ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today released the following statement in response to the passage of the FY 2020 budget in the Maryland House of Delegates:
“In January, we introduced a thoughtful and common sense budget that highlights our administration’s commitments, including our top priority – education. We funded important initiatives that would provide our students with safe classrooms that encourage growth and learning; however, it seems some members of the House do not share that same commitment.
“The egregious cuts outlined in the budget that passed today – including over $16 million in cuts to funding that would enhance school safety, increase accountability, and provide better opportunities for our kids – are the height of hypocrisy and a disservice to our students, teachers, and parents. These cuts include: the Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line, which is critical to keeping our classrooms safe; the Office of Education Accountability, which is providing transparency and exposing wrongdoing in local school systems; funding for underserved children to attend innovative public charter schools; the bipartisan BOOST program; and our proposal to expand the Promise Scholarship program to allow qualifying students to get a college education.
“While numerous legislators have supported these innovative proposals in the past, they have opted to now put them on the chopping block – all to score political points. Our kids deserve better, and we will continue to advocate for greater accountability in our schools to ensure that funding goes where it belongs – in the classroom with teachers and students.
“Additionally, despite the tremendous progress our administration has made in growing Maryland’s economy, the House has proposed $11 million in cuts to important job creation initiatives and workforce development programs, which will adversely impact Maryland’s hard-working citizens. The House also announced a $6 million cut to our administration’s SmartWork Program, which assists in the recruitment and retention of state employees working in high-demand fields, including correctional officers and nurses, by helping repay their student loans. This cut will severely limit the number of Marylanders who can benefit from this initiative.
“Despite these setbacks, during the remaining weeks of session, our administration remains committed to working with both the House and Senate leadership in a bipartisan fashion to achieve real results for the people of Maryland.”