By 2014, our state was at a critical turning point. Our economy was floundering, and too many Marylanders were struggling just to get by. Forty-three consecutive tax hikes - even taxing the rain - had taken over $10 billion out of the pockets of hardworking Maryland families and small businesses.
Maryland had lost 8,000 businesses and 100,000 jobs, and our unemployment rate had nearly doubled. Sadly, our overall economic performance ranked 49th out of 50 states, and a Gallup poll showed that roughly half of all Marylanders wanted to leave our state.
Frustrated with the status-quo and tax and spend policies in government, Larry Hogan started Change Maryland to provide a voice to the overwhelming majority of Marylanders who were fed up with politics as usual in our state.
Change Maryland quickly became the largest nonpartisan organization in state history, made up of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents from all walks of life and from all across the state, and the voice of fiscal responsibility and common sense problem solving that Marylanders desperately wanted and deserved.
Since January 2015, Change Maryland has been leading the way in educating, engaging, and energizing citizens about what is happening in Annapolis and fighting for tax relief, fiscal responsibility, government integrity and transparency, and infrastructure improvements all across the state.
Together, we already made incredible progress. Immediately upon taking office, Governor Hogan eliminated nearly all of the $5.1 billion structural deficit inherited by the previous administration. He cut tolls at every single facility in the state by $316 million and eliminated over 250 fees and more than 850 job-killing regulations. Maryland has not had a single tax increase in five years - something previously unthinkable and unheard of in our state.
Instead, Governor Hogan cut taxes five years in a row by $1.25 billion and put all that money back into the pockets of hardworking Marylanders, retirees, small businesses - and back into our growing economy. More businesses are open, and more people are working now than ever before in the history of our state, and we have had one of the biggest economic turnarounds in America.
With Governor Hogan’s leadership, we passed the Integrity in Government Act. 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.
During the previous administration, Maryland’s transportation infrastructure fell into disrepair and essential projects we stalled. Since taking office, Governor Hogan has worked tirelessly to rebuild Maryland’s crumbling roads and bridges and to expand access to public transportation. We are finally moving forward on every single top-priority road project in every single jurisdiction across the state, and more than half of all state roads have been repaved or resurfaced.
Even though we have made incredible progress, there is still so much more we have to accomplish to truly change Maryland:
- We’ve already broken all-records in Maryland history by fully funding EDUCATION, created a dedicated lockbox from casino revenues, and advanced the fight for accountability in the school systems - but there is even more that Governor Hogan wants to get done.
- Keep Maryland’s economy on the right track to help grow more and better JOBS, by stopping job-killing new laws and regulations.
- Governor Hogan convinced the legislature to cut some taxes, but our fight for LOWER TAXES for more Marylanders is just beginning - particularly tax cuts for all retirees.
- We record-funded ROAD IMPROVEMENT and MASS TRANSIT projects with transportation projects in every county of the state - but Governor Hogan is dedicated to solving Maryland’s chronic traffic congestion problems.
- Governor Hogan knows it is time to have fair elections and fair districts, and that means we need nonpartisan REDISTRICTING REFORM to force the career politicians to stop protecting themselves, and more ETHICS REFORMS and TERM LIMITS to keep them honest once they get elected.
- When it comes to fighting VIOLENT CRIME, the legislature is blocking Governor Hogan’s common-sense proposal mandating tougher prison sentences for dangerous criminals who commit repeat violent felonies with a gun.
Despite support from nearly 80 percent of Marylanders, there still is a complete disconnect between the professional politicians in the General Assembly. They want to take us in the completely opposite direction and return to the failed policies of the past.
This is not just a fight between Republicans and Democrats, this is a fight for Maryland’s future. Are we going to keep changing Maryland for the better, or are we going to let the status-quo politicians drag us back to the failures of the previous administration?
Do you want to keep making progress and continue Maryland moving forward? Then join us. Let’s keep changing Maryland for the better and continue to build a better future for our state.
