January 30, 2019
Media Contact:
Scott Peterson, Director of Communications, Office of Public Information, 202-277-9412
ELLICOTT CITY – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball released the following statement regarding Governor Hogan’s State of the State address.
“I was honored to represent the residents of Howard County at Governor Hogan’s 5th ‘State of the State’ address today in Annapolis. Governor Hogan delivered a speech that highlighted many of our successes as a state built on bi-partisanship, compromise, and willingness to work together as Marylanders to solve problems.
My administration is looking forward to working with Governor Hogan’s administration and building off of the very productive meeting we had earlier this month when we discussed the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, such as making Ellicott City ‘Safe and Sound’ from potential flooding, ending school overcrowding, improving our transportation infrastructure and addressing traffic concerns, as well as combatting the impact of the opioid epidemic in our community.
I am also appreciative of the governor’s recent support of two Project Open Space grants for Blandair Regional Park and Troy Park, as well as public safety grants that include the Internet Crimes Against Children Grant that provides equipment and training specifically intended to combat online predators, the Children’s Justice Act Grant that provides specialized training for Child Advocacy Center personnel, the Community Program Fund Grant that provides specialized training for Child Advocacy Center personnel, and the Crisis Intervention Team Grant that trains officers and other specialized staff members on how to respond during mental health crises.
Governor Hogan and Howard County’s own, Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, have demonstrated many times in the past their commitment to the residents of our county and interest in our issues and challenges, and I expect that to continue in their second term.
However, I was disappointed that Governor Hogan did not mention the recent and historic federal shutdown. A Bureau of Revenue Estimates report shows 172,000 Maryland federal workers were impacted by the shutdown and did not receive more than $778 million in wages. Additionally, there are tens of thousands more federal contractors impacted throughout the state. The State of Maryland, local jurisdictions, such as Howard County, and the generosity of many who through private donations and volunteer efforts were there to help out our neighbors during this challenging time. Although the shutdown is temporarily over for the next couple of weeks, I don’t think it should have been left out of this important speech, especially since this recent shutdown resulted in a $57.5 million reduction in income tax revenue, and a $2.1 million decrease in sales tax revenue throughout the state of Maryland.
Moving forward, my administration looks forward to engaging the governor’s administration, the General Assembly, and, specifically, the Howard County delegation in regard to the important legislation concerning our environment, combatting gun violence, fairness throughout the judicial process and school construction and accountability measures. As Governor Hogan noted in his speech today, by working together, we can ‘deliver real results for the people who sent us here.”