law the Rape Survivor Family Protection Act – a bill to deny parental rights to rapists, and it was the first bill he signed into law during the 2018 legislative session.

As he has done from the very beginning, Governor Hogan is committed to ensuring the safety of Marylanders.

Healthcare
There are few things more important to Marylanders than the ability to care for their families and loved ones, and having access to affordable, high-quality health care is pivotal in those efforts. Maryland is very fortunate to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Still, far too many families are forced to choose between being able to pay for health insurance and paying for life’s other necessities.

This is a daily struggle for too many Marylanders, and Governor Hogan is committed to improving this situation. In response to these realities, the governor is a tireless advocate for Marylanders fighting against changes at the federal level that would harm citizens. He is working to ensure Maryland continues to lead the way on innovation in the health care sector on the state level.

Throughout the debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act, Governor Hogan repeatedly voiced his opposition to any changes by Congress and the Trump administration that would jeopardize Marylanders’ access to quality health care. That’s why he is actively partnering with other state leaders across the country committed to making health care more affordable.

As the health care debate intensified in Washington, the governor summoned Maryland’s federal delegation to Annapolis to discuss the issue and urged them to work on common sense, bipartisan solutions to protect residents across the state. The governor made it clear that if real progress was to be achieved, it would require cooperation on all sides - not the partisan bickering that dominates Washington politics. He asked Congress to work together to protect Marylanders from losing their coverage, and to pursue the policy ideas that would make healthcare more affordable for the average family.

Since then, the governor continues to lead on health care, pushing for federal and state leaders to work together. He repeatedly joined with a bipartisan group of 10 governors to call on Congress and the Trump administration to work in an open, bipartisan manner to stabilize our health insurance markets. When subsidies that help low-income individuals purchase health care were cut, Governor Hogan was a leading voice urging the federal government to restore this vital funding.

In addition to fighting to make health care more accessible and more affordable, Governor Hogan also urged Congress to reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). As the governor explained, the 146,000+ children in Maryland covered under CHIP should never be a political football.

Due to many years of political dysfunction and failure by national leaders in Washington, health insurance rates, especially in the individual market, skyrocketed over the last decade. In the coming year, rates were predicted to increase in Maryland by 50 percent or more, potentially causing a catastrophic breakdown of our state insurance market. Governor Hogan immediately established an executive negotiating team to work in a bipartisan fashion with the General Assembly to pass and enact legislation stabilizing our insurance market and keeping premiums down.

Due to the governor’s leadership and willingness to partner with the General Assembly, landmark legislation was passed that protects Marylanders’ health care options and stabilizes insurance rates.

Governor Hogan also announced the approval of the unique and innovative Maryland Model contract, which improves health outcomes and controls health costs. As a result of the Maryland Model, a total of $1 billion in savings is expected to be provided over five years.

Under Governor Hogan’s leadership, Maryland became the third state in the nation granted a waiver from the federal government to expand and make substance-use disorder treatment options more accessible. This expansion allows certain Medicaid-eligible adults to pay for 30-day treatment stays in large residential treatment centers known as Institutes for Mental Disease. Currently, there are more than 35 providers enrolled in the Maryland Institute for Mental Disease program and more than 1,500 beds available to help those with opioid-related substance-use disorders.

In December 2017, the State of Maryland secured a victory when the Center for Medicare & Medicaid services announced awards for Home Visiting Services and Assistance in Community Integration pilot programs. For the first time, Medicaid-matching funds will be available for these pilot programs established in Cecil, Harford, and Montgomery Counties, as well as Baltimore City. The pilot programs provide expanded services for new mothers and children, as well as those who are at risk of becoming homeless due to chronic health conditions.

The Hogan administration is working tirelessly to expand health care services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Within the past year, the governor’s bold actions will enable 800 additional Marylanders access to critical services. Federal approval of Maryland’s Family Supports Waiver is expected to reduce the waiting list and provide services more efficiently to 400 individuals. Additionally, the state was approved for a Community Supports Waiver, which expands community-based service options to individuals with disabilities who are on the Developmental Disabilities Administration’s waiting list.

As a recent survivor of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and knowing cancer is the second leading cause of death in the state, the Governor is increasing Maryland’s investment in cancer-fighting programs and policies supported by the State. Since taking office, Governor Hogan invested over $160 million in state funding toward cancer research, care, and initiatives - an increase of more than 14 percent over the O’Malley administration. In 2016, the Governor directed the Maryland Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan (MCCP) to ensure that Maryland’s approach to fighting this disease is more comprehensive and wide-ranging. The MCCP was developed by more than 80 stakeholders, and encourages collaboration into treating and supporting victims of this deadly disease.

Since being diagnosed with cancer in 2015, the Governor became an active participant in raising awareness for those fighting this disease - often visiting with patients in hospitals across the state, and with childhood cancer patients at the Ronald McDonald House and through the Cool Kids Campaign.

Governor Hogan remains committed to doing everything possible to ensure Marylanders’ health care options are not only protected but made more accessible and more affordable.

Ethics & Government Accountability
For too long, political corruption has infected Annapolis and local governments around our state, contributing to public cynicism and eroding trust in our institutions.

Governor Hogan was elected to clean up the mess in Annapolis and restore Marylanders’ trust in state government, and over the course of the past four years, that is exactly what he has done. The governor fundamentally believes that Maryland state government - and those who lead it - have a duty to be better than the failed Washington-style politicians. He will never stop fighting for common sense, bipartisan government reforms, transparency, and accountability.

To achieve these goals, the governor took important steps to hold government officials to higher standards, and keep them more accountable to the public.

Within 48 hours of taking office in 2015, Governor Hogan signed his first executive order establishing stringent ethical standards for all members of his executive branch. The order prohibits employees from accepting gifts from anyone doing business with the state, bans conflicts of interest, and bars staff from trading on insider information, among other important reforms.

In the aftermath of a rash of state and federal criminal investigations targeting lawmakers in Annapolis - cases that resulted in multiple state and federal indictments and resignations from office - Governor Hogan led the successful fight for the Public Integrity Act of 2017. It was the most far-reaching and comprehensive ethics reform bill in our state in over a decade. The law expanded public disclosure requirements, tightened conflict of interest rules, strengthened restrictions on using public office for personal gain, and established a citizen advisory board to make recommendations on future changes to ethics laws.

Marylanders deserve accountability and transparency from their elected officials. That is why Governor Hogan is fighting to require that all General Assembly sessions be video livestreamed online. Maryland has the unfortunate distinction of being one of only seven remaining states in the nation to not allow citizens to view live video of deliberations of the legislature. That needs to change. Marylanders have a right to know what their elected officials are saying and doing during debate on the important issues.

Sadly, after years of scandals and abuse of public trust, nearly one in three Marylanders believe corruption is a real problem in state government. In response, the governor has aggressively targeted criminal behavior in Maryland’s prisons and correctional system. Over one hundred individuals - including correctional officers, inmates, and their accomplices - were arrested for prison corruption, conspiracies, and smuggling.

Governor Hogan strongly believes that government works best when politicians return home after serving in public office and live under the laws they passed. But today, career politicians run for reelection term after term for decades. The fact is, even good people grow distant from their constituents, get too cozy with lobbyists, and become beholden to the special-interest donors they need to remain in office. That’s why Governor Hogan is proposing term limits for delegates and senators (two, four-year terms apiece, the same restrictions that apply to the governor). It is time to welcome new leaders and fresh ideas.

Similarly, Governor Hogan is one of the nation’s leading advocates for non-partisan redistricting reform. Today, lawmakers abuse the system through gerrymandering to consolidate their own power at the expense of the voters. These politicians draw up bizarrely-shaped, meandering electoral districts that grab friendly voters, while casting out others, resulting in so-called “safe” districts where no opponent has a chance of successfully competing against an incumbent. Governor Hogan believes voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around. That is why he proposes taking this process out of the hands of self-interested, partisan politicians operating behind closed doors, and put it in the hands of a transparent, non-partisan commission.

Together, term limits and non-partisan redistricting reform will result in more competitive elections, keep politicians honest, give voters a stronger voice in their government, and reduce the partisan divisiveness that plagues our political system.

The governor will keep fighting for these good government reforms no matter how much opposition he faces from entrenched, status quo Annapolis politicians. It is simply the right thing to do.^[54]

K-12 Education
Before Governor Hogan took office, Maryland’s public schools were ranked first in the country for five years running. Now, under his leadership, we’ve slipped to sixth. As governor, I will reverse this trend by making sure we raise teacher pay by 29%, fund full-day universal Pre-K by legalizing and taxing marijuana for adult use, and force Annapolis to finally keep its promise to use all of the casino and lottery revenue to increase education spending, not replace money they’ve shifted to other priorities.

In one generation, my family went from living in Baltimore’s McCulloh Homes Projects to sending me off to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. My story is an example of what’s possible when hard work is enough to succeed. Today, there are too many barriers that prevent families from being able to give more to their children than they received themselves. I’m running for governor because hard work should be enough for everyone to succeed. But it begins with a good education from pre-K through college or trade school, which is why I’ve released my plan Ending the Crisis of Opportunity: A Plan To Better Educate Maryland’s Children.

I’ve been endorsed by the 74,000 educators represented by the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) because I’m committed to fully funding our schools and making sure every Marylander is prepared for a career.

As governor, I will:

• Work with Annapolis to make sure it follows through on its promise to use casino and lottery funds to enhance public education, not replace funds they’ve shifted to other priorities.
• Build the political will and courage to fully implement—and if necessary, strengthen—the recommendations of the Kirwan Commission by passing a fair funding formula in the 2019 General Assembly session.
• Raise teacher pay by 29% to be more competitive with surrounding states, and end the era of educators earning less than a living wage.
• Provide the funding necessary for full-day, universal pre-K by taxing and regulating marijuana for adult use.
• Prioritize funding for Maryland’s most impoverished districts and fight concentrated poverty through community schools.
• Convene subject matter experts to better support special education educators so that every special education student’s unique plan for academic success is met.
• Work with key stakeholders like MSEA to increase staffing levels for social workers and school psychologists to identify mental health issues at their earliest stages.

Ending The Student Debt Crisis
As governor, I will end this era of mass incarceration and use those savings to fund initiatives that will eventually make college tuition-free, and ensure no Marylander is forced to accrue massive debt in order to receive a good education.

My grandfather paid $200 to attend the University of Maryland School of Law and pull my parents out of McCulloh Homes public housing and into the middle class. Unfortunately, this path to a stable life is no longer available to too many Marylanders. My plan, Ending the Student Debt Crisis: A Plan to Transform Higher Education in Maryland, will reverse trends occurring across higher education, where we have seen student debt increase dramatically because government grants and support have failed to keep pace with increases in college costs. As a result, much of the burden for financing college has moved away from government and fallen to students, who report being much less likely to start businesses or pursue public service because they have to prioritize college debt payments. We must break this vicious cycle.

As governor, I will:

• Make community college free for every Marylander
• Establish”MD Careers”, a program which will fund higher education for in-demand professions
• Make all 4-year public institutions debt-free for Marylanders
• Establish a progressive program which will allow those suffering under onerous debt requirements to refinance their loans
• Restore and protect Maryland’s historically black colleges and universities

Medicare-For-All
Healthcare premiums have increased by double digits each year, hurting our small businesses and bankrupting families. Meanwhile, our seniors are seeing their prescription drug costs spike, forcing them to choose between their medications and other basic needs. As governor, I'll work to ensure Maryland makes real progress in ensuring we finally have a healthcare system that works for our families, seniors and small businesses.

Read my plan The Path to MD Care, a plan to enroll more Marylanders into existing programs and reduce future costs for a Medicare For All system in Maryland.

Read my plan MD-Care, a healthcare plan to control costs and provide health insurance to all Marylanders through a Medicare for All system.

In Maryland, we must create a healthcare system that ensures residents are protected, regardless of what President Trump does in Washington. I’ll do what it takes to make sure premiums don’t bankrupt our families and strangle small businesses because we shouldn’t expect to keep paying more for healthcare while getting less and less each year.

As a child and young adult, I struggled with juvenile epilepsy. There were years when I wasn’t covered by health insurance and couldn’t afford the medicine which would have suppressed my seizures. I’ve held friends in my arms after their loved ones died due to a lack of proper health coverage. As a businessman, I’ve seen firsthand how Maryland has lost out on economic opportunities that would have brought good jobs to our state because we could not ensure our healthcare costs would not continue to spike.

My commitment to a Medicare-for-All system is grounded in a belief that healthcare is a moral and economic imperative that we can no longer ignore.

As governor, I will:

• Implement a Medicare-for-All system that delivers better care for less cost.
• Stop rising premiums so that Maryland families no longer fear bankruptcy due to an unexpected health crisis.
• Negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices for all residents, especially our seniors
• Ensure that the more than 300,000 Marylanders who currently lack healthcare are covered with quality affordable healthcare

Innovation Maryland
Innovate Maryland is a small business and entrepreneurship plan that builds on my experience as an investor helping small businesses and entrepreneurs reach their full potential. For too long, Maryland has been stuck, with lagging wage growth, GDP growth and job growth as our neighbors in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the rest of the nation move ahead. This plan will create a business-friendly environment and help our small businesses and entrepreneurs compete and succeed.

For the past five years, I’ve worked as an investor at Kapor Capital, helping startups turn into established businesses and mentoring entrepreneurs. So, I know how hard it can be for a small business to compete in Maryland, and I know how that can spread to lagging wage growth for working folks across our state. That’s why I’m releasing this plan, to help us compete regionally and nationally, to help our small businesses feel like state government is a partner to them, and to foster an environment that attracts and sustains entrepreneurship. Read my full plan, Innovation Maryland for a comprehensive look at what I’ll do as governor.

We’ve seen what a lack of bold leadership on the economy has lead to. Under Larry Hogan, Maryland lost 5,500 jobs in June, including 1,500 private sector jobs. Over the past year, Maryland has been dead last in the region for job growth while the nation created jobs eight times faster, and Virginia twice as fast as our state. Maryland is also well behind Virginia in manufacturing job growth. During Hogan’s time as governor, the average Virginian has taken home more than $8,000 in inflation-adjusted earnings growth, for the average American, it’s more than $5,000 and for the average Delawarean more than $16,000. Yet the average Marylander has seen their earnings increase by less than $450 losing out on thousands of dollars that could have gone toward child care, health care, mortgage payments, a college degree, or to help launch a new business off a great idea. Additionally, Hogan is the first Maryland governor to lose a Fortune 500 company in decades.

We have to reverse these trends that harm working people statewide. As governor, I will:

• Level the Playing Field for Maryland Small Businesses and Ensure Tax Fairness by Lowering the State Sales Tax
  • As governor, I will lower the Maryland sales tax to 5.75%, which will make Maryland competitive with our regional partners as well as providing tax relief to millions of working families. Comptroller Peter Franchot’s emergency regulatory action collecting sales taxes from out of state online retailers and my plan to close the carried interest loophole that hedge fund managers use to avoid paying taxes they owe on investment income will pay for this tax reduction on small businesses and working people.

• Create a Small Business Bill of Rights
  • As governor, I will create a Small Business Bill of Rights to codify protections and recourse for small businesses against unscrupulous behavior. This will attract entrepreneurs to our state who know they can count on an administration and a business-friendly environment to stand up for their ideas and promise.

• Create a Governor’s Office of Tech Transfer
  • As governor, I will create a governor’s Office of Tech Transfer which will focus state strategy and resources behind the goal of drawing on Maryland’s robust research communities to attract and retain related startups. This office will be charged with coordinating Maryland’s higher education community, venture capital and banking community, and economic development community in state and local government.

• Increase Transparency and Equality of Access in State Procurement
  • As governor, I will ensure that all state bids and procurement opportunities are posted publicly online and that we are effectively communicating such opportunities through our small business communities.

• Boost Investment in Maryland Startups through TEDCO
  • As governor, I will increase TEDCO’s funding and resources so it can invest in more companies and assist more startups and entrepreneurs in growing into the thriving businesses that power Maryland’s economy. This will be funded by shifting priorities away from huge taxpayer-funded giveaways to the biggest corporations and instead toward an emphasis on investing resources in TEDCO.

• Make Maryland the Top State in the County for Clean Energy Technology and Jobs
  • As governor, I will strengthen Maryland’s Residential and Commercial Clean Energy Grant Programs so that Maryland residents and businesses are incentivized to adopt clean energy technology, creating savings for working families and entrepreneurs. I will also study creating a program to help defray the costs of installation. Furthermore, I will create a Clean Energy Workforce Development Program to ensure that Marylanders from communities all across the state have the opportunity to learn the skills needed to fill these good jobs.

• Conduct a Comprehensive Review of Existing Tax Credits and Incentive Programs to Ensure they are Supporting an

Entrepreneurially-Focused Approach to Economic Development

• • Maryland has a wide range of existing tax credits, grant programs, and corporate incentives with the stated goal of boosting businesses and growing our economy. Many of these have not had much success in stimulating growth, so as governor, I will conduct a comprehensive review of current programs to identify which strategies work best to help entrepreneurs grow while creating jobs and raising wages for working families.

Make It In Maryland: Building A More Inclusive, Thriving Economy
Wage growth for Maryland's families have fallen behind under Governor Hogan and we need new leadership to create an economy that is truly inclusive and meets the needs of our state. As a businessman and civil rights leader, I know how to build an economy that leaves no family behind, no worker behind, no young person behind and no person behind who has paid their debt to society and deserves a second chance.

Wage growth for Maryland’s families has fallen behind under Larry Hogan and we need new leadership to create an economy that is truly inclusive and meets the needs of our state. As a businessman and civil rights leader, I know how to build an economy that leaves no family behind, no worker behind, no young person behind, and no person behind who has paid their debt to society and deserves a second chance. With new leadership, we can increase wage growth, support our small businesses, retain more of our own start ups and expand prosperity across every sector and region of our state.

Read my full plan, Make It In Maryland: Building a More Inclusive, Thriving Economy

For the past 5 years, I’ve been a Partner at Kapor Capital where I advise small businesses and start-ups in Maryland and nationally. In April, I brought executives from Google and Alphabet to do site visits at the University of Maryland, College Park and to meet high-level business, civic, and social leaders in Prince George’s County and Baltimore City.

As a civil rights leader, I’ve helped lead the fight for a $15 minimum wage and ensure fair treatment for groups routinely exploited and excluded from business and employment opportunities. This plan for economic development will invest in Maryland’s people and leverage our unique resources to build a more inclusive, thriving economy.

As governor, I will:

• Raise the minimum wage to $15 and tie it to the state’s median wage as well as gradually eliminate the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers.
• Create a governor’s Office of Tech Transfer charged with fostering the networks and programming needed to cultivate robust connections between industry stakeholders and coordinating infrastructure and development policy to create the urban fabric and connections that give rise to an innovation ecosystem.
• Ensure prosperity reaches everyone by tackling chronic unemployment. Within my first 100 days in office, I will develop a comprehensive plan to connect recent graduates and the chronically unemployed with employment opportunities and increase funding for training and apprenticeship programs.
• Create a job boosting program to hire job seekers to public sector positions when and where there is no private sector work available. This program will help fill gaps in Maryland’s workforce development pipeline, and spur the creation of additional private sector jobs.
• Create a statewide Youthworks program providing eligible youth with summer employment and potential entrepreneurship grants to work with business mentors.
• Boost employment for the formerly incarcerated by developing new incentives to hire the formerly incarcerated and ensure workforce development programs are better integrated to to include Marylanders with criminal records, including a “Ban the Box” statewide policy for the private sector.
• Revive rural communities by providing more technical assistance to farmers transitioning in to the 21st century marketplace, expand rural broadband and make it easier for farmers to sell their goods within Maryland’s urban centers.
• Create an innovation environment that will enable more locally grown companies to remain in Maryland. I will work to make entrepreneurship more inclusive in Maryland as well.
• Reclaim Maryland’s position in Biotech and Life Sciences.
• Connect workers to jobs with a 21st century transportation plan, reversing Larry Hogan’s singular focus on roads by investing in transportation strategies that best serve all of Maryland and drives economic growth by making it easier for workers to get to work and students to get to school.

Great Cities: A Vision For Maryland’s Future
From Salisbury and Baltimore to Cumberland, our cities have experienced chronic underinvestment in education, transportation, and job creation. As governor, I will invest in our cities to ensure equal opportunity for all and return them to the economic hubs they once were. There is a wealth of untapped potential in our state, and when we look to our cities, we see that they have been without proper investment for far too long. As governor, I'll use my experience as a civil rights leader and businessman to ensure cities are at the forefront of reviving Maryland's economy.

From failing schools, to gun violence and the opioid epidemic, cities across our state are struggling to be the economic engines they once were. As a result, thousands of Marylanders lack the opportunity to escape poverty. From Baltimore, to Cumberland to Salisbury, Marylanders are earning less, and lack the transit options necessary to reach good paying jobs. The Baltimore uprisings, as an example, were as much about the killing of Freddie Gray, as they were a response to the lack of investment in education, transportation, housing, and economic opportunity that exists in every city across our state. This plan will help to ensure that all of our cities, large and small, can thrive and that our state as a whole prospers.

It’s also crucial to combat the childhood lead poisoning public health crisis and improve educational outcomes. Read my three part plan to combat lead poisoning.

Read my full plan: Great Cities: A Vision For Maryland’s Future.

Highlights of my plan include:

• Closing the Wealth, Pay, and Opportunity Gaps
  • End The Public Health Crisis Posed By Lead Paint And Indoor Air Quality
  • Reducing Wealth Gaps Through Homeownership
  • Raising Maryland’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Targets And Growing An MWBE Pipeline
  • Increase Resources To Counter Housing Discrimination In The Courts And Utilize Data And Mapping

• Investing In Infrastructure And The Built Environment
  • Building The State Center Redevelopment Project And The Baltimore Red Line
  • Supporting Homeowners With Funds For Renovation And Protection Against Unjust Tax Consequences
  • An Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund And P3 Approach
  • A Maryland State Infrastructure Bank (SIB)
  • Creating A Smart Growth Investment Fund
  • Creating A Network Of Gigabit Cities
  • Support Urban Agriculture To Address Healthy Food Priority Areas And Grow Jobs

• An Opportunity Framework For Housing And Community Development
  • Providing State Funds For Rent Assistance And Banning Source of Income Discrimination
  • Expanding Affordable Housing In Maryland
  • Expand Public And Private Transportation Of All Types To Solve The Urban Transportation Crisis
  • Incentivizing Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
  • Rapid Rehousing To Address Homelessness

• Expanding Equitable Opportunity In Key Growth Industries
  • Leveraging Urban Assets For Innovation
  • Growing Jobs At The Port of Baltimore
  • Creating A State Office Of Tech Transfer
  • Creating Opportunity Through Partnership With Maryland’s HBCUs
  • Equitable Growth Policy Restructuring Maryland’s Tax And Investment Policy To Focus On Equitable Growth

• Youth Investment And Career Pathways
  • Expand State Support And Participation In Baltimore’s YouthWorks Program
  • Make Grants For Youth Businesses An Alternative To Job Placement For YouthWorks
  • Expand Funding For Police Athletic League Centers
  • Create A 21st-Century Parks Fund To Build New Infrastructure For An Active Lifestyle

Criminal Justice
Our current criminal justice system is wasteful, inefficient, and makes us less safe. We must implement smart-on-crime policies that ensure safety and prosperity while creating a just system for all.

Read my Criminal Justice Platform, a comprehensive plan to make our state safer, help end the era of mass incarceration, legalize marijuana, and save hundreds of millions in taxpayer money by reducing Maryland’s prison population.

As a civil rights leader and community organizer, I’ve spent my life fighting for a common sense criminal justice system that is fair and efficiently uses taxpayer dollars to improve public safety.

I was inspired to study criminal justice by my grandfather who spent thirty years as a juvenile probation officer. Now I teach criminal justice policy at one of the world’s leading public policy schools – the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. I’ve spent my life studying these issues and fighting for solutions nationwide. As governor, I’ll end mass incarceration in our state and I’ll do it with the experience I’ve gained working with both Republicans and Democrats, from Georgia to California establishing common sense reforms.

Highlights of my plan include:

• Creating Gun Courts which will identify strong cases so that high-risk repeat offenders are dealt with quickly. Gun court judges will preside over gun possession cases from start to finish. This specialized approach helps increase conviction rates by improving case management and the subject matter competence of involved personnel.
• Expanding proven violence reducing programs like the Capital Area Violence Intervention Program (CAP-VIP), Safe Streets, and Roca, both of which receive inadequate funding to keep Maryland families safe.
• Expanding the Justice Reinvestment Act to reduce our prison population by 30%, creating savings of up to $660 million.
• Ending cash bail in Maryland to make sure those staying in jail awaiting trial do so because they are a public safety threat not because they are too poor to pay bail.
• Creating a State Office of Innocence Protection to make sure that no miscarriages of justice happen in Maryland wherein innocent people are incarcerated for crimes they did not commit.
• Protecting the dignity of women during incarceration by ensuring women have full access to adequate and humane reproductive health services.
• Legalizing marijuana for adult use and working to strengthen diversity requirements for licenses in the marijuana industry. Direct revenue from taxation of marijuana could raise upwards of $120 million annually.
• Reforming testing and handling of rape kits of which there are currently 3,700 untested in our state. I will prioritize funds to clear Maryland’s backlog and ensure future kits are submitted and tested immediately.

Police Reform
Baltimore City and other jurisdictions have paid out millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards related to police misconduct. In many instances, the misconduct resulted in the death or injury to unarmed civilians. As governor, I’ll support reform efforts already underway in jurisdictions like Baltimore, while also instituting new policies statewide that more aggressively address police misconduct and prevent the killing of unarmed civilians.

Baltimore, our state’s largest city and a major driver of our economy, is currently confronting a crisis of confidence that the governor is uniquely positioned to solve. Just recently, a major police corruption trial concluded in which a total of eight officers either plead or were found guilty of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, and robbery. Prosecutors in the case said the officers were playing both “cops and robbers,” using their police badges to terrorize residents, cover up crimes, and steal large sums of money. Cities across our state are facing this crisis of trust to varying degrees, which is why I released my plan, Building Trust, to help build up community-police relations.

My grandfather worked in law enforcement. He was my early compass for how police should serve and protect the community, and in return the community pays officers our respect and gratitude for risking their lives day in and day out to keep us all safe. We owe it to people like my grandfather, who make up most of the Baltimore Police Department, to give them the proper training, tools, and policies so that it is easier and safer for them to do their jobs. If we don’t prepare them, we have failed them and we have failed the communities who rely on them. In order for Baltimore to thrive and ultimately become a safer city so that all of Maryland benefits, the governor must act with courage to address police misconduct and reform the city’s police department.

Because the police department is technically a state agency, reforming the police department is not merely a local issue. The governor has a moral and constitutional responsibility to act in the midst of such chaos.

My platform will improve police-community relations in every jurisdiction across Maryland.

As governor, I will:

• Pass hearing board reforms that guarantee voting civilians form a majority of those in charge of reviewing police misconduct complaints
• End Nondisclosure Agreements for Police Misconduct Settlements
• Reform the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights so that all allegations of police brutality are investigated no matter the filing date
• Remove the 10- day window officers have before being interviewed by investigators following an incident
• Police the police through a Special Prosecutor’s Office with oversight of all cases of alleged police misconduct
• Create a Public Database for Officer Use of Force so that use of force reports are easily accessible and searchable for the public

Opioid Crisis
Our state is in crisis. Communities across Maryland, from Baltimore to Oakland to Ocean City, La Plata, Elkton, Rockville, and everywhere in between are suffering from the scourge of addiction to heroin and other opioids.

Countless families have been torn apart and thousands of lives have been lost due to an epidemic created largely by the greed of major drug companies, who spent years pushing prescription painkillers that drew victims down the path toward addiction. I’ve toured many of these places, and I’ve seen the pain they’ve created. We know how to fight this massive public health disaster, but our first responders and public health professionals have too often been crippled by a lack of resources. That problem will end when I’m governor and I have a comprehensive plan, Enough Is Enough, developed to ensure that we finally start dealing with this epidemic.

By investing in solutions to this crisis now, we will not only help Marylanders recover from addiction and get back on their feet, but dramatically lessen the immense burdens the opioid crisis has placed on our law enforcement, criminal justice, and public health systems – ultimately saving money in the long term when measured against the costs of inaction.

I promise that I will always remain laser focused on supporting the victims suffering from opioid dependency, the families who often bear the brunt of addiction, and the heroic public health professionals and first responders working hard every day against long odds to save lives and turn the tide of this epidemic.

As governor, I will:

• Devote an additional $2 million in state funding to procure and stock Naloxone for public health professionals and the public spaces that need it most
• Expand the number of 24/7 crisis centers to additional jurisdictions
• Create and fund Overdose Outreach Teams in more areas of the state
• Target the manufacturers and pill mills that created this problem
• Create a state Office of Pain Management, Addiction, and Recovery

Read my full plan, Enough Is Enough here.

Civil Rights'
Maryland has been a civil rights leader before, and we can do it again. I’ve spent my entire adult life as a civil rights leader and community organizer, working to build broad diverse coalitions to move every community forward.

In Maryland, I helped lead successful efforts to pass the Maryland DREAM Act, achieve marriage equality and abolish the death penalty.

While our state and country have made many gains, we still have much more to do to protect and advance civil rights and ensure that we eliminate inequities that exist in education, the economy and criminal justice.

As governor, I will:

• Ensure that prisoners returning to society have the opportunity to access employment and can re-integrate into their communities instead of turning to crime.
• Develop a state procurement and employment process that is inclusive to all.
• Protect and expand protections for LGBTQ Marylanders.
• Ensure Maryland leads the nation in fostering Women and Minority Business Enterprises (WMBEs)

Immigration
Immigrants have shaped our state since before it was founded. We have a moral responsibility to ensure members of our community are afforded equal opportunity, but we also have an economic responsibility to cultivate the talent immigrant families bring to Maryland.

In 2013, The Baltimore Sun named me Marylander of the Year in part due to my efforts as co-chair of the movement that enacted the Maryland DREAM Act. Immigrants in our communities are doctors, nurses, and students. They serve in our police forces and teach our children in school. They deserve our protection and policies that attempt to break up communities in Maryland hurt all of us, not just those who weren’t born here.

As an extension of my tuition-free community college plan, I’ve called for allocating $3 million to cover the cost of tuition and fees for DREAMers.

As governor, I will:

• Work with the legislature to pass the TRUST Act so we can keep law enforcement focused on public safety rather than adding to their already difficult jobs by making them immigration officers as well.
• Defend DREAMers and champion a pathway to citizenship on the federal level.
• Celebrate every Marylander who becomes a citizen.
• Make Maryland a welcoming state to refugees.
• Allocate $3 million to cover the cost of tuition and fees for DREAMers.

Environment
As a life-long environmentalist, I know that protecting our planet is not just a moral imperative, it is an economic opportunity that Maryland can take to propel our state forward. As governor, I will expand the use of renewable power and create good-paying jobs in the process.

Protecting our environment is as much a question of doing the right thing by ourselves as it is doing right by our kids. I want my children to be able to swim in the Bay for decades and grow up in a state on the cutting edge of the 21st century. I’ve been endorsed by Bill McKibben, 350.org, Phil Radford, and Friends of the Earth Action because of my life-long commitment to the environment.

Wayne Gretzky once said that his success as a hockey player was because he skated to where the puck was going. The puck in energy is heading towards renewables fast, and if we want to make sure our kids grow up in an economy that is leading the charge, we have to take action now.

As the President of the NAACP, the first new program I launched was the climate justice program and I served as a board member for the Environmental Defense Fund for over three years fighting for our environment.

As governor, I will:

• Set a deadline for 100% clean and renewable energy and provide 21st-century jobs for the Maryland economy.
• Return Maryland’s focus to smart growth so that we develop our state without encroaching on environmentally important areas.
• Make sure that no community is disproportionately impacted by pollution and integrate environmental justice policies.

Seniors
Read my plan Courage to Care: A Plan to Protect Our Seniors, a comprehensive plan to tackle the issues facing Maryland seniors and their families.

In Maryland, our seniors and their families are struggling to keep up with everything from the rising costs of healthcare and prescription drugs to crippling water bills and property taxes. It’s difficult to navigate the elder care system and find affordable, quality care for loved ones. We have an opportunity here in Maryland to ensure that families don’t have to choose between caring for an aging loved one or saving for their kids’ future.

Our plan is grounded in my running-mate Susie Turnbull’s experience caring for her parents. Her activism after her mother’s sudden death due to a late diagnosis of breast cancer in a nursing home led her to work with then-Governor William Donald Schaefer to review senior care in nursing homes. A year after her mother’s death, on Mother’s Day, her activism culminated in Maryland requiring that all women in nursing homes be screened for breast cancer and all men for prostate cancer.

We have both the opportunity and the obligation to ensure that our state is doing everything possible to help seniors and their families.

As Governor, I will:

• Increase staffing to combat elder abuse
• End senior home losses from water bills and property taxes
• Ensure affordable prescriptions and home care with Medicare-for-All
• Create a database and training program for best care practices around the state
• Help family caregivers build community and networks of support^[54]