Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A Message from the Governor: 40,000 Jobs

July 20, 2010

A Message from the Governor

40,000 Jobs

This morning, we announced that for the fourth straight month, Maryland experienced job growth. In June, Maryland employers added 1,600 jobs to their payrolls, marking a gain of more than 40,000 jobs since January – the most net jobs growth in a January to June period since 1996.

Today's announcement is another positive sign for families and businesses in Maryland. Building on our progress for the past four months, Maryland employers created jobs during a month when the rest of the country as a whole experienced a decline. In these tough economic times, we have made the tough choices necessary to create and save jobs, improve conditions for Maryland businesses, and fuel economic progress.

Maryland's unemployment rate fell to 7.1 percent from 7.3 percent in May, remaining about 25 percent lower than the national average. The addition of 1,600 jobs last month marks the first job gain in the month of June since the start of the recession in 2006.

Together, we continue to leverage the enormous job-creating potential of our State, including strategic tax cuts for businesses that hire unemployed workers, and investments in important growth sectors of our economy, a world-class workforce, and America's #1 ranked public schools.

Martin O'Malley
Governor

Governor O'Malley, New York Governor Paterson Announce Information-Sharing Partnership

Governor O'Malley and New York Governor David Paterson recently announced a joint crime-fighting initiative in which the states will share information every day on arrests of parolees and probationers.

The agreement closes a gap in the sharing of criminal justice information. Previously, a parole and probation officer in one of the states would not necessarily know that an individual under his or her supervision had been arrested in the other state without a time-consuming search of criminal record databases. Under this new partnership initiated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, this information will be relayed automatically on a daily basis.

The O'Malley-Brown Administration currently has similar agreements with DC and Virginia, and the Department regularly shares information on gangs and other critical public safety issues with more than 100 local and regional law enforcement agencies. In the past three years, together, we've driven violent crime down to its lowest rate since 1975.

Governor O'Malley Outlines Plan for the Future of Medical Innovation in Maryland

Today, Governor O'Malley joined Lt. Governor Brown to convene a roundtable forum of industry leaders and experts, including medical system Presidents, Hospital CEOs, State officials and other stakeholders to discuss health care reform and innovation in Maryland. Governor O'Malley used the forum to outline the future of Health Information Technology (Health IT) in Maryland, and opportunities to move Maryland forward in the areas of health care reform and innovation.

Maryland remains home to some of the world's most respected medical institutions. In 2008, more than 219,000 jobs existed in Maryland's health care field. By 2018, that figure is expected to grow to nearly 264,000, representing a growth rate of more than 20 percent over a ten year period. A strong Health IT sector in Maryland has the potential to create even more jobs for Maryland's hardworking families. Governor O'Malley and Lt. Governor Brown have set a goal for Maryland to become a national leader in Health IT by 2012 by developing a safe and secure statewide health information exchange and promoting the adoption of electronic health records among providers. By 2012, the Administration aims to have universal compliance by all health care providers in the State.

State Closes Financing for Hampden Lane in Bethesda

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Raymond A. Skinner announced that DHCD has closed financing for Hampden Lane in Bethesda, a new affordable rental housing project for individuals with special needs. The property will consist of 12 one-bedroom units. The units will be available for tenants with incomes at or below 30% of the Area Median Income which translates into $21,550 for a one-person household.

Hampden Lane received $1 million through ARRA's Section 1602 Tax Credit Exchange Program, which funds capital improvements in affordable multifamily rental housing projects that have previously been awarded federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, administered by DHCD. The project had previously received a federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit allocation of $338,350, which leveraged $2,106,660 in funding. Additional financing includes $944,829 from the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs and a developer contribution of $270,428. The project is estimated to create 22 construction jobs.