Investing in Maryland's people - O'Malley signs training fund into law

There's one new law that has not received a lot of attention, but that will be a big help for Maryland workers and for Maryland's future economy.

Governor O'Malley signed HB 457 yesterday, establishing a transportation infrastructure training program using federal dollars. This is a really smart policy. A small portion of our transportation budget can mean job skills and a path to employment for so many workers who need a solid start that leads to family-supporting wages. It also positions Maryland's economy to build on our strength of a well-prepared workforce.

Maryland will now become the second state in the nation to permanently commit the 0.5% to job training and to ensure ongoing monitoring of the spending.  Passage of this legislation will also allow for the continued support of Project BuildUP, an on-the-job training program that serves workers across the state.

The federal government allows states to dedicate up to one half of one percent of their federal surface transportation and bridge dollars to training programs for under-represented and disadvantaged populations. This amounts to over a million dollars that Maryland could spend on construction and infrastructure training for minority, disadvantaged, and female workers, and to connect workers to actual jobs after completing the program.

The Maryland Department of Transportation took the first step toward developing these programs by creating the BuildUp program.  HB 457 guarantees that the money made available by the federal government will be used for training programs, linking workforce development with job development.


Congratulations to the Maryland Department of Transportation and great advocates (like the Job Opportunities Task Force) for promoting this forward-looking investment in Maryland's people.