Posted by O'Malley Web Team on Jul 29, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Continuing the program launched in 2007 to "move" Maryland's capital to various cities, towns and counties throughout the state, Rockville is this month's destination.
Governor O'Malley will visit the Rockville Senior Center, tour Rockville Interiors and host a roundtable discussion over lunch with a group of small business owners. As he does at every "Capital for a Day," the Governor will hold a Cabinet Meeting in Rockville Town Square.
Last month, the capital was moved to Calvert County.
Posted by O'Malley Web Team on Jul 28, 2009 at 02:48 pm
Communities across Maryland will be safer over the course of the next three years. Announced today at an event in Philadelphia, grants from the economic stimulus package will fully fund 112 Maryland law enforcement officers' salaries and benefits for the next three years.
Governor Martin O'Malley was proud to join Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder and four other governors to announce the grant program. The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) branch of the Department of Justice will administer the grants.
"We saw the value of COPS program first hand in the City of Baltimore," said Governor O'Malley. "Once the nation's most violent and drug addicted City in America, we worked with law enforcement and the people of our City to take our streets and neighborhoods back for our families. And together we achieved a 40 percent reduction in violent crime."
Eight police departments in Maryland will benefit from the COPS Hiring Recovery Program:
- Baltimore - 50 positions
- Bladensburg - 1 position
- Cambridge - 2 positions
- Laurel - 3 positions
- Prince George's County - 50 positions
- Princess Anne - 1 position
- Riverdale - 1 position
- Salisbury - 4 positions
O'Malley impressed upon the importance of keeping Maryland's families and communities safe:
"There is no greater or more solemn obligation we have as public servants than the protection of our citizens. Thanks to the leadership of President Obama and our federal delegation, local law enforcement agencies have an unprecedented opportunity to create or save jobs that directly impact the safety of our neighborhoods."
In addition to the COPS program, Governor O'Malley and the Maryland legislature have allocated an additional $10,000 of economic stimulus money for the purchase of radios, bullet-proof vests, computers and other equipment to support the new officers.
Tell us what you think about Gov. O'Malley's efforts to build a safer Maryland.
Posted by O'Malley Web Team on Jul 28, 2009 at 11:55 am
In a new video, Governor O'Malley joins 93.9 WKYS's EZ Street to discuss the state's efforts to help Maryland residents who are facing home foreclosures. Watch the video:
Posted by O'Malley Web Team on Jul 27, 2009 at 01:32 pm
Tomorrow morning, Governor O'Malley will join Vice President Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder and several fellow Democratic Governors for a major Recovery and Reinvestment Act announcement.
The event will take place at 10:15 am tomorrow in Philadelphia City Hall. Governor O'Malley will join Pennsylvania Governor Rendell, New Jersey Governor Corzine and Delaware Governor Markell.
Stay tuned to the O'Malley blog for more information as it becomes public.
Posted by O'Malley Web Team on Jul 24, 2009 at 01:42 pm
These days, its hard to go long without hearing or thinking about health care.
As Congress debates a federal health care overhaul, Governor O'Malley is making it clear how urgent the need for reform is - as well as how Maryland is ready to lead by example in finding new health care solutions for its citizens.
In his keynote speech at the Kaiser Permanente Health Care Institute Forum this week, the Governor talked about the state of health care in Maryland:
I think we'd all agree that we can't have a society that respects and honors the dignity of every individual if 47 million of our fellow citizens don't have health care, or if we're willing to allow a child pass away because his parents couldn't afford to treat a toothache," said Governor O'Malley. "Speaking as Governor of a state where roughly 22 percent of our budget is dedicated to health care expenses, and where our citizens, their employers and their government spend $36 billion on health care each year, I can personally attest to the urgent need for reform"
The forum- held at the National Labor College in Silver Spring - involved both the nation's largest managed care provider and the country's labor movement in order to examine health care best practices.
But the Governor wasn't just talking about the future - he outlined a some accomplishments of the O'Malley-Brown Administration that have already made quality health care available to more Marylanders:
- Launched a partnership program among state agencies, small businesses, and health insurers to ensure that small business employees and their families can access top-level health insurance.
- Expanded the eligibility for Medicaid programs to provide aide to the Maryland families hit the hardest by the economic downturn.
- Focused efforts and resources on Health IT and bio-surveillance to optimize new technologies for a more efficient health care system.
With your support, Maryland - and all of the United States - can keep working to get the health care system it deserves.
Whatever you think health care reform should look like, most of us can undoubtedly agree with the Governor: "We can't afford to wait another decade to combat rising costs, poor access and mediocre quality."
Posted by O'Malley Web Team on Jul 22, 2009 at 04:23 pm
Earlier today, Governor O'Malley sent out an email about these tough economic times. We wanted to share part of it with you.
It's no secret that our nation is facing tough economic times. It's time again for us to make tough choices and today, I'm presenting budget cuts totaling $280 million aimed at responsibly reducing the state's costs.
I won't sugarcoat it - we're making some painful choices that none of us wanted to make... and there are more serious cuts to come. But the bottom line is, we have to balance this budget. We have to maintain fiscal responsibility. We have to do the right thing for Maryland's future.
We must do everything we can to prevent our children's education from suffering during this national recession and that continues to be my top priority.
Will you take a moment to let me know what you think our top priorities should be?
http://www.martinomalley.com/toughchoices
Maryland has the top school system in the nation and it's our commitment to protecting education that will ensure our state's future remains strong after these difficult times have passed.
Just yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined me in Baltimore to highlight the remarkable progress in test scores by Maryland students. I could not be more proud of our kids and am committed to providing them with the education they deserve.
He also wrote:
This isn't the first time we've had to cut the budget to make ends meet, and it won't be the last. By the end of the summer, I'll have made budget cuts totaling $4 billion to help keep Maryland's budget balanced. At $13 billion, our budget will now actually be lower than the budget I inherited in 2007.
Because we've made these tough choices, Maryland is now one of just seven states to still earn a Triple A Bond rating.
Please share what you think Maryland's budget priorities should be.
Posted by Web Team on Jul 21, 2009 at 02:32 pm
Governor O'Malley appeared on MSNBC Tuesday and talked with Carlos Watson about Maryland's budget.
Posted by O'Malley Web Team on Jul 20, 2009 at 01:02 pm
Last Thursday, Governor Martin O'Malley delivered the keynote address at the Maryland Meta-Leadership Summit for Preparedness.
During the speech, he announced an initiative to expand coordination between government agencies during emergency situations.
The Summit trained emergency preparedness and response stakeholders, brought together high-level decision makers in business, government and nonprofit organizations and provided a networking opportunity for practitioners in a variety of fields.
The Maryland Meta-Leadership Summit for Preparedness was held in Baltimore at the Tremont Grand Historic Venue. For more information on the two-day event, click here.
Posted by O'Malley Web Team on Jul 15, 2009 at 08:55 am
At 7:30 tonight, Governor Martin O’Malley will appear on Maryland Public Television on “Ask the Governor: Special Edition of Direct Connection.
"Ask the Governor" is a monthly series hosted by Maryland Public TV’s Jeff Salkin and broadcast live from Annapolis’ City Dock in Susan B. Campbell Park.
You can submit questions for Governor O’Malley to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call into the program at 1-800-926-0629.
Check your local listings for further broadcast information.
Posted by O'Malley Web Team on Jul 13, 2009 at 01:16 pm
Last week, we debuted a new feature of this blog called "Marylanders Speak Out." In this section, we display the innovative ideas and touching stories of Marylanders about the issues most important to Maryland. Today, we wanted to share your thoughts about the state of the economy.
I work at a Title I school where our families are heavily impacted by the economy. Many parents have come to me about how they can't get jobs right now. The number of families in need is growing and our ability to meet their needs stretched. I have done probably triple the number of referrals to our Linkages program (a social services program)... As a school, we are doing everything we can to help these families so these children can be successful. Please make sure no programs that would hurt children are cut (including educational budgets that serve the neediest children, such as making sure Montgomery County gets its fair share).
-- Jennifer, Anne Arundel County
My husband and I are in our mid-twenties and are anxious to start a family soon. We are both college-educated and hold good jobs that (as of now) pay the bills. But, we are hesitant to have children now because we are extremely worried about the high cost of good quality childcare, especially infant care. We have researched and found that for a month of day care you can expect to pay $700-$1200. That is more than our mortgage! We know we will not be able to survive on one income, because of the skyrocketing housing and healthcare costs in Maryland, and neither of our sets of parents can afford to retire to help with childcare. It just seems to me that middle-class families are always the ones to get squeezed the most.
-- Maureen, Washington County
For more information on Governor O'Malley's stance on helping working families through tough times go here. If you would like to share your story or thoughts on how to help Maryland get through this tough economic reality, please do so here.
The effects of the nation's economic hardship are hitting Maryland hard. We're fighting every day to protect Maryland’s families during these tough economic times. We’re also working every day to make sure that government and its programs work for people.
