The O'Malley Blog

State of the State 2010

Earlier today, Governor O'Malley delivered the 2010 State of the State Address to the Maryland General Assembly.

Read the speech here.

Text of Governor O’Malley’s State of the State Address

Governor O'Malley just delivered the 2010 State of the State address to the Maryland General Assembly, urging legislators to take action on an agenda focused intently on creating jobs here in Maryland. We've posted the text of the speech as prepared here.

Live-Tweeting the State of the State

We'll be live-tweeting during Governor O'Malley's State of the State address today at noon on the campaign's Twitter account, @governoromalley. Follow along and join the conversation!

Making Maryland a hub for cyber security jobs

When most people think about Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay, Blue Crabs and the best public schools in the nation come to mind. Governor Martin O'Malley is committed to adding cyber security to that list.

In an opinion piece in Monday's Baltimore Sun, Governor O'Malley pledged to continue and strengthen Maryland's cyber security industry, thereby better securing networks, protecting crucial information, and creating thousands of new jobs.

O'Malley used the recent cyber attack on Google to highlight the seriousness of the issue - how consumer information, business records, and classified documents can be vulnerable if proper safeguards are not in place:

"In an era where our economy, our infrastructure and the well-being of our families are so interconnected and dependent upon computers and cyberspace, one of our top priorities must be cyber security. In Maryland, we are addressing this challenge head-on."

Our state certainly has a lot to protect: the tech industry is one of Maryland's greatest economic assets, with more than 250,000 Marylanders working in the technology field. In the midst of a recession, the Maryland tech sector saw 7.2 percent job growth in one year - the fastest in the nation. In addition, thanks to the Governor's leadership, the military's U.S. Cyber Command will be established in Maryland - creating 10,000 to 15,000 new jobs.

That makes this renewed commitment to cyber security evermore crucial. "We - government, the private sector and industry -- must work together at every level to ensure the security of our digital infrastructure now and in the future," wrote O'Malley.

However, it's not all about the technology itself - education is an essential component of the Governor's cyber security policy. "We must ensure that our citizens - the college student doing homework on a laptop computer in a dorm, the online shopper, the small business owner managing inventory online, or the CEO overseeing a multibillion-dollar corporation - are aware, informed and educated about the risks inherent in a global online community."

Says O'Malley: "Maryland is answering President Obama's call to action to not only ensure the security of our digital infrastructure now, and in the future, but to also ensure economic prosperity with thousands of new cyber security posts."

You can read the piece in full here.

Video: Gov. O’Malley talks cyber security on CNBC

Governor O'Malley appeared on CNBC's Street Signs Thursday to talk about Maryland's commitment to creating jobs in cyber security.

Gov. O’Malley introduces legislation to protect Marylanders from sexual predators

Today, Governor O’Malley announced a series of legislative initiatives targeted at protecting Maryland families from sexual predators and strict enforcement of sex offender laws, including lifetime supervision for certain sex offenses.

The Governor also announced legislation to reconstitute the Sexual Offender Advisory Board, and has asked former Maryland Attorney General Joseph Curran to serve as Chair. 

Legislative initiatives aimed at protecting Maryland families:

Sexual Offenders – Lifetime Supervision

The bill requires that courts sentence certain serious sex offenders (convicted of first degree rape/attempt; second degree rape/attempt; first degree sexual offense/attempt; certain second and third degree sexual offenses; certain sexual abuse of a minor) and sexual offenders with multiple offenses to mandatory lifetime supervision.  This lifetime supervision must be consecutive to any sentence or probationary term imposed for the underlying offense.  The sentencing court must order a presentence investigation prior to imposing the conditions of this lifetime supervision, which may include GPS monitoring.  The bill also provides for criminal penalties for violations and provides that any sentence imposed for a violation of lifetime supervision is not subject to dimunition credits.

The bill further provides that, following the original sentence and an additional three years of lifetime supervision, a person may petition the sentencing court for discharge from this supervision.  In order to file a petition, a person must have a recommendation from their supervising agent and a risk assessment conducted by a sexual offender treatment provider.  A sentencing court may not discharge a person from lifetime supervision unless there is a finding that the person no longer poses an unacceptable risk to community safety. 

Sexual Offender Advisory Board

This bill reconstitutes the Sexual Offender Advisory Board to be compromised of persons with specialized knowledge of sex offenders so that the Board can effectively make policy recommendations on how to best manage sex offenders and protect the public.  The bill also alters the charge of the Board, directing the Board to: review the laws and practices in Maryland, including our registration requirements; work with the Judiciary to develop risk-assessment criteria for the lifetime supervision offenders; make recommendations for the treatment and management of sex offenders; develop standards for a statewide certification process for sexual offender treatment providers; and make recommendations regarding the training of sexual offender management teams. 

Criminal Procedure - Sex Offenders - Notification and Registration

This proposal would bring the State into compliance with the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) (also known as the Adam Walsh Act), which creates minimum standards for sex offender registration.  States have been given until July 2010 to come into “substantial” compliance or risk the loss of Byrne grant funds.  The most significant changes include: making the registration requirements retroactive; re-classifying the sex offense categories; and requiring juvenile offenders to register publicly if convicted in adult court or if adjudicated delinquent for serious sexual offenses and at least 14 years of age.

Sexual Offender Registration – Indecent Exposure and Possession of Child Pornography

This bill would allow a judge to order a person convicted of (1) possession of child pornography; or (2) indecent exposure in the presence of a minor to register as a sexual offender. Currently, these crimes are not included on the Maryland registry and judges have no authority to order an offender to register for these offenses. 

Registration of Sexual Offenders – Continuing Course of Conduct

This bill adds the crime of Continuing Course of Conduct with Child to the category of offenses for which a sexual offender, under certain circumstances, must register for life.  The elements of  the crime of “Continuing Course of Conduct” are: the commission of one or more of the following crimes at least three times over the course of 90 days to a child under the age of 14: first degree Rape; second degree Rape; first degree Sex Offense; second degree Sex Offense; third degree Sex Offense.  Under current law, a conviction for any of the offenses, against a child under the age of 15, requires lifetime registration as a Child Sexual Offender.  However, a conviction for Continuing Course of Conduct (three of these acts) gives a judge the discretion to order registration, but only 10 years as an Offender.  This bill would remedy the inconsistency in the law and require similar registration guidelines for individuals who commit equally violent sex offenses.

Criminal Background Investigations – Employees of Facilities and Other Individuals that Care for or Supervise Children

This bill expands the categories of individuals who will be required to have a State and Federal background check.  It requires background checks for employees of private entities running recreation centers as well as for employees of home health or residential service agencies licensed to provide home or community based health services for minors. 

Video: Gov. O’Malley makes jobs announcement at GM’s White Marsh plant

Governor O'Malley visited GM's plant in White Marsh Tuesday to help announce the company's decision to produce its next-generation two-mode rear-wheel-drive motors and other electric drive components here in Maryland. GM will also build a high-volume electric drive manufacturing facility at the Baltimore County Transmission plant, creating 200 new jobs and retaining hundreds more.

The Governor was joined by Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, and Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith at the announcement.

Maryland League of Conservation Voters endorses Gov. Martin O’Malley

Earlier today, The Maryland League of Conservation Voters endorsed Gov. O'Malley for his upcoming re-election effort.

Throughout his first term as Governor, Martin O'Malley has made protecting the environment and restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay one of his top priorities.

In his efforts to develop a Smart, Green and Growing Maryland, Gov. O'Malley has:

• Launched the innovative BayStat initiative, which is tracking the efforts to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay;
• Saved over 21,000 acres of Maryland’s most important landscape to protect watershed and wildlife;
• Mapped every plot and parcel of land in the state as part of a revolutionary environmental protection mapping system;
• Challenged Marylanders to plant 50,000 trees by the end of this year;
• Held the first-ever carbon credits auction that netted $136 million for Maryland;
• Reduced Greenhouse Gasses by 25 percent by the year 2020; and,
• Set one of the most ambitious energy savings goals – 15 percent – in the nation.

The League’s announcement comes just days after the Governor rolled out a 2011 budget that includes a doubled investment in the 2010 Bay Trust Fund.

First look at our 2011 budget

Later today, I'll formally introduce our administration's fiscal year 2011 budget – but I wanted to share some important details about it with you before I do.

As with previous budgets, we kept two fundamental goals in mind when formulating this year's proposal.

First, we knew we had to maintain our commitment to fiscal responsibility, which has put Maryland in a position to emerge from the recession faster than most other states. By restoring fiscal responsibility, we are creating an environment to generate jobs and foster economic growth in our state. Our unemployment rate remains 25% lower than the national average, and we beat out all but two other states in job growth last year.

Balanced books have put us on the path back to economic recovery, and I'm proposing $1 billion in additional cuts today that are a tough – but critical – part of continuing to grow Maryland's economy.

Second, it's crucial that we continue to protect our core priorities amid these necessary cuts.

Despite the challenges our state has faced during this recession, we've managed to make important progress in job creation, public education, public safety, and environmental protection.

We can and must continue that progress. It's important for the quality of life of all Marylanders today, and for ensuring our state's prosperity in the years to come.

Our budget proposal will:

• Continue to invest in our public schools, which Education Week recently ranked the best in the nation for the second year running.
• Dedicate $20 million to the Job Creation and Recovery Tax Credit, encouraging businesses to hire Marylanders this year.
• Support more than 20,000 construction jobs over the next fiscal year through capital budget funding.
• Build on the progress we have made rebuilding our communities with the Sustainable Communities Tax Credit and support an additional 15,000 Maryland jobs.
• Double our investment in the 2010 Bay Trust Fund over fiscal year 2010 to continue restoring our Bay.
• Continue funding health care coverage for low-income children and adults. Since Lt. Gov. Brown and I took office, our administration has expanded health care coverage to include 200,000 more Marylanders.

To read more about our budget proposal, click here:

http://www.martinomalley.com/budgetproposal

Photos: Governor O’Malley sends off the Ravens at the airport

In a tradition dating back to his time as mayor of Baltimore, Governor O'Malley today visited with Ravens players on board their plane at BWI this afternoon as they prepared to take off for Indianapolis. Below are a pair of photos from that visit.