The Week Ahead

Last week we blogged about national employment in April. On Thursday we also saw Governor O'Malley sign into law bills repealing the death penalty, combating cyberbullying, expanding access to driver’s licenses, extending early voting, reforming campaign-finance, and legalizing medical marijuana.

For the week of May 6th through May 12th:

• On Wednesday, May 8th, the Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness meets from 9am to noon in the House Office Building, Annapolis.
• Also on Wednesday, the Interagency Committee on School Construction meets at noon to discuss fiscal year 2014 recommendations to the Board of Public Work. The meeting will be held at 200 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore.
• On Thursday, May 9th, the Payer/Provider Stakeholder Group will discuss the Community Integrated Medical Home initiative from 12:30-5pm, at 201 West Preston Street, Baltimore.
• Also on Thursday, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will hold a public hearing from 1-3pm on Healthchoice 1115 Waiver Renewal in room 240 of the House Office Building, Annapolis.

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.

The Week Ahead

Last week the General Assembly returned to Annapolis and took care of unfinished business.  Over three days the legislature passed a vital revenue bill, passed the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2012 making the legal changes and fund transfers necessary to fully enact the budget, and shared pension costs with local jurisdictions.  This week will be relatively quiet, by comparison.

Tuesday, May 22nd

• Governor O'Malley will sign the next batch of bills from the 2012 legislative session into law.  The list of bills has not been released yet. 10:30am, Annapolis.

Wednesday, May 23rd

• Board of Public Works (BPW) meets.  This meeting was an important pressure on the legislature prior to the special session last week; the BPW would have had to begin implementing the doomsday budget and cut an additional $70 million from the state's budget at this meeting if the General Assembly had failed to pass a revenue package.  10am in the State House, Annapolis.

Thursday, May 24th

• Economic Development Commission holds a Regional and Economic Diversity Forum.  Space is apparently limited so RSVP if you wish to attend.  10am in Suite 110, 5520 Research Park Drive, Baltimore.

Bill signing and unemployment

Governor O'Malley signed almost 300 bills into law this afternoon.  Media coverage focused on three environmental bills, the Sustainable Growth and Agricultural Preservation Act of 2012 (SB 236/HB 445), the expansion of the Bay Restoration Fund (HB 446/SB 240), and the Watershed Protection and Restoration Program (HB 987/SB 614).  The list also includes bills related to the health benefit exchange, electronic filing of tax credits, a foreclosed properties registry, recycling at large apartment buildings,and a host of other topics.

This morning the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released March employment figures for metropolitan statistical areas (MSA's).  There are four MSA's centered in Maryland: Baltimore-Towson, Cumberland, Hagerstown-Martinsburg, and Salisbury.  Maryland also includes portions of the DC and Philadelphia MSA's.  The unemployment rate improved compared to March 2011 for all but one of those areas (metro unemployment is not seasonally adjusted, so in order to compare like to like we have to look back 12 months).

Unemployment in the Salisbury MSA - which includes Somerset and Wicomico counties - was 9.3 percent in March 2011 and 2012.  The Salisbury MSA also has the highest unemployment rate of any region in MD. Employment in the Salisbury area is concentrated in education and healthcare, a relatively strong industry most of the country in recent years.  However, the region's next largest industries are wholesale and retail trade, construction, and hospitality, which have been more vulnerable during and after the Great Recession.

click on graph to enlarge

The Week Ahead

Last week we joined with more than fifty community organizations to send a letter to Governor O'Malley, House Speaker Busch, and Senate President Miller urging them to call legislators back to Annapolis soon to fix the budget fiasco.  You can add your name to the list by signing our petition.  The faith community wrote a similar op-ed in the Baltimore Sun.


Tuesday, May 1st

• Otherwise known as May Day, the traditional labor holiday (interestingly, also officially Loyalty Day, or Law Day, here in the U.S.).  The Occupy movement is planning a number of events, including a rally at McKeldin Square in Baltimore.  Neil Bergsman wrote about his visit to the Occupy Baltimore camp last October.

Wednesday, May 2nd

• Board of Public Works (BPW) holds their biweekly meeting.  The Governor, Comptroller, and Treasurer have a lengthy agenda (summary) including items on remaining grants for FY 2012; a variety of contracts, leases, and licenses; and capital projects (including Project Open Space). 10am
• After the BPW meeting Governor O'Malley will sign several bills into law.  You can watch the bill signing, starting at 2pm.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases employment figures for metropolitan areas.

Friday, May 4th

• BLS releases national employment figures for April.  U.S. unemployment fell slightly in March, to 8.2%.